Alabama Tech Events

We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here to register or call 877.673.8368 with event ID 1032387071.  

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AGENDA:

Microsoft Developer Update

First, we will do a survey of the set of just-released products and how they impact developers.  See what’s new in Windows Server 2008:  Hypervisor Technology, IIS7, and others.  SQL 2008 is also packed with goodies for Developers;  see the geospatial capabilities as well as the LINQ enhancements. Don’t forget the myriad enhancements that come with the .Net Framework 3.5!

 

REST with WCF, ADO.NET Data Services, and ASP.NET MVC

The evolution of the web has seen many changes in patterns and standards for working with services. In a world of AJAX and other lightweight clients, not all services need to be implemented with the bells and whistles that SOAP and its many specifications allow for. And not all services need to be “transport-neutral”. An alternative architectural approach known as REST is well-suited for many web-based scenarios. You can implement a RESTful architecture using a variety of current and future Microsoft technologies. But how do you decide which ones are the best choices for your scenarios? These sessions of technical deep dives help to answer that question. We will examine implementing RESTful services with WCF 3.5, using ADO.NET Data Services, and introduce the ASP.NET MVC framework.

In addition to her appearance in Mobile, Sara Ford will also be coming to the Birmingham Alabama area on Monday, August 25th at 6:30 pm. The event will take place at the Southern Living Auditorium on Lakeshore Drive in Homewood.

This event is being co-sponsored by the Birmingham Software Developers Association (BSDA) and the Birmingham .Net Users Group (BUG.NET). Attendance is limited, so please register at the link below.

Register at: https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=130429
Event Code: 130429
8/25/2008 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Welcome Time: 8/25/2008 6:00 PM Central Time

Southern Living Auditorium
2100 Lakeshore Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35209
United States
driving directions

General Event Information

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Featured Product/Topic: Visual Studio 2008

Recommended Audiences: Solution Architects, Software Developers, Developers

Performance improvements begin by speeding up the simple task you do every minute of every hour of every day you use Visual Studio. Just like a coin jar where you place your spare change, you’ll see the time you save add up into the days, weeks, and into the months. This talk provides the best of the best, 21 tips that can be used in any language, which stretched across your 3 primary activities in the IDE: coding, customizing, and debugging.

Sara Ford is the program manager for CodePlex, Microsoft’s open source project hosting site. Prior to CodePlex, she worked on the Visual Studio team for six years, where she continues to run the Visual Studio Tip of the Day on her blog. Her life-long goal is to become a 97 year old weightlifter, so she can be featured on the local news.

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TechMixer University, is “sold out”. In it’s first year it has reached it’s planned capacity of over 600 registrees.

If you have not registered, it is not too late. You are still welcome to attend as a walk-in, unfortunately the event will not be able to provide lunch. Fortunately there are many nearby cafe’s and restaurants for you to take advantage of.

Shannon Brooks-Hamilton will be speaking at the Birmingham Software Developers Association on the subject of User Experience.

“User Experience” is a person’s overall experience and satisfaction when using a product or service. This presentation will give an overview of the practices, methods, and outcomes of User Experience with an emphasis on tips for great interface designs. The benefits of User Experience include increased product usage, increased e-commerce sales, increased user productivity, decreased support costs, decreased training costs, and fanatical customer loyalty. Google, Apple, and IDEO are examples of companies that embrace User Experience.

Since 1996, Shannon has focused on user needs in the fields of Banking, Retirement, Telecommunications, Health Insurance, and the YMCA Movement. In her experience, understanding users and involving them in the design process is the best way to ensure a product’s success. Since 2000, she has designed desktop applications, intranet sites, websites, and web applications with a User Centered Design approach. She has practiced methods of User Experience extensively including User Research, Information Architecture, Usability, Information Design, Interface Design, and Interaction Design. In 2006, she helped organize the Birmingham User Experience Group to explore and promote User Experience practices and ideas in Birmingham.

The meeting will take place Thursday night, August 14th, 6:30 pm at the New Horizons Training Facility in Homewood.

Sara Ford is the program manager for CodePlex, Microsoft’s open source project hosting site. She will be comming to Mobile, AL for a presentation on Embrace Open Source on CodePlex or Visual Studio IDE Tips and Tricks on  08/27/2008 6:00:00 PM

Visit the Lower Alabama .NET Users Group website for more information.

Robert Cain, MVP will speak at the next Birmingham .Net Users Group (Bug.Net) meeting on August 12th at 6:30 pm. The meeting will take place at New Horizons Learning Center in Homewood.

The subject of Robert’s presentation will be “Getting Started with SQL Server Compact Edition 3.5″. Robert will demonstrate using SQL Server Compact Edition 3.5 in the Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 environments. He will also demonstrate how to access the database using traditional methods compatible with Visual Studio 2005, as well as the new LinqToSQL introduced in Visual Studio 2008.