Jim Zimmerman

Well better late than never. I have been wanting to tell about this great event, but as soon as I got back from vegas, my kids got me very sick. So here it is:

So, it was the coolest convention I have ever been too. This is no joke. Microsoft really outdid themselves this time. Not like a normal Microsoft event. It didn't even feel like one sometimes. The branding was different, not the bold Microsoft signs but MIX 06 signs everywhere with Microsoft on the top left corner. There were also media center lunges with bean bags to sit and play xbox 360 games and the new vista media center. What was also wierd was the number of apple laptops I saw. There were tons of flash and mac developers and graphic designers there. It truly was a mix of different people. It was bringing together the designer and the developer. It was really cool the kind of conversations I had. Here I am talking to someone from Adobe about how WPF/E will compete with flash. For those of you that don't know what I am talking about, WPF/E is Microsoft's version of Flash. Except better I think. Finally will have a way to wire up cool design to code-behind pages. You can get more information about Microsoft's new design tool called Expression here.

I played with the xaml stuff and wpf/e in the hands-on labs, but have yet to get it installed on my pc. I am very excited about where Microsoft is headed. It was definitely the early adopter crowd. I don't think WPF/E even comes out until Mid-2007.

So anyway, Vegas was lots of fun and I met alot of cool and fun people. Microsoft had a reception Monday night which was one of the best parties I have ever been too. I saw O'Reilly dancing, Gates wasn't there though. It felt like one of those parties you used to hear about in 2000 at the height of the dotcom boom. Lots of key companies there and everyone drinking and having fun.

For those who missed it, it is definitely worth going next year. It will be hard to top this year, but I am sure it will be somewhere fun.

This is a great find.

Scott Hanselman's 2005 Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List

I have already downloaded 12 programs in the last few hours. Take some time and look at all of the tools. It will make you much more productive. I am excited to start using these tools now.

Well when I got home from MIX06, the viruses were mixing at my home with my 3 kids. I thought I could avoid it, but this morning, it hit me like a brick. I won't get into to details. Lets just say its not a cold.

To make it up I will come and speak to the users group in Orlando sometime in the next few months on AJAX, Atlas and some other fun things I learned at MIX06.

I was really looking forward to seeing you all up in Orlando and look forward to seeing you in Tampa Code Camp this summer. I will talk to someone up in Orlando and see when would be a good time to speak to the users group up there.

Have a great day! Wish I was there and not in the bathroom!

I am so excited, I am going to MIX 06 in a couple of days. It is going to be a very cool conversation. You can check it out at www.mix06.com. Lots of cool AJAX, ATLAS and web 2.0 stuff. I am very excited to talk to others and what apps they are working on. I will try to take as many notes as I can. I will be speaking in Orlando Code Camp on the Saturday following MIX 06 so I will have the new data fresh in my head to talk about. Here is a link to my session 7 Ways to AJAX. I will actually have more than that to talk about after Vegas, so we will see how much i can cover in that one session. If there is time, we can have a open discussion in another room I am sure. I'll see you in Orlando!

Here is Nikhil's Web Development Helper. This is a great tool for debugging ajax and atlas applications. Check it out here: http://www.nikhilk.net/Project.WebDevHelper.aspx


Make sure to follow instructions carefully to get this to work. Only will work on your own .net apps.

For those of you who like to learn more about .NET and like to participate in the community, then you need to go to community-credit.com. Their motto is that they gie "Stupid Prizes to Smart People". Its pretty cool. You basically get points for participating in the .NET community. Blog entries, speaking, going to user group meetings, posting to forums, etc.

Have fun!

Here is a link to a nice podcast on some design patterns for ajax and some good architecting practices. It is done by Polymorphic Podcast.

http://www.polymorphicpodcast.com/shows/architectajax/


Podcast are a great way to get up to speed. Listen in your car or while you are working. I find it better in the car because I can really listen. Kind of distracting while working if you ask me. I just tried it and I think I will wait until i have a half hour drive accross town.

Check this out, you can get this killer bug and feature management software that integrates into visual studio, has a windows version, web version and an api. I already have worked with a company who uses this and it really helps to stay organized. For $5 for 5 users this is a steal since it is normally $495. This is not a joke, they are experimenting with social marketing. They are also donating to the red cross. Really unbelievable. Only until Feb 24, 2006. Check it out here:

http://www.axosoft.com/Products/ontime.aspx?cn=otm_stepromo