Denny Boynton

Carve a Halloween Pumpkin with Silverlight 3

dboynton — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:51:08 -0600

In the spirit of the season, I thought I would share this very cool Silverlight 3 application developed by Archetype. It’s an application that lets you virtually carve a pumpkin and then share it with your friends. The cool technical part is that it is built in Silverlight 3 and is hosted on Windows Azure!

Try it out here.

Have a fun and safe Halloween, everybody!

Technorati Tags: Halloween,Silverlight 3,Windows Azure,Pumpkin Carving

MSDN and TechNet Live Present: Highlights from "The New Efficiency" Launch

dboynton — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:38:00 -0600

What’s that? Couldn’t make it to one of the regional launch events for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010? Never fear. Your second chance is on its way.

Microsoft recently announced that it will be holding two “best of launch” events in the central region over the next couple of months featuring content from the so-called “New Efficiency” launch events. The content will be for both developers and IT professionals. These events will focus on:

Windows 7: It simplifies everyday tasks, improves productivity and works the way you want it to work.
Windows Server 2008 R2: It delivers new functionality and powerful improvements to the core Windows Server operating system to help organizations increase control, availability and flexibility for their changing business needs.
Exchange Server 2010: Achieves new levels of reliability, reduces cost and drives productivity.

These events will be held in Des Moines, IA and Omaha, NE. To register for these free events, use the links below:

TechNet Events Presents >
8:30 AM – 12:00 PM

SESSIONS INCLUDE

Introducing to Windows 7
Introduction to Windows Server 2008 R2
Introducing Exchange Server 2010

Date/Location?registration
11/11/2009	Des Moines, IA
12/3/2009	Omaha, NE

MSDN Events Presents >
1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

SESSIONS INCLUDE

Taking Your Application to the Next Level with Windows 7
Light Up Your Application with graphics, Multi-Touch and Ribbon on Windows 7
What’s New and Changed in Windows Server 2008 R2?

Date/Location?registration
11/11/2009	Des Moines, IA
12/3/2009	Omaha, NE

And what launch would be complete without some great giveaways? Register and attend the event for you chance to win:

Netbook! Dell Mini 10 – US $329.00 ARV
Zune! Zune HD – US $289.00 ARV
Games! Halo 3 ODST for Xbox 360 – US $49.99 ARV
Books!
- Windows 7 Inside Out – US $49.99 ARV
- Introducing Windows 7 for Developers – US $39.99 ARV

Technorati Tags: MSDN Live,TechNet,Windows 7,Windows Server 2008 R2,Exchange Server 2010,Dell Mini 10,Zune HD,Halo ODST,Des Moines,Omaha

New ARCast.tv Episode: Simon Guest on Patterns for Moving to the Cloud

dboynton — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:02:20 -0600

Everything that you read these days seems to suggest that you should be moving to the cloud. But where do you start? Which applications and services should you be moving? How do you build the bridge between on-premises and the cloud? And more importantly, what should you be looking out for along the way? In this talk, learn architectural patterns and factors for moving to the cloud. Based on real-world projects, the talk explores building block services, patterns for exposing applications, and challenges involving identity, data federation, and management.

In this episode of ARCast.tv, I sit down and talk to Simon Guest about the tools and knowledge required to determine whether cloud computing is right for you, and where to start.

ARCast.TV - Simon Guest on Patterns for Moving to the Cloud

Technorati Tags: ARCast.tv,Architects,Architecture,S+S,Cloud Architecture,Cloud Computing,Cloud Patterns,Cloud Services,Simon Guest

New ARCast.tv Episode: Ward Bell on Building Modular Applications Using Silverlight and WPF

dboynton — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:36:07 -0600

How do you build line-of-business applications in Silverlight and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) that can be maintained and extended over a period of years? How do you design and code to handle real-world complexity? Composite Application Guidance (a.k.a., "PRISM") from patterns & practices offers guidance, libraries and examples--in small, free-standing, digestible chunks--that you can use to tame the complexity.

In this episode of ARCast.tv, I sit down and chat with Ward Bell to learn how to compose complex UIs from simpler views, integrate loosely coupled components with "EventAggregator" and "Commands", develop independent modules that can be loaded dynamically, and share code between Silverlight and WPF clients.

ARCast.TV - Ward Bell on Building Modular Applications Using Microsoft Silverlight and WPF

Technorati Tags: ARCast.tv,Architects,Architecture,Composite,PRISM,Silverlight,WPF

A Full Day of Windows Azure Coming to the Central Region in August

dboynton — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:07:33 -0600

Passionate about the Cloud? Interested in the Cloud? Never heard of the Cloud? Regardless of where you standing with the trend of cloud computing, you are not going to want to miss these outstanding events coming to the central region of the US later this month.

Microsoft TechNet and MSDN Events are please to offer you an entire day of Windows Azure for IT professionals and developers in a city near you. These events will answer the big questions about Windows Azure, such as:

What is Windows Azure?
When should you use Windows Azure?
How does it apply or impact your day-to-day work?
As an architect, how will Windows Azure impact my system design?

Here is a summary of the sessions.

TechNet Windows Azure for the IT Professional
Time: 8:30 AM to noon
Session Summary:

Azure architecture from the IT professional’s point of view
Why an IT operations team would want to pursue Azure as an extension to the data center
Configuration, deployment, and scaling Azure-based applications
The Azure roles (web, web service, and worker)
Azure storage options
Azure security and identity options
How Azure-based applications can be integrated with on-premises applications
How operations teams can manage and monitor Azure-based applications

TechNet - Date/Location/Registration
8/18/09	Columbus, OH	9/22/09	Cleveland, OH
8/19/09	Mason, OH	9/24/09	Waukesha, WI
8/19/09	Downers Grove, OH	9/24/09	Austin, TX
8/20/09	Indianapolis, IN	9/29/09	St. Louis, MO
9/16/09	Dallas, TX	9/29/09	Nashville, TN
9/17/09	Grand Rapids, MI	9/30/09	Knoxville, TN
9/17/09	Southfield, MI	10/1/09	Chicago, IL
9/17/09	Overland Park, KS	10/27/09	Bloomington, MN
9/17/09	Houston, TX

MSDN Windows Azure for the Developer and Architect
Time: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Session Summary:

Cloud computing architectures in general and the Azure architecture in particular
Several aspects of Azure from the developer’s and architect’s perspective
Azure roles (web, web service and worker)
Azure storage options
Azure security and identity options
How Azure-based applications can be integrated with on-premise applications
Configuration, deployment and scaling Azure-based applications
How development teams can optimize their applications for better management and monitoring

MSDN - Date/Location/Registration
8/18/09	Columbus, OH	9/22/09	Cleveland, OH
8/19/09	Mason, OH	9/24/09	Waukesha, WI
8/19/09	Downers Grove, OH	9/24/09	Austin, TX
8/20/09	Indianapolis, IN	9/29/09	St. Louis, MO
9/16/09	Dallas, TX	9/29/09	Nashville, TN
9/17/09	Grand Rapids, MI	9/30/09	Knoxville, TN
9/17/09	Southfield, MI	10/1/09	Chicago, IL
9/17/09	Overland Park, KS	10/27/09	Bloomington, MN
9/17/09	Houston, TX

New ARCast.tv Episode: Juval Lowy on the EnergyNet, the Next Software Boom

dboynton — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:43:56 -0600

The ongoing economy unraveling is the defining moment of our time. Many professional developers are fearful for their livelihood, as employers and customers cut and slash development plans, and as economic activity grinds to a halt.

But not everywhere.

In centers of technical excellence and innovation such as the Silicon Valley, the major players, from investors to industry leaders, are aligning themselves with the next boom in software, a field Juval Lowy calls the Energynet. Alternative energy covers a wide range, from new cars, to micro renewal sources energy producers, infrastructure upgrades to charge stations and distribution, new power and transformation grids, and integration of billing systems, let alone commercial building and homes modification. And the key for making all that work is software. We simply cannot make the physics or the chemistry substantially better, but we can profoundly integrate systems, iron out inefficiency, automate and vertically integrate energy trading, production and consumption; and the key to all of that is great software. This massive new software system is the Energynet, and the analogy to the Internet is a good one - instead of packets and request the Energynet transfers watts and usage data, connecting anything and everything in the energy market. In this unique session, Juval Lowy presents the case for the next boom in software, shares personal observation and perspectives, and points out the skills and expertise required of developers that want to not only survive but thrive on the next boom in software.

Be sure to check out this compelling interview conducted by my colleague Bob Familiar.

ARCast.TV - Juval Lowy on The Energy Net, the next software boom

Technorati Tags: Alternative Energy,ARCast.tv,Architects,Architecture,Cloud Computing,Economics,Energy,EnergyNET,Juval Lowy,Software+Services

New ARCast.tv Episode: Scott Hanselman On Scaling Websites with Caching

dboynton — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:01:29 -0600

Architecting an enterprise or web application for high performance, scale, and availability can be a challenge without an appropriate caching strategy. One approach is to leverage a distributed caching platform to support the needs of performance, scale, and availability. In this ARCast episode, Scott Hanselman and Joe Shirey discuss Microsoft's codename "Velocity" project and how it supports building out these types of applications as well as what architects and developers need to think about when implementing a distributed caching approach.

ARCast.TV - Scott Hanselman on scaling websites with caching

Technorati Tags: ARCast.tv,Architects,Architecture,Availability,Cache,Distributed Caching,Scalability

"Devsigners," On Your Feet! Expression Studio 3 Available Today

dboynton — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:42:00 -0600

On July 10th, Microsoft announced the RTM of Silverlight™ 3 and the RC of Expression™ 3. Today, I’m very happy to be able to tell you that the final release of Expression Studio 3 is now available.

This is truly a coming-of-age for the Expression products. They’ve always been solid, but with this release they have the full range of features and functionality that many of us knew could be there but just wasn’t yet. I mean, the SketchFlow™ rapid prototyping tool alone should be enough to get you jazzed about Blend™ 3.

These tools have always been produced for use primarily by designers, but I’ve found that I’ve become very dependent on Blend to layout the interfaces for my WPF and Silverlight applications. This is a growing trend I’ve seen picking up stream over the past few years, creating an interesting hybrid role I like to call “the devsigner.” We all knew it would happen eventually, but Expression has really made this practical since all of the Expression products use the same project and source code files as Visual Studio™, creating a designer-developer collaboration that you just can’t find anywhere else.

If you haven’t tried any of the Expression products before, give them a try. You can download a 60-day trial from the Expression web site. Also, there is tons of information available on the product teams’ blogs.

For more information, here are some good sites to bookmark:

Technorati Tags: Microsoft Expression 3,Web,Blend,Design,Silverlight 3,Devsigners,SketchFlow

New ARCast.tv Episode: The Cloud Part 2, What is Microsoft Doing?

dboynton — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:29:00 -0600

On 30 – 31 March 2009, at Weston Manor, Oxford UK a group of senior IT architects from across the industry met to consider the coming ‘Cloud’. What it is, what it means for business and the software profession and what has Microsoft been up to in the cloud. This episode is part 2 in the series, what Microsoft is doing in the cloud computing space.

ARCast.TV – The Cloud Part 1, What is Microsoft doing

Technorati Tags: ARCast.tv,Azure Platform,Azure Services,Cloud Architecture,Cloud Computing,Cloud Services,Windows Azure

New ARCast.tv Episode – The Cloud Part One, What it means to the user

dboynton — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:37:26 -0600

On 30 – 31 March 2009, at Weston Manor, Oxford UK a group of senior IT architects from across the industry met to consider the coming ‘Cloud’. What it is, what it means for business and the software profession and what has Microsoft been up to in the cloud? This episode is part one of the discussion, what the cloud means to the user.

ARCast.TV – The Cloud Part 1, What it means to the user

Technorati Tags: ARCast.tv,Azure Platform,Azure Services,Cloud Architecture,Cloud Computing,Cloud Services,Windows Azure

New ARCast.tv Episode: Dynamic IT, Trends in IT Operations

dboynton — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:00:39 -0600

Microsoft System Center products and solutions help capture and aggregate knowledge of IT infrastructure, policies and best practices to help IT organizations build manageable systems and automate operations to reduce costs, improve application availability and enhance service deliver. Dhananjay Mahajan interviews Vij Rajarajan, GM of System Center, about his vision of the future of System Center and how it is poised to help Enterprises prepare for new industry trends and challenges. We will learn how System Center fits in the Dynamic IT and broader Microsoft strategy, as well as how Enterprise IT Architects can help prepare their organizations for upcoming changes.

Technorati Tags: ARCast,Architects,Architecture,Dynamic IT,IT Operations,System Center Operations Manager,Systems Management

New ARCast.tv Episode: Roger Sessions on Simple Architectures for Complex Enterprises

dboynton — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:04:18 -0600

It is common to hear of massive IT failures; projects that are over budget, late, poorly aligned to business needs, or all of the above. Often, the resulting losses are in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The cause is almost always the same: uncontrolled complexity. The solution to complexity is simple — or more specifically, simplicity. This talk is about the mathematical models of complexity and the methodologies needed to control it. Complexity is the most insidious problem facing IT architects. Control it, or it will bury you! David Solivan interviews Roger Sessions about his book 'Simple Architectures for Complex Enterprises'.

Technorati Tags: ARCast.tv,Architects,Architecture,Roger Sessions,David Solivan

Registration Now Open for St. Louis Day of .NET

dboynton — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:29:43 -0600

It’s back and bigger than the first time. The announcement was made yesterday that registration for the St. Louis Day of .NET was made yesterday. This time around, it’s more like the Days of .NET, because the conference organizers have extended the conference giving you two full days of great content.

The Day of .NET conference will take place on Friday, August 28th and Saturday the 29th at the Ameristar Conference Center in St. Charles, Missouri. Just a few of the topics that will be covered at the conference include C#, Silverlight, Expression Blend, Visual Studio, WPF, WCF and lots, lots more. The conference will also include a Friday evening social at the Home Night Club and guests are welcome to attend.

Registration for the event is only $100, which is really nothing when you consider there will be over 40 technical sessions from both local and national speakers, breakfast and lunch on both days of the event, the Friday evening party and lots of cool door prizes. That’s a ton of value for only $100.

Reserve your seat for the event by registering online today. This will be a very informative and extremely fun event. Don’t miss out!

Technorati Tags: St. Louis Day of .NET,Home Night Club,Ameristar Conference Center,C#,Silverlight,WPF,WCF,Expression Blend,Visual Studio

Windows 7 Release Dates Announced

dboynton — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:05:53 -0600

In case you haven’t heard, Microsoft released the shipping dates for Windows 7 yesterday. According to the Windows 7 team blog, the final released bits for Windows 7 will hit RTM some time in the second half of July with general availability on October 22, 2009.

The post also described a free upgrade program for those who purchase new PCs running Windows Vista prior to October 22nd, but no details are available yet on the timing or details of the program.

This is an extremely exciting announcement. Windows 7 has received overwhelmingly good reviews from users and analysts, even those who were highly critical of Windows Vista and of the Microsoft platform in general. If you want to try our Windows 7 today, be sure to download the release candidate and try it out. I’ve been running the RC on my primary machine for several weeks and haven’t run into any performance or stability issues at all. In fact, it’s hard for me to sit down at a Vista machine anymore. Windows 7 will spoil that experience for you altogether.

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,RTM,Release Candidate

New ARCast.tv Episode: Brian Noyes on Selecting the Correct Client Technology

dboynton — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:16:00 -0600

The one thing architects don’t have a shortage of these days are options, especially when it comes down to choosing the client technology that best suits their current project. Is it a web applications, or would be better to have it run natively on the desktop? Mobile devices? Or perhaps a hybrid approach? These are the kinds of questions solutions architects grapple with everyday.

In this episode of ARCast.tv, I sit down and have a great conversation with Brian Noyes, Chief Architect at iDesign, about what architects should consider when making decisions about which client technology is the best for their project du jour.

ARCast.TV - Brian Noyes on Selecting the Correct Client Technology

Technorati Tags: ARCast.tv,Brian Noyes,User Experience,Presentation Layer,Software Architecture