Microsoft provides you a forum to engage in discussions about Microsoft products or technologies. Each chat is hosted by one or more Microsoft experts. Upcoming topics include:TopicDate/TimeWindows Media Center Expert Zone ChatAugust 21, 4:00 PM PTWindows Embedded CE and Windows Mobile Live ChatAugust...

The .NET Framework 3.5 Enhancements Training Kit is now available.  It includes presentations, hands-on labs, demos and event materials.  This content is designed to help you learn how to utilize the .NET 3.5 Enhancement features including: ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET Dynamic Data, ASP.NET AJAX History, ASP.NET...

Come join the first open developer conference focused on Visual Studio extensibility.  Microsoft VSX Developer Conference will be held on September 15-16 in Redmond, Washington.  Whether beginner or expert, you’ll learn tips and tricks, best practices and meet 1:1 with developers and architects.  For...

We would like to invite you to a Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 Enhancements workshop September 4-5 in Boston.  This training event is designed to help you understand some of the new features that will be included with these product releases so you can determine how to utilize key features...

Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is not a traditional service pack, which usually consists of bug fixes and performance improvements.  While Microsoft did fix some bugs and dramatically improved performance in several areas, Microsoft listened to customer feedback and...

The latest community technology preview of Visual Studio Team System 2008 Database Edition is now available at the Microsoft Download Center.In addition to providing support for SQL Server 2008 database projects, this release incorporates many previously released Power Tools as well as several new features....

Microsoft has published a set of documents that affirm our Interoperability Principles that increases openness, drive greater interoperability and provide more choice for developers, customers and competitors.Highlights of the announcement include:Posting version 1.0 releases of technical documentation...

A recent escalation in attacks on Web sites exploits unverified user data input.  Microsoft Security Advisory (954462): Rise in SQL Injection Attacks Exploiting Unverified User Data provides advice and tools to protect against a rise in SQL injection attacks.  The attacks target Web sites that do not...

Super-scalable applications have gotten easier with the community technology preview (CTP) of Microsoft Project Code Named “Velocity”.“Velocity” is a distributed in-memory application cache platform that fuses memory across multiple computers to give a single unified cache view to applications.  Your...

With the end of the fiscal year coming to Microsoft, a new set of emerging technologies will be starting up soon.  The new Rhythm technologies will be announced in June and July with enrollment beginning in August and September.  You will continue to find information, forums, developer training, events...

As a managed ISV you’re invited to a special training event – Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 Enhancements Workshop.  The event will be held at the Microsoft campus in Mountain View, CA on June 25-26, 2008.The training event is designed to help developers understand some of the new features...

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 will render content in the most standards-compliant way by default.  This gives top priority to Web standards interoperability so web developers and designers can write once, run anywhere.  So sites designed for Internet Explorer 7 may not render as expected in the default...

The Microsoft Software + Services (S+S) model blends locally installed, full-package software with Internet-delivered or hosted applications.  The idea?  Augment organizations’ on-premise software investments with components, add-on technologies and complete applications – hosted by you or Microsoft....

The patterns & practices team has shipped Enterprise Library 4.0, a collection of reusable software components, known as application blocks, designed to assist software developers with common enterprise development challenges such as logging, validation, data access and exception handling.The new release...

LitwareHR is the Software as a Service (SaaS) reference application that demonstrates how to create multi-tenant applications on the Microsoft platform.  LitwareHR has been updated to support SQL Server Data Services (SSDS) as the on-line storage provider.The latest update includes a new data model,...

The May 2008 Preview of .NET 3.5 Enhancements Training Kit covers technologies in .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and other releases that are part of the same wave.  The May 2008 Preview includes updated hands-on labs and new presentations.  The followin

The first beta release of Service Pack 1 for Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 are available.With Service Pack 1, Visual Studio 2008 introduces a large assortment of new features for targeting Windows, Office and the Web.Developers building .NET-based applications will enjoy improved performance...

Microsoft Expression Studio 2 has been released to the web adding Silverlight support along with a new product, Expression Encoder.  You can now design user interfaces for both the Windows desktop and the web by utilizing the power of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Silverlight.  Create experiences...

The Mobility Firestarter event is a one-day seminar in Redmond on May 13 that includes depth coverage of building applications on the Windows Mobile platform.  Come join us for an action packed schedule where we introduce you to the nitty gritty of writing applications on the Windows Mobile platform....

Windows Mobile SmartPhones are leading devices in the enterprise.  As an ISV, Windows Mobile is hard to ignore and if you haven’t already looked at porting your product to Windows Mobile, you’ve no doubt thought about it.Come attend a panel discussion of CTOs, architects, and engineering managers from...

As a valued Microsoft Partner, you are invited to attend the Microsoft Office Live Small Business training session.  This is your chance to enhance your Office Live Small Business skills.This two-day session runs May 21-22 in Redmond.  The Office Live Small Business training event includes an introduction...

Craig Mundie, Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer, has introduced End to End Trust, a concept built around authenticating identities and securing Web-based transactions and communications.  The Trust initiative opens a discussion that will emerge as a vendor neutral approach with close alignment...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) have concluded their formal evaluation of Ecma International’s submission of the Office Open XML as a draft international standard and have overwhelmingly ratified it as an international...

Are your developers interested in writing applications for Windows Mobile applications?  Then attend one of our upcoming training events.  These events cover the detailed points about building applications on the Windows Mobile platform.  It covers tools such as Visual Studio 2008, .NET Compact Framework,...

Microsoft’s largest annual technical education event, TechEd 2008 offers the same enriching and informative experiences you’ve come to expect from TechEd but with additional learning opportunities designed to meet the specific needs, interests and priorities of two distinct audiences in two separate...

Microsoft has launched the biggest wave of enterprise products in company history.  Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 are designed for improved security and business intelligence and offer new capabilities for virtualization and creating and hosting rich Web applications.In...

Know a student who wants to learn .NET?  Microsoft has just announced an unprecedented software program called DreamSpark.  The program is focused on providing millions of college and high school students with no-cost access to the latest Microsoft developer, designer tools and Microsoft platform resources....

Many of our ISVs find that Visual Studio Team Foundation Server (TFS) enables teams to do great work by integrating the most critical aspects of software development.  TFS includes essentials such as version control, work item tracking and reporting together into a single, secure collaboration platform....

Visit HerosHappenHere and register to attend one of the US launch events and you will go home with some free software.  Here’s what we’ll be giving out at our launch events in the US:Windows Server 2008 Enterprise RTM (64- and 32-bit) that includes a product key, not for resale for evaluation.  The...

The .NET Framework 3.5 library is now available in source code.  Specifically, you can now browse and debug the source code for the following .NET Framework libraries:.NET Base Class LibrariesASP.NET  Windows Forms Windows Presentation Foundation ADO.NET and XML We are in the process of adding additional...

Managed partners are invited to a special training workshop on ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 on February 19-21 at the Microsoft Platform Adoption Center in Redmond.  This event is designed to help you understand some of the new features so you can use them within your applications....

The Entity Framework Beta 3 runtime and the Entity Framework Tools CTP 2 are now available for download.  These downloads work with the RTM releases of Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5.  In addition, external partners including IBM, MySQL, Sybase, OpenLink and Core Lab have made a public...

The new version of Visual Studio Team System introduces many new enhancements across all team roles, as well as within Team Foundation Server.  This six-part Web seminar series will provide an overview of Visual Studio Team System 2008.Learn more and register for this webcast series which runs from...

You’re a step ahead of the pack, when you’re at PhizzPop.  Phizzpop is a place to drive success of your Web business through networking, idea exchange, events, jobs and more.  The site describes techniques for how to go about building the next Web application, galleries where you can show your latest...

To accelerate growth for line of business solutions on Windows Mobile, a self-service portal called Innovate On Windows Mobile has been created.  It provides you with targeted tools, support and training to help you develop and market your mobile applications more quickly and efficiently.By enrolling,...

Now in its third year, MIX is an intimate opportunity for cutting-edge technical, creative and business strategists to engage Microsoft in a conversation about the future of the web.  Come explore the latest wave of opportunities and help redefine the boundaries between: content and commerce, PC and...

Polish your technical skills with a full day of free, live learning sessions for developers like you.  Learn hands-on skills and swap juicy stories at MSDN Events.  See what’s new in IIS and why IIS7 is Microsoft’s most extensible, manageable and secure web platform to date.  You’ll learn how to extend...

You can now learn Windows Mobile technology by taking eLearning courses required for Windows Mobile certification.  Successful completion of the course and its associated exam earns the participant the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) cert

Microsoft’s ESB Guidance has released.  It extends the functionality of BizTalk Server 2006 R2 to provide a range of new capabilities focused on building robust, connected, service-oriented applications.  A copy of the ESB Guidance is available on MSDN. 

Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 have been released.  And as managed partners, you can get the Visual Studio 2008 Training Kit for Developers.  The kit is available on Metro.The kit includes slide presentations, labs, and demos from the five-day training sessions.  Step-by-step demos and code...

Have you wanted to support mobile and remote workers more effectively?  Mobile and remote workers use laptops and various mobile devices.  The Microsoft Sync Framework (MSF) is a comprehensive synchronization platform that enables collaboration and offline access for applications, services and devices....

Visual Studio 2008 enables developers to rapidly create connected applications that deliver the highest quality, rich user experiences.  In this two day, instructor-led course you will be introduced to the new features in Visual Studio 2008 and have the opportunity to take it for a test drive through...

Attend this exclusive, two-day education and networking event and learn how the Windows Mobile Partner Ecosystem can help drive exponential value to everyone involved on December 11-12.http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/partnersummit/default.mspx

The 2008 Microsoft Launch Wave is about to begin.  With the combined launch of Microsoft Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008, the 2008 Launch Wave will be the largest outreach to IT Pro’s and Developers in Microsoft’s history.  We expect to reach over 225K attendees in person...

Source code to the .NET Framework version 3.5 will be available to developers when Visual Studio 2008 ships.  Developers will be able to download and view the source code and use it to help in debugging their applications.  The source code will be viewable in any text browser, but Visual Studio 2008...

This lab shows how to access relational data using LINQ to SQL.  You will start by creating an object model for the Northwind database, and then use the object model to access the database using the new C# 3.0 query expressions and LINQ to SQL APIs.You will next create an object model from an existing...

Visual Studio® 2008 introduces a number of exciting new features and technologies.  In this two-day, instructor-led course you will explore the following tools and technologies:.NET 3.5Microsoft Visual Studio 2008Language Integrated Query (LINQ)Windows® Workflow Foundation (WF) and Windows Communication...

Visual Studio 2008 introduces a host of new features and enhancements that dramatically improve the experience of software developers. In this half-day, instructor-led session  you will get a chance to see how these improvements are going to make you more productive as you work with the latest platforms...

Visual Studio® 2008 introduces a host of new features and enhancements that dramatically improve the experience of software developers.  Attend this 4-part Web seminar series and learn about the next generation development environment for the Microsoft Windows platform and exciting new technologies...

Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) were released in 2006 as part of Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 with separate extensions for Microsoft Visual Studio 2005.  These tools were improved upon and are now integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and enhanced in.NET...

The August release of the Acropolis framework is now available at http://windowsclient.net/Acropolis/.  This release is mainly an update so that our customers can continue to evaluate Acropolis with the latest Visual Studio 2008 Beta.  In addition to VS 2008 Beta 2 support, one small feature named “FloatingLayoutPane”...

Deep-dive labs are developer lab events where ISVs can bring their own scenario and work directly with experts from Microsoft product teams. The next deep-dives will be held in Redmond, Washington on October 8 - 11, 2007.  Microsoft is offering ISVs a special opportunity to participate in the development...

Are your user interface experts excited about using Expression Blend but don’t know where to start?  Then send them to two-day instructor-led training course providing them with hands-on experience designing user experiences for Windows using Expression Blend and the power of the Windows Presentation...

The August Preview of Expression Blend V2 is now available, supporting Silverlight 1.0 RC development.  In addition the August Preview is compatible with Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 so developers and designers can continue to share development projects while using the suitable development tool.Please...

Silverlight enables media professionals, designers, and developers to build rich interactive applications for the Web.  For media professionals, Silverlight media capabilities include fast, cost-effective delivery of high-quality audio and video to all major browsers including Firefox, Safari, and Internet...

Visual Studio 2008 includes crucial improvements to increase productivity when targeting Microsoft’s latest platform technologies.  For example, improvements to JavaScript coding (IntelliSense, syntax check, debugging) simplify writing code for Silverlight 1.0 components.  From a Windows Vista perspective,...

Microsoft will launch Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 together on February 27, 2008 in what will be our single largest launch ever.  ISVs with applications developed on or with one of these technologies will have opportunities to participate in the launch, either as sponsors,...

Now available is a 4 part series on developing with Visual Studio Orcas, focusing on Vista, Office, ASP.NET AJAX, and LINQ development.EventsEvent TypeDateISV Web Seminar Series Part 1/4: Visual Studio Orcas - Developing for Vista and the AERO User InterfaceWeb Seminar OnDemandISV Web Seminar Series...

In last month’s Communiqué, we told you about the Acropolis smart client development framework.  This framework supports building composite applications composed of loosely coupled parts.  The Acropolis team has just released the July CTP of this framework, which can be found here.  This release includes...

Do your developers occasionally need help with a specific task of a given technology?  Then the How-Do-I video series is here to help!  These short 10 to 15 minutes videos show a developer how to perform certain tasks with some of our coolest technologies.  Videos are available in up to 11 different...