Rob Windsor's Weblog : Launch2005

The Toronto Visual Studio 2005 Launch Rocked!

windsor — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 13:59:00 GMT

Kudos to the people from Microsoft Canada for putting on a great event.

I spent the pre-keynote part of the day talking with people at the user group booth. Myself and other group leaders were representing the 10 groups for developers and IT Pros in and around the city. I had some business cards made up with the group names and URLs on one side and the MSDN and INETA logos on the reverse. These worked really well because they were easy to distribute both at the booth and elsewhere around the event.

After the keynote I headed over to the Ask the Experts Cabana where I spent most of the day. Things were pretty busy during the first lunch session (TechNet) and they got very busy during the second (MSDN) lunch. It was a cool surpise to see that in additon to local experts (MVPs, RDs, and people from MSDN Canada), we had several product team members up from Redmond to help answer questions.

I spent most of my time around the Visual Studio experts but there were lots of SQL Server and BizTalk experts in the other parts of the room. On the Visual Studio side the hot topic was Team System so our VSTS go-to-guy Adam Gallant always had a crowd around him.

As the second lunch period finished the room thinned out but several attendees hung around to continue discussions through the final breakout session. Anthony Vranic had a group of six or seven people huddled around an impromptu mini-session on Windows Communication Foundation (a.k.a. Indigo).

I finished the day on stage with the presenters and several other experts for a panel Q and A session. I was surprised that many of the questions related to SQL Server since there was a TechNet Q and A going on in the other room. This a technology where the developer/IT Pro lines blur.

All-in-all it was a great day. I'm looking forward to seeing the video from the sessions and reading the email and blog posts with other peoples reactions to the event.

Tags: [Launch2005]

Channel 6 - Three steps below Channel 9

windsor — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 05:16:00 GMT

Welcome to Channel 6 - three steps below Channel 9 (in content and production quality). We have a few video interviews from the “Ask the Experts Cabana” at the Toronto Launch Event. These videos were taken with the very highest quality video and audio equipment available today (on a SmartPhone). They're shaky, the close-ups are waaayyy too close-up, and the audio is pretty poor - all the qualities you'd expect from Channel 6.

For some reason my phone... err, video camera saves files in mp4 format so you'll need QuickTime player to view them.

Interview with MSDN Community Guy, Sasha K (957 Kb)

Interview with Speaker, Regional Director, MVP, and Rock Star, Barry Gervin (1,048 Kb)

Interview with Expert Bruce Johnson and Questioner Chris Dufour (2, 413 Kb)

Editor's Note: A friend of my emailed me after reading this post and watching the videos asking if I was talking a shot at Channel 9. No way, I love Channel 9; these were a spur of the moment, tounge-in-cheek, homage to the little yellow guy with the spiky hair and his friends.

Tags: [Launch2005]

The Pre-Show Countdown to Launch

windsor — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 05:28:00 GMT

MSDN Canada held a little soiree (that's probably mispelled French for night party) in preparation for the Toronto Launch event. People from Micorosoft, event speakers, experts manning the Cabana, and several user group leaders and members got together to mingle and talk about tomorrow's event. It was a nice chance for me to talk to some members of my user group in a social setting as well as meet members of the other groups around the city.

Some of the people there had just come from the Congress Center and the word is that this event is going to be something special. If you're there tomorrow drop by the Cabana and say Hi.

Launch2005 Flickr Photos (for some reason I don't see my photos there)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/launch2005/

My Launch2005 Flickr Photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15413839@N00/tags/launch2005/

A shot of the TVBUG members in attendance

Tags: [Launch2005]

Finally - A Use for the T-Shirt You Got at DevDays 1998

windsor — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 10:52:00 GMT

All developers have a million T-Shirts they received at some event, most of which are gathering dust in a box or closet somewhere. Well now there's a use for at least one of these forgotten relics, the “Wear Your Old Swag and Win a Prize!“ Contest (catchy name, eh?) at the Canadian Launch events.

While it's not old, I'm going to wear my limited edition “VB - Your productivity is our passion“ T-Shirt the VB MVPs were given at the 2005 Summit.

Tags: [Launch2005]

Toronto - The Most Active Developer Community?

windsor — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 10:01:00 GMT

I've always contended that Toronto has one of, if not the most active, developer communities in the world. I just put together a business card we’ll be giving out at the user group booth at Launch and I had to squish 10 group names and URLs on there. We have 5 .NET developer groups, plus a SQL Server, a Windows Server, a BizTalk, a SharePoint and an IT Pro group. I know the .NET groups get a combined monthly attendance of around 300 so I think it’s safe to say that all groups get a number eclipsing 500.

I was talking to Sahsa from MSDN Canada on Tuesday about the Toronto Launch event and he mentioned that there were about 3,700 people registered. With almost a week left for people to sign up I’m sure that number will reach 4,000. I’m interested in finding out how many other cities will match or better that number. I assume San Francisco will because it is the world-wide launch event but what about Boston, Chicago, New York or even London, Paris, Tokyo and other major markets around the world? I’ll see if I can get some numbers next week and post them here.

Tags: [Launch2005]

Microsoft Execs Talk Launch While Playing Blackjack

windsor — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 09:31:00 GMT

Check out Microsoft After Dark, where several Microsoft executives plus Regional Director Michele Leroux Bustmante play Blackjack and talk about the upcoming Launch.

Tags: [Launch2005]

Free Visual Studio and SQL Server at the Launch Events

windsor — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 03:42:00 GMT

I guess this is the, “Wait, there's more!”

MSDN Canada has now confirmed that everyone who attends a Visual Studio 2005 Launch event will receive the new bits. From the Launch Blog:

The Launch Team is pleased to confirm that Special Edition copies of Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 will be made available to everyone who attends the launch events. This is full functional "non-evaluation" software. This means that you will be able to start developing and implementing solutions right away!

Oh, in addition to receiving Visual Studio and SQL Server, you're gonna' get a bunch of great talks, you're gonna' get to hang and talk geek with some technology experts in the Cabanas, you're probably goona' get fed, and you're goona' get a bunch of SWAG.

OK, go register.... dude, forget checking your email, go register... no, don't answer that IM from Steve, he just wants to borrow money again... GO REGISTER

http://blogs.msdn.com/mark_relph/archive/2005/10/28/486419.aspx

Tags: [Launch2005]

ReadyBuzz - Podcast About the Canadian 2005 Launch Tour

windsor — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 12:51:00 GMT

Check out these audio podcasts about the Canadian Visual Studio 2005 Launch Tour.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Readybuzz

Tags: [Launch2005]