MNUG News

November 19, 2009 – Expression Blend 3

Colin Neller — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:30:24 GMT

Expression Blend 3
Microsoft Expression Blend 3 is a user interface design tool developed and sold by Microsoft for creating graphical interfaces for web and desktop applications that blend the features of these two types of applications. It is an interactive, WYSIWYG front-end for designing XAML-based interfaces for Windows Presentation Foundation and Silverlight applications. It is one of the applications in the Microsoft Expression Studio suit.

In this presentation, John will walk through the Blend 3 Integrated Development Environment, create a Silverlight media player, and if time permits, discuss and demonstrate the new SketchFlow prototype tool.

John Stagich has 25 years of IT experience. For the last three and a half years he has worked as a Microsoft .Net/SQL contractor in the Memphis area. He also operates his own business: Stagich Software Consulting.

John has a master's degree in computer science from the University of Kentucky and is also a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) in Web Client Development. Here is John's contact information:

John Stagich
Work: 901.248.1748
Cell: 901.219.9266
www.JohnStagich.com
www.JohnStagich.com/blog

Next Meeting: Thursday, October 22, 2009 @ 6:00 PM

Colin Neller — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:10:00 GMT

Sandcastle [Download]
Have you, your co-workers, or your employees needed to create useful MSDN-like documentation? This is why we have Sandcastle. Simply put, Sandcastle is a tool to extract the XML comments ("///") within your code to produce MSDN-like documentation.

In the talk, we will approach this subject as more of a tutorial so you can take this knowledge directly to your day job and start producing top-notch documentation. At the end of this presentation, the attendees will be able to install the tools for creating documentation, configure their projects to create XML documentation, document their code for sandcastle, and create documentation using sandcastle.

Chris Byerly has been a developer in the Memphis Metropolitan area for a long time as well as a regular attendee of the .Net user group. He has worked for companies like Transaction Graphics, Inc. and Data Communication Corporation. Currently, he is a contractor with TekSystems as well as the webmaster for On Location: Memphis (The Memphis International Film Festival).

As a developer, he enjoys working on web-based applications as well as libraries. He also seems to find the Windows 7 commercials with Kylie very funny.

Meeting Location
New Horizons
4775 American Way
Memphis, TN, 38118

Upcoming .NET events for October & November 2009

Colin Neller — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:46:47 GMT

ASP.NET Firestarter – Cincinnati – Oct 17 - http://cinnug.org/specialevents.aspx

GR Give Camp – Grand Rapids – Nov 13-15 - http://grgivecamp.org/

SharePoint Saturday – Cleveland – Nov 14 – http://sharepointsaturday.org

Professional Developers Conference (PDC) – Los Angeles – Nov 17-20 – http://microsoftpdc.com

Next Meeting: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 @ 6:00 PM

Colin Neller — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:35:00 GMT

ATTENTION: This month's date and location are not our normal meeting day or location

Location: Emerge Memphis

516 Tennessee Street
Memphis, TN 38103
901.312.7700

Date: TUESDAY, September 29 @ 6:00 PM

Topic: Windows Mobile 6.5 Development

We're really excited to announce a barcamp style event, called WinMoDevCamp, for the upcoming Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 OS!

The event inspired by BarCamp, SuperHappyDevHouse, and MacHack, iPhoneDevCamp and préDevCamp to develop applications (local and web based) for mobile devices that run the Windows Mobile 6.5 Operating System.

Attendees will include mobile developers, web developers, .NET Developers, UI designers, and testers, all working together. Development projects will include both solo and team efforts. While some attendees will wish to work solo during the event, we encourage attendees to team up, based on expertise, to work in ad-hoc project development teams. All attendees should be prepared to work on a development project during the event.

Attendees will be able to:

Learn about the upcoming platform, the roadmap, and the launch program.
Create new applications for the Windows Mobile Platform.
Migrate existing mobile applications from the iPhone, Blackberry and Palm Pre to the Windows Mobile Platform
Create applications to support Windows Enterprise Applications
Learn about Race To Market Challenge, a contest for mobile developers where someone could earn fame and big prizes.
Eat a good dinner.

Bring your laptop, loaded with VS 2008, a Windows Mobile 6.1 SDK Refresh and Windows Mobile 6.5 DTK. Otherwise, follow along on a friend's laptop, or just listen along.

Speaker: Jon Box joined Microsoft as an Architect Evangelist with 20+ years in software development in 2006. He has worked in a variety of environments and languages that include COBOL, Assembler, Clipper, C, C++ (Borland, ATL, MFC, Win32, COM/DCOM), VB5/VB6, and .NET. Before joining Microsoft, Jon was the Microsoft Regional Director for Memphis and a Microsoft MVP (Solution Architect). He also spent the previous six years employed at Microsoft partners doing training, course development, writing, presenting, consulting, and management. Jon co-founded the Memphis .NET Users Group, presented at past DevDays and TechEd, gave MSDN webcasts, and spoke at other Microsoft and INETA sponsored events. In addition to several whitepapers on MSDN on .NET and mobility, Jon co-authored Building Solutions with the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework back in 2004. He also served as the Mobility Editor for the ".NET Developers Journal". Now, Jon lives to help architects leverage the Microsoft platform to build game-changing system innovation. Jon has a more detailed bio on his MSDN blog, Out Of The Box.

Next Meeting: Thursday, August 27, 2009 @ 6:00 PM

James Hanauer — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:02:00 GMT

Custom Webpart development for MOSS

Writing webparts is not as easy as it should be, so getting the most reuse out of the webparts I build is one thing always on my mind! In this presentation I will cover how to develop webparts that leverage common webpart communication interfaces and how to build reusable custom editorparts. These powerful topics can help you develop webparts that will more easily integrate with Microsoft’s out of the box gallery of webparts and other third party webparts. Also developing custom editor parts can make your webparts easier to use and provide a richer user experience at configuration time. So get ready to get your hands dirty and write some code as we look under the hood at how to build truly reusable webparts.

Pat Converse is a Group Manager for Avanade. His focus is on the design and delivery of advanced Solutions and Products built on the .NET platform. Over the past several years he has focused on delivering custom MOSS, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) solutions built using the .NET 3.0/3.5 Frameworks for the Oil/gas and mortgage banking industries.

Mr. Converse has worked in the Information Technology industry since 1998. Mr. Converse has developed products and solutions for a variety of industries (Oil and Gas, Healthcare, Insurance, Asset Management, Food Service, Industrial Materials, Government, Banking, etc…). He is experienced in several development methodologies including Microsoft Solutions Framework, Agile Development (XP, Scrum, and Lean), and Ration Unified Process. Mr. Converse normally serves in the Solution/Product Architect, Team Lead, or Senior Developer role.

.NET development, Design Patterns, application frameworks and application integration patterns leveraging various tools (SOA, ETL, Biztalk) have been Mr. Converse’s technical focuses. He has recently taken a keen interest in Software Factories, Software Guidance, and larger scale development automation techniques.

Next Meeting: Thursday, July 23, 2009 @ 6:00 PM

James Hanauer — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:28:00 GMT

Internet Explorer 8 for Developers

The Windows Internet Explorer 8 browser makes it easier to explore and interact with the web. Did you know that there will be a new standards mode by default? While it can easily be turned off, knowing the potential to impact this may have on many sites that have been crafted around various features in past versions is a good idea. Attend this session to learn which current practices you need to change and how the new standards mode affects your development techniques and your existing sites. We review tools that are built into Internet Explorer 8 to help developers debug and create Web pages. We also discuss Web Slices, Accelerators, and Search Suggestion – all of which are key new features in this latest release.

Ron Cundiff has over 15 years of experience in the software development industry, and is the founder of Sheer Velocity Corporation, a company specializing in custom software development, technical training, and technical content creation for software developers. He can be reached at ron@sheervelocity.com.

First Meeting of the Memphis PASS Chapter

James Hanauer — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:45:00 GMT

It’s official. Memphis now has a SQL Server User’s Group.

Please join us for our first meeting

When:   Thursday, March 19th, at 6:00 PM
Where: New Horizons
   4775 American Way
               Memphis, TN, 38118

Topic: SQL 2008 T-SQL Enhancements

SQL Server 2008 offers a host of new and enhanced features, many of which are targeted towards developers. This makes SQL Server development more interesting than ever before. New capabilities include support for Spatial Data, Sparse Data, and Filtered Indexes. Enhancements include new T-SQL items such as new DATE/TIME data types and the long-awaited MERGE statement. In addition, many existing subsystems, such as Service Broker and the SQL CLR, have been improved as well. (Wait until you see what has been done to SQL Reporting Services!)   Come see Jerry give an overview of a handful of these new features, as well as a deep-dive into the T-SQL enhancements.

Speaker: Jerry Dixon

Jerry Dixon is an Application Development Consultant with Microsoft. He works as part of their Premier Support organization in Memphis, Tennessee, helping clients get the most out of the Microsoft development platform. Over the past 20 years he has led development projects for a number of enterprise, mid-level, and small business organizations. While he has fulfilled multiple roles as an infrastructure designer, database administrator, and software developer, he specializes in XML, SQL and ASP.NET. He is a past President of the Memphis .NET User Group, and is a frequent presenter at developer events around the region. Jerry holds the following Microsoft certifications: MCSD (VB 6.0 and .NET), MCDBA (SQL 2000), MCSA (Windows 2000 and 2003), MCSE (Windows 2000), MCAD (.NET), and MCT.
In his spare time, Jerry works with stained glass and takes Martial Arts classes. (He has a Blue Sash in Kung Fu, and a Brown/White Belt in Karate.) He also enjoys wood-working and computer gaming.

For more information, Contact:
Dan Evans: Dan.Evans@mem-pass.org
Alvin Ramard: Alvin.Ramard@mem-pass.org

If you wish to attend, please register for the event on the CodeZone website and use the following "Access Code": MEM-PASS-Member

Attendance is free and pizza is provided.

Next Meeting: Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 6:00 PM

Colin Neller — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:48:58 GMT

Topic: NHibernate
Tired of writing CRUD? Codegen or not, there's got to be a better way! NHibernate is the most excellent port of Java's Hibernate to the .NET platform offering flexibility and versatility to give you time to solve the problems you are paid to solve. We looking into extending the framework, configuration, mapping, concurrency, and solutions to the most common CRUD scenarios.

Speaker: Phil Japikse
Phil has been working with .Net since the early days, and developing software for over 20 years. Specializing in application architect and agile methodologies, Phil helps clients with eCommerce sites, shrink-wrapped and/or internal Smart Client/WPF applications, coaching teams in their transition to agile, and also teaches classes on Test Driven Development, Patterns and Practices, and various additional topics. Phil is an active member of the .Net community, serving as a director for the Cincinnati .Net User's Group and Software Architecture SIG, speaking throughout the Heartland for Code Camps and User Groups, and nationally at conferences such as VSLive. A Principal Consultant with Pinnacle Solutions Group, Inc. (www.pinnsg.com - a Senior level firm specializing in Custom Software, BI, and eCommerce solutions located in Cincinnati, OH), Phil is an avid .Net Application Architect, Developer, Speaker, and Trainer. Phil is also a contributing author for www.NPlus1.org, a site by architects, for architects. Phil currently holds MCSD.Net, MCDBA, and Certified Scrum Master certifications. Phil also serves as a Firefighter/Paramedic/Instructor for the local fire department and volunteers for the National Ski Patrol. You can follow Phil on twitter via www.twitter.com/skimedic and read his blog at www.japikse.blogspot.com.

Next Meeting: Thursday, January 22, 2009 @ 6:00 PM

Colin Neller — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:33:23 GMT

Topic: Introduction to DotNetNuke, and enhancements in version 5
DotNetNuke is an open-source Web Application Framework/Content Management System idea for creating and deploying projects such as commercial websites, corporate intranets and extranets, online publishing portals, and custom vertical applications. As the leading open source web application framework based on Microsoft ASP.NET (VB.Net) platform, it has been downloaded and installed hundreds of thousands of times. In this presentation, we will go through the basic features and functionality of DotNetNuke, and then discuss the enhancements in the recent release of version 5.0.

Speaker: Brian Swanson
Brian Swanson is the founder of Purple Ant Software, a software and website development firm based in Memphis, TN. Starting off programming in Turbo Pascal, progressing through Clipper, Delphi, and then into .Net development, he's been developing software for fun or as a profession for 15+ years. Brian has been focused exclusively on .Net development for the past 7 years working on projects either as an employee or a consultant for small start-up Internet companies up to Fortune 500 companies. He holds the Microsoft Certified Database Administrator for SQL Server, and Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer for .Net certifications. Brian has recently been added to several of the DotNetNuke module projects as a team member. Check his blog out at http://www.purpleant.com/Blogs/BrianSwanson/tabid/64/Default.aspx

Next Meeting: Thursday, November 20, 2008 @ 6:00 PM

James Hanauer — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:50:00 GMT

Topic: Rosario - The Next Version of Visual Studio Team System
The phrase "drive quality upstream" has been abused so badly by ALM software vendors that it has to be relegated to the platitude junk pile along with such all time favorites as "work smarter not harder," "think outside the box," and "synergistic leveraging of code reuse." Before we drive quality anywhere, we need to give quality a seat at the table. VSTS Rosario release will do this by automatically gathering critical information about the project and code and making that data available when, where and to whom it is needed. During this discussion we will examine how Rosario impacts quality across the application lifecycle by:

Allowing testers to provide developers with details about what the code did instead of just providing the details about what the tester did.
Allowing development leads and architects to visualize and understand their current code (not the code they wish they had, but the code they really have) so that they can minimize the impact of changes; and
Allowing developers to understand the impact of their changes in terms of affected tests, concurrency and bounds checking.

The Rosario release of VSTS will bring all project stakeholders together to allow richer information to be shared across every role to make software quality accessible and achievable.

Speaker: Mark Mydland
Mark Mydland is a Group Manager for the Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Testers product at Microsoft. In the past 12 years, Mark has worked as a developer and consultant across a wide variety of applications and industries. Mark first joined Microsoft in 2001 working as a member of the Natural Interactive Services Division (NISD). During his time in that group, Mark was the development manager for a team focused on analytics for assessing the efficacy of natural language interpreters with a particular emphasis on driving authoring simplification and relevance quality for user assistance. Based on this work, Mark filed numerous patents and coauthored a paper for the SIGIR journal. In 2004, Mark left Microsoft to work as a Director of Development at Getty Images where he led a change in process from a traditional waterfall methodology to a scrum-based agile approach which brought the release frequency from 12-18 months down to 1 month. Since Getty made extensive use of VSTS, it seemed a natural fit for Mark to join VSTS on his return to Microsoft in 2006. Mark received his B.S. from West Point in 1991. He has also held positions with USWeb/marchFirst and Andersen Consulting/Accenture.

Member Savings for Upcoming New Horizons Classes

James Hanauer — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:22:00 GMT

New Horizons is offering Special Savings to .Net User Group Members for these upcoming classes….

Course 6464A: Visual Studio 2008: ADO.NET 3.5 (Oct 29)
$200 Off .NET User Group Members!

ASP.NET Using Visual Basic 2005 (Nov 3)
$200 Off .NET User Group Members!

Course 4994A: Introduction to Programming Microsoft .NET Framework Applications with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (Nov 10)
$500 Off .NET User Group Members!

For More information call…

Tenelle Jones
(Sales Manager)
901-328-2151
tjones@nhmemphis.com
www.nhmemphis.com

Next Meeting: Thursday, October 23, 2008 @ 6:00 PM

Colin Neller — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:07:36 GMT

Topic: Introduction to Silverlight 2
Silverlight 2 brings the power of .NET to the browser by combining a powerful UI rendering engine with a programming model that Microsoft developers are already familiar with. In this presentation, we will explore the capabilities of Silverlight along with an overview of how Silverlight applications are developed.

Speaker: Colin Neller
Colin Neller is a Software Engineer with Memphis-based ServiceU Corporation. He has a wide variety of development experience including hosting Internet Explorer, P/Invoke & COM Interop, business application design and implementation, and various client-side technologies. Colin is an enthusiastic supporter of the .NET community, a frequent presenter at regional events, and president of the Memphis .NET User Group. Check out his blog at http://colinneller.com/blog/.

New Horizons of Memphis - Visual Studio 2008 Training

Colin Neller — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:56:19 GMT

New Horizons of Memphis has some Visual Studio 2008 training classes coming up. Mention this blog or the .NET User Group and receive a special discount. Below are the classes:

For more information on these classes please contact Tenelle Jones, 901-328-2151, or tjones@nhmemphis.com. Thank you.

Next Meeting: Thursday, September 25, 2008 @ 6:00 PM

James Hanauer — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:45:00 GMT

Topic: Windows PowerShell
Windows PowerShell is a command-line shell with associated scripting language that brings the power of the .NET Framework to the command line. It provides features that can benefit both system administrators and developers. We'll introduce PowerShell and go over why developers should be interested in the command line and we'll also cover the benefits that scripting can provide, whether that be through efficiency or automating repetitive tasks.

Speaker: David Mohundro
David Mohundro is a software developer at Data-Tronics, Corp. in Fort Smith, AR and a of the co-founder/leader of the Fort Smith, AR .NET User Group (at http://www.fsdnug.org). He has over 5 years of experience developing software using technologies ranging from classic ASP and JavaScript to Windows Forms and WPF. David is enthusiastic about building decoupled and maintainable applications using practices such as Test Driven Development and he strives to be a lifelong learner. You can contact David through his blog at http://www.mohundro.com/blog/.

Next Meeting: Thursday, August 28, 2008 @ 6:00 PM

James Hanauer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:31:00 GMT

Topic: Microsoft Business Intelligence - What's new in SQL 2008
The ultimate goal of business intelligence (BI) is to provide people with access to the information they need in the tools they use every day. This enables them to make better decisions, share insights with others, collaborate throughout the organization, and, ultimately, improve its bottom line.

Come hear how Business Intelligence (BI) is becoming the number one IT initiative and how Microsoft is responding to this need. The session will highlight the Microsoft BI 'stack' and related components, with an emphasis on the new features in SQL 2008 that support this approach. Leave with a better understanding on what BI is, how it will impact your future projects, and what you can do to prepare.

Speaker: Dan Evans
Dan Evans benefits from more than 15 years in information technology management in data analysis, design, development, testing, deployment, strategy, and consulting. Daniel's key interests are in business intelligence, data warehousing, executive information strategy, and IT governance/compliance. His work crosses several industries such as retail, insurance, health services, manufacturing, marketing, logistics, telecommunications, and professional services. Daniel promotes technology for business use through various channels by sponsoring user groups like The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI) Mid-South Chapter and the Mid-South Data Management Association (DAMA) chapter.