Paulo Morgado : PDC

The Future Of C#

Paulo Morgado — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:17:00 GMT

If you were able to attend this session at PDC or Tech-Ed EMEA Developers, you were presented with a first class presentation of the future of C#, presented, respectively, by Anders Hejlsberg and Mads Torgersen.

For the near future (.NET 4.0) C# will have:

Dynamically Typed Objects
Optional and Named Parameters
Improved COM Interoperability
Co- and Contra-variance

A preview of the compiler as a service was shown, but that’s not for the .NET 4.0 / Visual Studio 2010 timeframe. Probably, not even for the next.

Starting with .NET 4.0, C# and Visual Basic will converge in terms of features and follow a path of co-evolution going into the future.

No! That doesn’t mean that XML literals will be in C# in a foreseeable future. What that means is that the above list also applies to Visual Basic.

Talking of Visual Basic evolution, the _ line continuation character has been retired. If you have any use for the underscore, please visit http://www.unemployedunderscores.com/.

Resources:

C# Future
Microsoft Pre-release Software Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0 Community Technology Preview (CTP)
Charlie Calvert's Community Blog
PDC Session: TL16 - The Future of C#

Presenter: Anders Hejlsberg

PPTX | WMV-HQ | WMV | Zune | MP4
PDC Session: TL12 - Future Directions for Microsoft Visual Basic

Presenter(s): Paul Vick, Lucian Wischik

PPTX | WMV-HQ | WMV | Zune | MP4

PDC And Tech-Ed Wrap-Up

Paulo Morgado — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:15:57 GMT

(It might seem a bit late for this, but, lately, I’ve been having a lot on my mind. So here it goes.)

This was my first PDC. It was just as I had been told.

For those who don’t know, the PDC is all about the future. The near future (.NET 4.0 and Windows 7) and the further future (Windows Azure, “Oslo”, “Dublin”, “Geneva”).

Next year’s PDC (Yes! Apparently, there’ll be one next year) will be also held in Los Angeles from November 17 to 20, and (I suspect) will be the commercial launch of the Azure Services Platform and a better story to tell about “Oslo”.

Tech-ED EMEA Developers, on the other hand, is more about the present and the near future. But, this year, attendees were able to have a sneak peek at what had bee shown at the PDC.

Next year’s Tech-ED EMEA Developers will be held in Berlin from November 2 to 6. Probably, like in 2006, it will be the launch of .NET 4.0 and Visual Studio 2010.

And I intend to attend both.

PDC2008 Is Over! PDC2009 Is Coming!

Paulo Morgado — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:06:08 GMT

PDC2008: Building A Schedule

Paulo Morgado — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:39:32 GMT

I’m having a hard time building a schedule for the PDC. I’m mainly interested in four areas:

Cloud
Parallel
Identity
Oslo

and they all have overlapping sessions.

I guess I’ll have to cook the PDC and Tech-Ed EMEA 2008 Developers schedules together to see if I can cover the most of the subjects.

PDC2008: Is My House On The Cloud Or Is The Cloud In My House?

Paulo Morgado — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:41:00 GMT

This year’s PDC is mostly about the cloud.

Everyone is talking about the cloud: cloud services, cloud computing, etc. but I’m not sure everyone has the same understanding of what the cloud is. Let’s say it’s a cloudy concept.

So, what is this cloud thing, anyway?

Let’s take Windows Home Server (WHS) as an example. Microsoft provides a set of services through homeserver.com that allows me to control my home server and access my other PCs in the home network. I guess I could say that homeserver.com is a cloud platform that puts my house in the cloud.

On the other hand, WHS is built on top of Windows Server 2003 which allows me to take full advantage of its web server (IIS) to expose services through homeserver.com. Services that could be for my personal use or that I could provide to others, thus putting my house on the cloud.

At a larger scale, that’s how I see the cloud and it’s usage. An indistinct universe of service providers and service consumers where some are just providers, others are just consumers and others are both (service aggregators, value added brokers, etc.)

I guess that Microsoft’s view in regards to the cloud and WHS is aligned with mine because there will be two PDC sessions about this:

Developing Connected Home Applications and Services for Windows Home Server

Tue 10/28 | 5:15 PM-6:30 PM | 409A

Presenter(s): CJ Saretto, Fabian Uhse

Learn how to build applications and services deployed on Windows Home Server that power PCs and devices throughout a connected home. See an example home automation and energy management service, and watch the creation of an on-premises service that exposes HVAC, window shades, and lighting controls to all devices on the home network. Hear how to package the service as a Windows Home Server add-in, quickly create a configuration UI, deploy a PC application for controlling the service, and demonstrate control from other devices such as TVs and cell phones.
Exposing Connected Home Services to the Internet via Windows Home Server

Wed 10/29 | 10:30 AM-11:45 AM | 409A

Presenter(s): Brendan Grant, CJ Saretto

Learn how to leverage the Remote Access platform in Windows Home Server to expose on-premises services running in the connected home to the Internet. See how to expose a home automation service running on Windows Home Server to the Internet, and watch a demonstration that shows how to expose services that may be hosted on other devices inside the connected home using Windows Home Server as a gateway. Finally, see a sneak preview of Home Server and Live Mesh working together to further enhance the remote experience for the connected home.

Windows Home Server Resources

Windows Home Server
Microsoft Windows Home Server Home Page
"Stay-At-Home" Server Neighbor Networks
An online bulletin board resource for families with "Stay-At-Home" Servers
We Got Served
Windows Home Server & Your Digital Home

And, suddenly, a cloud in your future is not a ad thing, quite the opposite.

PDC2008: Are Windows Forms Dead?

Paulo Morgado — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:33:59 GMT

This year’s PDC is all about the cloud (or cloudy as I call it) and the .NET Framework 4.0.

No one at Microsoft has ever told me that Windows Forms are dead (quite the opposite) but looking at the list of sessions for this year’s PDC I can only see WPF.

So the question remains: Are Windows Forms dead?

PDC2008: Meet Me In Los Angeles

Paulo Morgado — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:23:28 GMT

It’s not the first time I try but, for one reason or another, this is the first time I will go to the PDC (Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference).

According to the site “The PDC is designed for leading-edge developers and software architects. If you’re interested in the future of the Microsoft platform, you’re responsible for the technical strategy in your organization, or you’re a highly skilled developer who likes to delve deep into the heart of the platform, then the PDC is for you!”. If you fit this description, hurry up and register. Early bird discount has been extended until September 8^th.

What I like most of these events is networking with Microsoft staff and other attendees. So, if you want to meet me, I’ll be glad to meet you.

PDC08 has been announced

Paulo Morgado — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 22:49:29 GMT

Microsoft has announced the date for PDC08. Will this be a keeper?