Guy Barrette

VS 2010 SKUs – Lost?

Are you lost trying to figure out how the new Visual Studio 2010 SKUs maps to VS 2008?

First, gone are the Team System SKUs.  The features are not lost, they just merged into the Visual Studio brand.  Here’s a chart listing the 2008 and 2010 SKUs.  Each is color coded to help you match them.

Chart taken from this document:
Visual Studio 2010 Packaging Fact Sheet (.docx, 554KB)

So lets do crude some comparisons:
VS 2010 Pro with MSDN is like VS 2008 Pro with MSDN + a TFS CAL.
VS 2010 Premium with MSDN is like VS 2008 Team Developer + some of VS 2008 Team Tester tools
VS 2010 Ultimate with MSDN is like VS 2008 Team Suite + new testing and architecture tools

This page has a complete comparison chart:
http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/products/2010/default.mspx#compare

What will happen when 2010 is released?  What product will I have?  Well, it depend on what you’ll have prior to March 22nd 2010.  Microsoft’ Ultimate Offer will bump you one level up.  Sweeet!

Next, trying to figure out the TFS changes  ;-)

Samedi .NET Silverlight event recap – part deux

Co-presenters Laurent and Louis-Philippe blogged in details about the event.  Louis-Philippe even captured my fantastic designer skills.

Here showcasing Sketchflow:

and here in Expression Design:

Ohhhhhh, much better!

This one also in Expression Design:

Of course, I only did the logo  ;-)

A great way to learn SketchFlow is by downloading the Expression Blend Starter Kit called Introduction to Prototyping with SketchFlow:
http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/cc197141.aspx

Mouse 2.0

Apple just released its cool new Magic Mouse last week.  Will Microsoft release a multi touch mouse in the future?

Here’s a video from Microsoft research published on the MIT’s Technology Review Website that shows various concepts.

http://www.technologyreview.com/video/?vid=470

Students: How to get Windows 7 at a discount

http://www.win741.com/

UK: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/education/studentoffer/default.aspx
Canada (EN): http://www.windows.ca/studentoffer
Canada (FR): http://www.windows.ca/fr/studentoffer
France: http://www.windows7pourlesetudiants.fr
Germany: http://www.Windows7fuerStudenten.de
Australia: http://www.microsoft.com/australia/windows/offers/windows-7-student-upgrade.aspx
Mexico: http://www.windows7paraestudiantes.com.mx
Korea: http://www.microsoft.com/korea/windows/student

Expression products retail availability in Canada

If you’ve been trying to buy one of the Expression products at retail in Canada, you may have found that if was hard if not impossible to buy them.

I just heard back from Microsoft that there was a distribution problem with the Expression products in Canada.  This is being fixed right now.  Major online resellers like these ones should be able to fulfill orders now:

Samedi .NET: Silverlight event recap

The Montreal .NET Community event “Samedi .NET” was a great success with more then 160 attendees.  The event theme was how to build business apps using Silverlight.  We covered SketchFlow, RAI Services, calling WCF services, Expression Blend, Animation and styling with Blend and finally, search engine optimization.

Here the pictures taken by Christian Beauclair:

View Full Album

Thanks to the speakers, the user group organizers, the companies who gave us swag and of course, the attendees.

Visual Studio Talk Show #107 is now online - Coding Dojo (French)

http://www.visualstudiotalkshow.com

Emmanuel Gaillot: Coding Dojo

Nous discutons avec Emmanuel Gaillot comment monter et animer un espace d'apprentissage pour les programmeurs, un "coding dojo". Un "coding dojo" est un lieu d'entraînement dans lequel les participants apprennent, session après session, comment maîtriser des "formes de code", discuter de choix de conception et gérer le stress que crée la nécessité d'exprimer rapidement et efficacement une réponse personnelle à un problème de programmation donné. Un "coding dojo" offre aux programmeurs l'opportunité d'aiguiser leur technique et d'apprendre des autres par l'exemple.

Emmanuel Gaillot travaille chez Pyxis en tant qu'accompagnateur d'équipes, animateur de réunions, formateur et agitateur public. Il aide les équipes produisant du logiciel à être plus efficaces dans leur travail, plus fières de leurs résultats, et plus heureuses en général. Emmanuel intervient en tant qu'orateur à de nombreuses conférences sur l'agilité. Il est l'un des fondateurs (et membre assidu) du Dojo Développement de Paris. Il organise également la conférence Agile Open France. Emmanuel se passionne actuellement pour les environnements de co-apprentissage, dans lesquels les participants apprennent les uns des autres. Nous vous invitons à lire son blog pour en savoir davantage.

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500 Windows 7 tips, tricks and tutorials

From A

About Windows - Open
How to Open About Windows in Windows 7

To Z

Zip Folders - Enable or Disable Windows Explorer View
How to Disable Windows Explorer Folder View of Zip Folders in Windows 7

MVP Shawn Brink has collected near then 500 Windows 7 tips, tricks and tutorials.  Awesome!

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/257-windows-7-tutorial-index.html

Book review: Essential Silverlight 3

When I first flipped thru the pages of “Essential Silverlight 3”, I said to myself “Great! another book teaching how to draw circles and rectangles with Silverlight!”.  Boy was I wrong!

“Essential Silverlight 3” is a book written by Ashraf Michail, an architect on the Silverlight team.  Throughout each chapter, Michail explains in sections called Under the hood how the Silverlight runtime works.  What makes this book so special is that it is filled with performance tips that only a Silverlight team member could new.  Michail explains what to do and what to avoid and writes in a direct way that is easy to read and that makes everything crystal clear.

At bit of a warning: if you’re looking for a Silverlight book to help you build business apps, learn XAML, learn animation or other Silverlight techniques, you’ll have to look elsewhere but since this book covers how the runtime works and how to avoid pitfalls, it is truly essential in any Silverlight bookshelves.

Run, don’t walk, and buy/order this book.

Does he sleeps?

I woke up early this morning and who was still up and broadcasting live his podcast recording on UStream?  Hanselman of course.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/hanselminuteslive