Microsoft opens registration for its Professional Developers Conference, which will be held in Los Angeles in November. Microsoft also announces Code 7, a coding contest in which developers create Windows 7 applications to win cash and a trip to the PDC.Microsoft has opened registration for its Professional
Developers Conference, to be held Nov. 16 to 19 in Los
Angeles, including pre-conference workshops.
PDC is "the definitive Microsoft
event for software developers and strategic architects focused on the future of
the Microsoft platform," according to the company's press materials. This
year Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie and Server and Tools Business
President Bob Muglia will unveil the next wave of computing and provide insights
on the future development tools and technologies coming out of the company.
And this year, for the first time, Microsoft is bringing together its
Technical Fellows for the Technical Leaders series of sessions at PDC.
Microsoft describes its Technical Fellows as "the big brains that develop
and drive technical strategies for Microsoft and the industry."
Since 1991, the PDC has been Microsoft's
premier gathering of leading-edge developers and architects. A Microsoft
description of the event said:
Since the beginning, the PDC has been the epicenter of Microsoft's biggest
platform announcements, including Microsoft .NET, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. This year, you'll hear more details about our services
platform, the future of Windows, the web, devices, and our next generation of
developer tools.
In addition to keynotes by Ozzie and Muglia, the PDC
will feature sessions including Zero to Awesome in Nothing Flat: The Microsoft
Web Platform and You; The State of Parallel Programming; Microsoft Unified
Communications: Developer Platform Futures; Microsoft Visual C++ 2010: The
"Accelerated" Way of Building Applications; Microsoft Silverlight
Roadmap and Futures; Manycore and the Microsoft .NET
Framework 4: A Match Made in Microsoft Visual Studio 2010; Developing .NET
Managed Applications Using the Office 2010 Developer Platform; Data Programming
and Modeling for the Microsoft .NET
Developer; and Building Applications for the Windows Azure Platform.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has launched a programming contest called
Code 7, in which developers can "code to the power of Windows 7,"
Microsoft's description of the contest said. "Code7 is where your
ingenious application meets the opportunity to get millions of eyes on your
work, plus you could win a trip to PDC09 and
up to $17,777 in cash." Seven entries submitted by Aug. 15 will be
eligible for a gift card worth $1,000.
Each contestant is required to provide a 3-minute video describing and
demonstrating an application idea for Windows 7. Microsoft will choose one finalist
from seven geographic regions: China;
Europe and United Kingdom;
India and Southeast
Asia; Japan,
Korea, Australia,
Antarctica, and New
Zealand; Middle East
and Africa; North America; and
South and Central America.
Microsoft has established a set of guiding principles for the Code 7
contest, including requiring the applications to support one of several Windows
7 scenarios. One scenario is "Simplify My Life," for which the
developer must develop an application that makes the things customers do every day
faster and easier, with fewer clicks, simpler navigation and easier ways to
connect. Another is "More Media, More Places," for which the
developer must design a great application to help customers create, edit,
organize and share media. The third scenario involves gaming. The fourth is
"Work from Anywhere," in which the developer must build an
application to help customers be more productive at home, at work or on the go.
For the fifth scenario, "Safeguard Your Work," the developer must
build an application to help customers protect their data, whether it resides
on a PC, USB device or network
infrastructure. And the sixth scenario is "Applications for a Better
Tomorrow," in which the developer should "use the power of your code
to help communities prepare and plan for a better future," Microsoft said.
Microsoft said all entries in the Code 7 contest should take advantage of
one or more of the following technologies: Libraries, Windows Touch, shell
integration, DirectX 11, or the Windows 7
Sensor and Location platform. Windows 7 introduces a platform for using
sensor devices, such as light sensors or GPS
sensors, to create environmental or location awareness in programs.
PDC is the company's most directly
developer-focused event. However, Microsoft also delves deeply into developer
issues at its TechEd and Mix conferences. Microsoft TechEd is for IT professionals
who are looking for training and guidance on Microsoft products that are
shipping or soon to ship. TechEd 2010 will be held in New
Orleans from June
7 to 11, 2010. Microsoft Mix is for designers and developers who
build innovative Websites. Mix 2010 will be held at the Mandalay
Bay in Las
Vegas on March
15 to 17, 2010.
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