What is Live Mesh?

Microsoft launched Live Mesh. So what is this Live Mesh thing?

Robert Scoble wrote about it here: Ray Ozzie delivers with Live Mesh

Channel 9 has two videos
Abolade Gbadegesin: Live Mesh Architecture
Ray Ozzie: Introducing Live Mesh

Start playing with it here: http://www.mesh.com


Have fun watching/reading/playing

Listen To Joel Spolsky(Joel On Software) And Jeff Atwood(Coding Horror) On The Stackoverflow Podcast

Jeff Atwood is starting a new site, it will be called stackoverflow.com

Listen to the first podcast with Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood

Get it here: http://www.stackoverflow.com/

Joel Spolsky wrote an article here: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2008/04/16.html
And Jeff Atwood did the same here: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001101.html

Podcast: Rocky Lhotka on CLSA.NET 3.5

Rocky is back on .NET Rocks! to talk about the latest iteration of his CSLA.NET Application Framework, as well as to talk about some .NET technologies that are no longer as necessary as they once were.

Rockford Lhotka is the author of numerous books, including the Expert Visual Basic .NET & C# Business Objects books. He is a Microsoft Software Legend, Regional Director, MVP and INETA speaker. Rockford speaks at many conferences and user groups around the world and is a columnist for MSDN Online. Rockford is the Principal Technology Evangelist for Magenic Technologies, one of the nation's premiere Microsoft Gold Certified Partners dedicated to solving today's most challenging business problems using 100% Microsoft tools and technology.

Download the show here: http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=330

Podcast: SQL Down Under show 30 - Pablo Castro - LINQ, Entity Framework, ADO.NET Data Services for the DBA and database developer

SQL Down Under show 30 with guest SQL Server product team member Pablo
Castro discussing LINQ, Entity Framework and ADO.NET Data Services (Astoria)
for the DBA and database developer is now available for download from
www.sqldownunder.com

The Best Geek Story Ever Told

Go to DotNetRocks, download show number 300, fast forward to 57:45 and start listening. It is the funniest geek story I have ever heard. You will not regret it



Here is the link to the show: http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=300


BTW the whole podcast is very interesting in terms of computer history, I highly recommend listening to it.

Volta: What is Microsoft Volta Video

Channel 9 has two videos about Volta.
From the site:

"Erik Meijer and a small team of very sharp developers (including Brian Beckman) have cooked up an intriguing toolset for building multi-tier distributed applications: Volta.

When the Volta CTP release announcement hit the wire last week, the press declared Volta as a Java killer, etc. In reality, Volta is primarily, and most importantly, a tier splitting system where the details of the tiers aren't of primary importance.

So, the most obvious case is Silverlight 2.0 as the client tier and a web server as the server tier... This is a great scenario since Volta can split IL to IL without having to resort to IL translation to, say, JavaScript (which has gotten too much attention). Further, execution contexts such as XNA, WinForms, DHTML, SVG, VML, even SQL are realistic client targets (tiers) for Volta. Then there's the notion of a local "distributed" system (think of applications running on a single client as the tiers) where Volta also makes sense as a means of easily composing the system.

Too much has been made of the IL to Javascript translation capabilities, so much so that people are apparently not seeing the forest for the trees. Well, have no fear. Over the coming days you are going to learn more about Volta than you can imagine and the people who'll you learn from also happen to be the people who thought up and implemented Volta.

The most important thing here, technically, is that Volta provides an intuitive and elegant toolset for composing concurrent distributed muti-tiered applications.

Think of Volta as a technology that facilitates communication between distributed execution contexts (a tier is just an execution context in this model). Using Volta in an client-web server scenario is only one approach. Volta could be used in many more interesting contexts (XNA, WinForms, WPF, even Singularity – use your imagination…).

In this episode (or part 1, if you will) we meet the team and learn the basics. Since it's a room full of devs there is whiteboarding and lots of techincal talk, just the way we like it here on C9.

You will be seeing much more of this great team over the coming days and Volta will make more sense with each epsiode, culminating in an Expert to Expert Going Deep where we a great deal of how Volta's tier splitting capabilities are implemented and get a clear picture of what a tier actually can be.

It's all about tier splitting and a tier is simply an execution context. Volta is much more than a web technology..."


Part1
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Part2
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Introduction to SQL Server Driver for PHP (SQLPHP)

Channel 9 has popsted their latest video, from the site:

SQL Team Says:"The SQL Server Driver for PHP (October 2007) Community Technology Preview (CTP) is designed to enable reliable, scalable integration with SQL Server for PHP applications deployed on the Windows platform. The Driver for PHP is a PHP 5 extension that allows the reading and writing of SQL Server data from within PHP scripts. It provides a procedural interface for accessing data in all Editions of SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2000 (including Express Edition), and makes use of PHP features, including PHP streams to read and write large objects.

"Wow. This is cool. Need to find out more about this. What exactly is this thing? Why did we create it? What are the platform requirments? Is it open source? Who are the folks behind this? You know the C9 drill. Tune in and meet SQLPHP Program Manager John Bocharov and Microsoft Open Source champion Hank Janssen who answer a bunch of questions and provide good context about the thinking behind SQLPHP, history and future.
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Channel 9 URL: http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=354811#354811

Video: Pascal Bourque - Building a rich datagrid in WPF

Channel 9 has posted their latest video: Pascal Bourque - Building a rich datagrid in WPF

From the site:

We talk about what its like to develop a rich control using WPF, mainly focusing on the custom theming of the grid. It really shows off the whole concept of seperating the UI interaction and style from the core code. And with that capability, diving into redefining a grid's purpose and how real-time visualization changes can be used effectively.

I'm hoping they take my suggestion of a custom themes contest and run with it. It'd be interesting to see what other type of skins people could create.
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Podcast: Learn about System Center Data Protection Manager 2007

Channel 9 has posted their latest podcast: Learn about System Center Data Protection Manager 2007

Currently in Beta 2, and set to release later this year, System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 combines the best aspects of continuous data protection (CDP) and traditional tape backup to provide a complete data protection solution using disk and tape. DPM is designed to protect Microsoft Exchange Server, SQL Server, SharePoint Services, as well as most Windows Server and Windows desktop environments. For this TechNet Radio session, learn all about the rich new features and functionality in DPM 2007.

Eric Ostrowski – Your Show Host and TechNet Radio Producer
Matt Hester – IT Pro Evangelist
Jason Buffington – Technical Product Manager

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Podcast: Don Demsak on LINQ to XML

DotNetRocks has published their latest podcast: Don Demsak on LINQ to XML.

From the site:

Don Demsak (DonXML) discusses LINQ to XML and the new XML language features in Visual Basic.

Don Demsak (a.k.a. DonXML) is a Microsoft MVP and an independent consultant who specializes in architecting and programming multi-tier applications using Microsoft's .Net framework. He is an evangelist that is known for preaching the benefits of XML, SVG, and the .Net framework on various discussion groups across the web and on his blog. He also enjoys the intellectual comradery of working with people from around the world. Don is one of the founders of the SharpVectorGraphics (aka SVG#) open source project, which is bringing SVG to the .Net framework and a member of XmlInsiders, a select group of international professionals who have a demonstrated expertise in Microsoft's XML technologies and who provide valuable, early feedback on related developing technologies and publications to their peers, the Microsoft XML team, and others.


Download it here: http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=271

Podcast: Larry O'Brien Talks Concurrency!

DotNetRocks has published their latest podcast: Larry O'Brien Talks Concurrency!
From the site:

Larry O'Brien talks with Richard and Carl about how up and coming CPU architecture is going to invalidate current methods of concurrency programming, and what we can do about it.

For those old enough to believe that 8-bits is a perfectly reasonable size for an integer, Larry O'Brien may be remembered as the Editor of Computer Language and AI Expert magazines. Later, he was the founding Editor of Software Development and Game Developer Magazines. During the dot-com years, O'Brien served in a variety of technical and executive positions at a series of startups whose only commonality was that they all became stop-downs.



Today, O'Brien is known for his writing, which appears in a number of online and print outlets, including DevX, the developer sites of both Intel and AMD, and his "Windows and .NET Watch" column for SD Times. His blog post "Top 10 Things I've Learned About Computers (And Any Episode of 24)" was selected for inclusion in The University of Michigan's "Best of Technology Writing 2007." In addition to writing, O'Brien works as an analyst of the software development industry and as a consultant specializing in architecting and implementing high-performance service-oriented systems.

Download it here: http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=269

Video: Peter Spiro: Building great databases. Making great teams. Leadership. WinFS. The power of having fun

Channel 9 has posted their latest video. From the site:

Don't get a real job until you're 30. This is Technical Fellow Peter Spiro's advice, and something he fell just short of doing. Discover how this forestry student got a job at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and then came to Microsoft to help build the team that drove SQL Server to the huge success it is today.

How do you learn the necessary skills for leading huge projects?

Try restaurant work or being in the Peace Corps. Also, never underestimate the power of knowing how to live it up. In this episode, learn how Peter uses his passion and energy to influence technology across Microsoft while empowering talent and growing teams to produce first-rate software.
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Podcast: Subversion Quickstart for .NET Developers

Listen to the Subversion Quickstart for .NET Developers show here: http://polymorphicpodcast.com/shows/subversion/

Video: Acropolis Meet (some of) the Team

Channel 9 has published their latest video, from the site:

The Microsoft code name “Acropolis” Community Technology Preview is a set of components and tools that make it easier for developers to build and manage modular, business focused, client .NET applications. Acropolis is part of the “.NET Client Futures” wave of releases, our preview of upcoming technologies for Windows client development.
Acropolis builds on the rich capabilities of Microsoft Windows and the .NET Framework, including Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), by providing tools and pre-built components that help developers quickly assemble applications from loosely-coupled parts and services. Here, Kathy Kam, "Acropolis" PM, takes us around the halls of building 42 to meet some of the people who create "Acropolis". We also run into an old friend in the hallway who's thinking deeply about big software componentization problems...Enjoy!
Check out the "Acropolis" Team Blog.

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SQL Server Podcast: James Luetkehoelter Talks About Disaster Recovery Planning

SQL Down Under has made available their latest podcast. From the site:

Announcing show 23 with SQL Server MVP James Luetkehoelter. In this show, James discusses disaster recovery planning and technology for SQL Server, clustering, log shipping, mirroring and snapshots.

Dowmload it here: http://www.sqldownunder.com/

Podcast: Nick Landry on Microsoft Robotics Studio

DotNetRocks posted their latest show: Nick Landry on Robotics Studio

Nick Landry from Infusion calls in to discuss his experiences with (and
knowledge of) the somewhat new Microsoft Robotics Studio.
Nickolas Landry is
a senior .NET architect and trainer in New York for Infusion Development Corp.,
a Microsoft Gold Partner which offers quality software development services,
developer training and consulting services for large financial firms in the New
York and Toronto areas (http://www.infusiondev.com/). Known for his
dynamic and engaging style, he is a frequent speaker at major software
development conferences worldwide, a member of the MSDN Canada Speakers Bureau,
a Microsoft MVP on the .NET Compact Framework, and a former Microsoft Regional
Director in Montreal. He also sits on the Board of Directors of IASA-NY (http://www.iasahome.org/), and is a Founding Member
of WWISA (http://www.wwisa.org/).
His primary goal is to help businesses connect their information, systems,
and people together in a seamless integration to achieve complete enterprise
agility. Aside from his work in designing business solution architectures using
.NET technologies, Nick provides mentoring services in architecture, design and
.NET development, authors and teaches .NET classes, performs system audits, and
profiles technologies for various enterprise scenarios. With over 13 years of
professional experience – starting with Visual Basic 1.0 – and a career almost
entirely dedicated to Microsoft technologies, Nick specializes in .NET mobility,
OOP, SOA, architecture and design patterns. He wrote "Mobile CoDe.NET" articles
for CoDe Magazine and several .NET mobility courses for Microsoft, has been a
technical editor for many books, and holds several professional certifications
from Microsoft and IBM. Contact and Blog: http://activenick.infusionblogs.com/.

Download the podcast here: http://dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showID=260

Podcast: Miguel de Icaza Talks About Mono

DotNetRocks posted their latest show: Catching up with Miguel de Icaza

Miguel de Icaza is back to tell us what's new with the Mono project, an open source implementation of the .NET Framework based on FreeBSD with support for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Miguel de Icaza is the creator and owner of the Mono project. Mono is an open-source implementation of the .NET Framework for Linux and MacOS (as well as Windows).

Download the show here: http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=255

Podcast: John Lam on the DLR (Dynamic Language Runtime), IronPython, IronRuby And RubyCLR

DotNetRocks has published their latest podcast: John Lam on the DLR.
From the site:

John Lam talks to Carl and Richard about his trek from Canada to Redmond, and his work on dynamic languages, including Ruby CLR, and the Microsoft DLR (Dynamic Language Runtime), which we may find in some future version of the .NET Framework.

John recently emigrated from Canada to the Microsoft Republic to join the Dynamic Language Runtime team. He works on the IronRuby implementation, and pitches in where necessary on the DLR, and on integration with partners like the Silverlight team. Before he joined Microsoft, he created RubyCLR, an innovative high performance open-source bridge between the Ruby interpreter and the CLR. You can track what John is doing with IronRuby and the DLR via his blog: http://www.iunknown.com.

Download it here: http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=254

Podcast: CSLA with Rockford Lhotka

DotNetRocks has published their latest podcast: CSLA with Rockford Lhotka

Rocky Lhotka talks about CSLA 3.0, the relationship with WPF and Silverlight, "paranoid" code, publishing and his experience with ebooks.
Rockford Lhotka is the author of numerous books, including the Expert Visual Basic .NET & C# Business Objects books. He is a Microsoft Software Legend, Regional Director, MVP and INETA speaker. Rockford speaks at many conferences and user groups around the world and is a columnist for MSDN Online. Rockford is the Principal Technology Evangelist for Magenic Technologies, one of the nation's premiere Microsoft Gold Certified Partners dedicated to solving today's most challenging business problems using 100% Microsoft tools and technology.

Download it here: http://dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showID=257

Podcast: A conversation with Pablo Castro about Astoria's RESTful data services

Channel 9 has made available their latest podcast: A conversation with Pablo Castro about Astoria's RESTful data services

from the site:

In the latest episode of my Microsoft Conversations series I
talked with Pablo Castro about Astoria, a layer of middleware that makes data
readable and writeable by means of a RESTful interface. Even if you don't know
or care about the buzzwords, it's easy to show what Astoria does and to explain
why it's interesting. One of the sample databases configured to work with the
experimental version of Astoria is a subset of the Encarta encyclopedia. You
don't have be a programmer or grok XML in order to appreciate the Astoria-enhanced version of Encarta.
A database with Astoria layered on top of it isn't a web application, but
it's within shouting distance of being one, and you don't even have to shout
very loudly.
Pablo's presentation at MIX is chock full of
demos and explanations. Our podcast refers to and complements that
presentation.
I'm not even close to being an expert in the underlying data
access technologies, including ADO.NET, the Entity Data Model, and LINQ, so
parts of the discussion quite frankly went over my head. Nor am I yet familiar
with the tooling that's required to wrap this kind of services layer around a
plain data source. But I'm 100% clear that it's a good idea, and a great example
of RESTful web services -- a book that Pablo Castro says is
"required reading" for members of the Astoria team.

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