RJ Dudley

 Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
 Microsoft Offices, 30 Isabella St., Pittsburgh, PA 15212
 Registration details: http://www.pghdotnet.com/201003.aspx

At this month's meeting we'll discuss not only the core ideas and concepts that make ALT.NET what it is, but we'll also discuss how you can apply some of these very same concepts to your own day to day development using frameworks like ASP.NET MVC.  Some concepts we'll be discussing our Test-Driven Development, Inversion of Control, and the SOLID principles.

Scott Guthrie announced ASP.NET MVC to the world at the first ALT.NET Conference in October of 2007.  Since then, 
this new framework has made impressive inroads into the mainstream .NET community.  The flexibility inherent in this 
lightweight framework has made many of the ideas which first inspired the ALT.NET mindset achievable in every day .NET development.

Speakers

Jeremy Jarrell (ALT.NET), Matt Otto (ALT.NET), Craig E. Oaks (Pgh.NET)

This month, Joe Smith will present on SQL Server and .NET Common Language Runtime Integration and Programming.  With the release of SQL Server 2005, and subsequently SQL Server 2008, the ability to develop using the .Net Runtime has become an intrinsic capability available to SQL developers.  

This talk will explore:

·         Basics of the .Net architecture and its integration with SQL Server

·         Creation of artifacts built on .Net for use in SQL Server (user defined functions, stored procedures, etc.)

·         Security and Access (how the integration

·         Deployment and use of .Net artifacts to SQL Server

·         Best Practices in utilizing the .Net integration, one size does not fit all.

Joe is a Solutions Architecture Consultant with Dell Computer, Inc.  He has numerous years of consulting experience working with customers across the landscape of small, medium and large enterprises associated with varying industries.  His past focus was primarily with middle tier and backend .Net development.  Recent efforts with Dell focus on solutions built using .Net, SQL Server on or associated with SharePoint.  Prior to joining Dell, Joe worked for Microsoft Services in a similar role with a focus on both Enterprise and application integration and .Net technologies such as Windows Communication Foundation and Windows Workflow.

Date: Wednesday, February 24

Time:  12:00 PM – 2:00 p.m.

Venue: Pittsburgh Technology Council, 2000 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Cost: No charge, but you must RSVP. Space is limited!

RSVP: Online

Update: Cancelled due to snow!  Next meeting in March. 

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Microsoft Offices, 30 Isabella St., Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Registration details: http://www.pghdotnet.com/201002.aspx (we have a new online registration form!)

Join us on February 9^th for two sessions as David Hoerster first describes how you can quickly create web UI unit tests using Visual Studio 2010's new CodedUI Tests feature.  Afterwards, we'll talk about how to improve the overall performance of your ASP.NET web sites by going over a few tips and tricks.  This is a session that will be beneficial to developers, testers and architects alike!

Session 1: Creating Automated Web Unit Tests Using Visual Studio 2010's Coded UI Tests

Quickly create UI unit tests using Visual Studio 2010's new feature called CodedUI Tests.  They're very easy to create, give the developer/tester a lot of control, and allow you to data drive your tests.  This feature is great for developers and testers alike.

Session 2: Improving the Performance of Your ASP.NET Web Sites

There's a lot of tips and tricks to improve the performance of your web sites, and we'll take a tour of a few of them in this session.  We'll look at: CSS Sprites, Using WCF Services for AJAX Calls, Tools for Minifying Your JavaScript and CSS Files (and how to integrate them into a build tool), and a few more!

Tuesday, December 8 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
This event is free, please RSVP.

Join us for our next PGHDOTNET meeting on December 8, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. at the Microsoft Offices on the North Shore. Steve Andrews will present on Dissecting DevEvents.com: A Look at a Real World .NET MVC Implementation.

The ASP.NET MVC Framework provides a powerful Model View Controller (MVC) approach to building web applications, and provides separation of concerns, increased testability, control over HTML output, and intuitive URLs. We will start by looking at building a model framework with LINQ to SQL, including validation and model binding. Then, we'll explore a custom generics-based repository and services implementation. Finally, we'll tie it all together with a look at Views and jQuery.

Sponsored by:
DiscountASP.NET

Please note that our October PGHDOTNET meeting will NOT be on Tuesday, October 13th.  It will be on Thursday, October 22nd.

October PGHDOTNET Meeting - An Introduction to .NET RIA Services
 Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
 Microsoft Offices, 30 Isabella St., Pittsburgh, PA 15212
 Registration details: http://www.pghdotnet.com/200910.aspx
 
This session is an introduction on how Microsoft is simplifying the traditional n-tier application pattern by bringing together ASP.NET and Silverlight.  Join Dani Diaz and learn about patterns for working with data, implementing reusable and independently testable application logic and application services that readily scale with growing requirements.
 
Danilo Diaz, aka Dani, is a Developer Evangelist for Microsoft's Mid-Atlantic State district. In this role, he helps developers understand Microsoft's product offerings and strategy. Prior to joining Microsoft, he worked at Perficient Philadelphia where he helped establish their Mobility Practice. Dani has over 8 years of experience in the IT industry. His ability to identify and utilize the right blend of technologies to solve business needs has been an asset on all projects he has worked on. Dani's first .NET project was a Web-based eLearning application which was built on ASP.NET 1.0 Beta 2. As a consultant he has served the roles of system architect, technical lead, developer and mentor on various large and small projects. He has worked on SOA-based applications, Web applications, Windows applications and mobile systems.

This event is sponsored by DiscountASP.NET, a global leader in ASP.NET Web Hosting Services.

The first of several hands-on talks, this one looks to be awesome.  This is two days before the G20, and the location is on the North side, not too far from the stadiums, so we should be clear of traffic issues.

Join us on September 22nd for a Hands On Lab using jQuery and WCF to build RESTful applications.  This will be the first of several upcoming hands on labs.

This hands-on-lab will explore how to use Microsoft's Windows Communcation Foundation (WCF) 3.5 along with client-side technologies, such as jQuery, to create RESTful applications that will improve the performance of your .NET applications.

This session will start with building several simple WCF services; then we'll build a client-side application using some jQuery functions; then we'll hook the jQuery browser app up with the WCF services.

This hands-on-lab will be the first of several hands-on-labs covering using WCF and jQuery to build high-performing RESTful applications.

Full story at http://codecamppgh.com/jquery_hol1.aspx

Couple of great talks at PGH.NET this month.  Here's the first:

The session begins with some CSS3 basics and moves onto how to create the ultimate presentation. Chris will demonstrate how to build rich themes without graphics, graceful degradation, and how to use simple graphics to enhance style. You’ll become familiar with support for legacy browsers, Web 2.0, and walk away with an overview of ASP.NET framework themes.

Chris' bio has one of the best statements EVER.  Emphasis mine:

Chris Bannon is familiar with many acronyms: UX, ASP.NET, AJAX, C#, SQL & jQuery.  As the lead Web Developer at ComponentOne, he has mastered techniques such as CSS Layout, Unobtrusive JavaScript, Semantic Markup, and Progressive Enhancement.  Chris manages the product line for many ComponentOne's Microsoft Visual Studio products and is trained in Notepad, SQL Management Studio and Expression Blend.

Full story and registration at http://codecamppgh.com/200909.aspx.

I've been wondering how all the new product launches were going to happen, and it looks like MS is going to split them up.  First up, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange 2010.

There are two tracks of training--Developer and IT Pro.  Tracks are AM and PM, so you can attend both.

Full details at http://www.microsoft.com/business/thenewefficiency/

And oh yeah, there's this:

Attend the free event, take home Windows 7

These are the new innovations that can help you be part of the new efficiency. And at our free live events, you can learn, network, and get your copy of Windows 7!

Join the Pgh.NET User Group on June 9 as Vijay Koneru gives an overview of programming Silverlight applications using the Azure Cloud Services API. Also, Craig Oaks will provide an introduction to using Silverlight with ArcGIS.

Date:     Tuesday, June 9
Time:     5:30 - 8 p.m.    
Venue:    Microsoft Offices, 30 Isabella Street, 15212

Register: http://webportal.pghtech.org/Events/CalendarEventsListView.aspx

Join the Pittsburgh .NET User Group on May 19th for two presentations by INETA speaker Pete Brown on what to expect from Silverlight 3.

1. What's New In Silverlight 3
A tour of all of the new features in Silverlight 3. Topics covered include features geared towards RIA/Business Application development, Media, Graphics, etc.

2. Silverlight 3 Adores My Commodore 64
In this entertaining talk, Pete discusses building a Commodore 64 emulator and a software-based music synthesizer in Silverlight 3. This is more of a coding for fun session. Definitely a lot of fun!

Date: Tuesday, May 19

Time: 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Venue: Microsoft Offices, 30 Isabella Street, 15212

Cost: No Charge, please register

Register: Online

A few behind-the-scenes photos from our Azure talk at Pittsburgh Code Camp:

Matt, Shaun and Nathan working like crazy in the speaker lounge.

Nate, putting the finishing touches on while Matt and Shaun are presenting just inside the door.

Shaun (facing) and Matt (back) presenting.

Nate presenting, Matt and Shaun in the wings.

I wish I wasn't going to be out of town this weekend!  Ugh--looks awesome!

Full details and registration at http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032402422

Saturday, February 28, 2009 8:00 AM - Saturday, February 28, 2009 5:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Welcome Time: 8:00 AM

Pittsburgh MPR

MPR
30 Isabella Street
2nd Floor Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 15212
United States

Full details and registration at https://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-US&eventid=1032402405&flag=1

Tuesday, March 24, 2009 1:00 PM - Tuesday, March 24, 2009 5:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Welcome Time: 12:30 PM

Theater - Loews Waterfront 22

300 Waterfront Drive W.
WEST HOMESTEAD Pennsylvania 15120
United States

Language(s):
English.

Product(s):
Microsoft Visual Studio, Mobility and Web Development.

Audience(s):
Academic/Student Developer, Developer, Developer Generalists, Hobbyist Dev and Professional Developer/Coder.

Event Overview

Enhance your coding capabilities with new tools, tips, and inside secrets from MSDN Events. We’ll start with an overview of the Azure Services Platform, which can help you build cloud-based applications and solutions that offer the best of online and on-premises functionality. Next, you’ll learn how to take full advantage of the Visual Studio debugger. We’ll offer some great tips and tricks to help you debug faster and more efficiently, while applying fresh techniques to ramp up your problem solving abilities. Finally, you’ll see how developing for a Windows Mobile phone leverages your current coding skills and can make it simple to build, deploy and debug cool new devices.

Session 1:  Demystifying Azure - An Overview of the Azure Services Platform for Developers

The Azure™ Services Platform (Azure) is an Internet-scale cloud services platform with an operating system and developer services set that can be used individually or together. Hosted in Microsoft data centers, Azure’s flexible and interoperable platform can help you build new applications to run from the cloud or to enhance existing applications with cloud-based capabilities. With open architecture, Azure gives developers the ability to build Web applications, and applications running on connected devices, PCs, servers, and hybrid solutions that offer the best of online and on-premises functionality. Confused about the Azure hype? Come discover and demystify the Azure concepts, and see demos of Azure in action with a variety of services

Session 2: Deepen your Debugging - Tips and Tricks for the Visual Studio 2008 Debugger
The Visual Studio debugger is a highly underutilized tool for many developers. In this session, you’ll learn how to use it like a pro, while picking up new techniques to fast-forward your problem solving and debugging abilities. We’ll show you how to use advanced breakpoints, advanced watch window / Expression evaluator tricks, modifiers, assertions on the fly, remote debugging, and more. Whether you’re writing C#, VB, WPF, ASP.NET, Windows Forms, or services, we’ll provide tips and tricks that will have you debugging faster and much more efficiently. The debugger is your primary tool for finding bugs, so join us and learn how to make the most of it.

Session 3: Developing for Windows Mobile Devices
Mobile development is growing fast, and Windows Mobile is at the forefront with over 18 million phones shipped last year and many more cutting-edge devices on the way. Visual Studio developers have tremendous opportunities in this space. Why? Developing for a Windows Mobile phone leverages your existing coding experience and takes it to new heights. In this session, we’ll look at some of the coolest new devices, you’ll learn how to set up Visual Studio with the latest SDK and device emulators, and you’ll see how to build, deploy and debug Windows Mobile applications. We’ll also explore how Internet Explorer Mobile 6 provides new AJAX capabilities that offer the richness of the desktop with pan and zoom features tuned for mobile devices.
For more details, please visit www.msdnevents.com.

Registration Options

Event ID:
1032402405

Register by Phone
1-877-673-8638

I can't believe I've been back for a week, this week has been a blur.

I have to say thank you to the Montreal .NET Community, JS Tougas, Eric Moreau and Guy Barrette in particular.  JS was my personal tour guide all week, and Eric treated Julie Lerman and myself to lunch on Friday.  Overall, a great bunch of guys.  Thanks also to Jim Duffy for the chat on the plane to Philly.  Hope you got home after your delay.

Montreal .NET UG hosted a party one night, with some excellent beer and munchies.  JS and I loaded up on poutine before heading over.  There were giveaways, and I ended up winning an Aspose Total for .NET subscription because I dropped my business card in the pile.  Awesome!  That pretty much made the trip a wash for my company.  I'm looking forward to using that in the very near future.  JS had to catch his train home, and I had a little work to do, so we gave our door prize tickets to Julie (we're each claiming 1/3 of anything she won).  Plus, I wasn't going to try and navigate the underground by myself after a couple beers.

There was plenty of swag given away at DevTeach.  Dozens of thumb drives (I won a couple), as well as a big pile of books and I think 5 MSDN subscriptions.  Microsoft kicked in a copy of Visual Studio 2008 Professional, Expression Web and the Tech-Ed DVDs for all attendees.  Plus, the ever present messenger bag or backpack to take it all home in (from Leed's, a local company).

Speaking of the Tech-Ed DVDs, they were produced with a beta of Silverlight, and don't work with Silverlight 2.0 RTM.  Eric has more information about how to play the Tech-Ed DVDs.

Guy uploaded his photos to Sky Drive.  He's the guy in the antlers.

So now that work is settling down a little, it's time to do a little knowledge transfer with my team.  We have some good challenges ahead of us, and some great new knowledge to help us along.