The latest of episode of Devcasting is posted (finally):

http://devcasting.com/index.php/2008/05/16/devcasting-11-rob-windsor-on-many-things/

…because you are not registered for DevTeach Toronto.

OK, maybe not in peril.

Then again…  what are you doing to enhance your skill set?  Who are you sharing ideas with?  Who or what is challenging the constructs, patterns, and assumptions you rely on everyday?  What is breaking your team out of your own echo chamber?

Sales statistics say it’s not books.  The big Microsoft conferences like Tech Ed feature lots of Microsoft product managers on stage talking about their products.  It’s good info, but it’s not real meat.  It’s not war stories from the real world.  It’s not emerging ideas from thought leaders.

You need places to connect with people who are in the trenches.  People who are passionate about what they do.  People eager to share their tales.  You get that on blogs and at code camps.  You can also find it at community-focused conferences like DevTeach.

DevTeach is my favourite conference after MIX.  It has all the standards of an international event but is also designed to encourage networking with the many renowned speakers who volunteer their time to speak.  In between sessions you can easily end up eating lunch with Richard Campbell or watching Carl Franklin do a magic trick.

The next DevTeach is coming up soon:  May 12-16, 2008 in Toronto, Canada.  Lots more info over at www.devteach.com.

One of the event’s owner (Jean-René Roy) is a Microsoft MVP and for the past 14 years has been a user group leader in Montreal.  He’s a great guy and he puts on a great show.  I highly recommend it.

If you spend some of your time in the network management side of the shop, this is for you:  Microsoft announced a couple weeks ago that the next version of ISA Server won’t be called ISA Server.  Microsoft’s new network security product will be called Forefront Threat Management Gateway.  It will be available as a standalone product and bundled in suites such as the forthcoming Windows Essential Business Server.

ISA Server Product Team says:

1. Multiple Threat Protection:  We will enable numerous new protection technologies and capabilities, including integration of the Microsoft Anti-Virus Engine for protection against Internet-based malware and other threats. As part of Stirling, Forefront TMG will also include the “Dynamic Response” functionality to enable shared intelligence and response. This is a major step forward in how our customers rely upon the Microsoft gateway for protection and access to the Internet.
2. Simplified Management: Forefront TMG will include new set-up wizards, improved management interface and enhanced reporting. As part of the Stirling suite, Forefront TMG will be part of the Stirling central visibility dashboard and policy control.
3. Secure Connectivity: Forefront TMG will build on current ISA Server capability around secure Internet access and other connectivity features. 

Microsoft has released the source code for its MVC framework:

http://www.codeplex.com/aspnet

Yesterday I launched Internet Dictator, a for-fun site that tells you what to do and then you come back to tell your stories about your "compliance" with the Dictator’s decree.

The Dictator makes decrees on Mondays and Thursdays around 10am Eastern / 7am Pacific (+/- a couple hours).

Hope you enjoy!  Please come join up and start participating.

There will be a track dedicated to user experience at MIX this year.  That is very cool.  (For those who don’t have the pleasure of knowing everything about me, I spent some time in the human-computer interaction field as a student, so user experience is close to my heart.)

MIX UX, a three-day user experience track that debuts at MIX08, is dedicated to exploring and evolving the practice of user experience. Through unique content delivered by user experience thought-leaders, MIX UX broadens the content choices for designers and creative professionals to include broad and relevant UX topics that are not specifically related to Microsoft products and services.

Each day MIX UX will focus on a particular theme, the sum of which exposes the essence of MIX UX: Discovery, Exploration and Inspiration. It is no coincidence that these qualities are also at the core of designing great products and software.

Discover: A broad look at UX through the visionary minds of Lou Carbone, Dave Armano, and Dan Roam
Explore: An in-depth, practical workshop on user experience in the real world lead by Adaptive Path
Inspire: Microsoft’s new perspective on UX viewed through the eyes of Office and other products

http://visitmix.com/2008/mixux.aspx

And so the consolidation continues:

Sun to Acquire MySQL

Surprise! Oracle Buys BEA

Well, I’m all registered for MIX08.  Flights are booked.  Hotel is booked.

I vote that Treasure Island be the unofficial offsite Canadian MIX hotel.  :)  It’s a 4-star hotel.  I got a room for around $120/night.  Maybe it’s the Scottish in me, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay for a room at the Venetian (even at the discounted rate) given the limited number of hours I plan to spend there…  So I’m staying across the street at Treasure Island.

I really enjoyed MIX last year but I feel like I didn’t make the most of it.  This year I’m going to spend more time trying to meet other attendees and find people doing interesting things.  Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!

If you’re going to MIX, leave a comment.  If you’re Canadian and are interested in a Canadian get-together of some sort, let me know and I’ll try to organize something.

The VB team has released some compelling performance numbers for Visual Basic 2008.  A few dramatic ones:

Lots more data and some links at the VB team blog.

I just posted the latest episode of Devcasting:

http://devcasting.com/index.php/2007/12/17/devcasting-8-ruby-on-rails-with-bruce-tate/

In this episode, Derek Hatchard and Mike Mullen speak with Ruby on Rails author and developer Bruce Tate about the Ruby programming language, the Ruby on Rails web framework, some of the differences between static and dynamic typing, Rails scalability, how to get started with Ruby on Rails, and a bit about the work Bruce is doing with ChangingThePresent.org.