PDC Day 00 (yawn, it's been a long day)

Pop quiz. Who would be the person at PDC to lose the most digital cameras? The second question is how quickly (and often) can someone lose a digital camera at PDC? The answer is me on both parts. Well, almost. I was at PDC this evening after getting my replacement camera that went MIA last night and, yes, after leaving from one of the BOF sessions guess what SharePoint knob left his camera behind. I made it all the way to the hotel before I realized what was missing from the picture and then stumbled back to the bus, tore down the hall ways to the room and luckily I did manage to get it back but boy was that close. From now on I'm attaching it to my neck so if you're looking for me, I'll be the uber-geek with a camera permanently attached to his big head.

Tonight I stepped in for Michael Herman to host the BOF session about open source tools and SharePoint. I was there to attend the session but for whatever reason Michael was unable to make it so I figured I would step up and do wherever I could. Thanks to everyone who did show up and not leave (yes, my jokes can be painful especially if you haven't had enough to drink). The session was fun and while I was completely unprepared, we covered a variety of tools and talked about a few aspects of SharePoint development. Hope everyone had a good time.

I mentioned I would provide as much as I could in this blog so here it is. Below is a list of links to some of the bigger resources out there for SharePoint including specific links to some (hopefully most) of the tools we talked about tonight. Let me know if  I missed anything or if you just want to say hi. I'll be on MSN most of the time (bsimser@shaw.ca) and on the floor and hanging out in the SharePoint/Office 12 lounge.

OpenCanal Community - A WSS site with resources for open source tools, webparts, etc.
SmartPart - Grab the latest version (1.1)
SyncToy - Sync file system folders with SharePoint web folders
SharePoint Discovery Kit - Everything you need to really understand SharePoint with labs and screenshots
Mark Kruger - Excellent list of tools, webparts, and more (also check out the left sidebar for more resources)
GotDotNet Workspace for SharePoint - Big collection of tools and utilities, most with source
SharePoint Resource Kit - Lots of handy tools and excerpts from this great book
SharePoint Tools Galore - Another fabulous list of tools and goodies for SharePoint
CAML Builder - Forgot to mention this during the session (doh!) but it's a must-have tool if you're pulling your hair out with CAML
SharePoint Explorer - A must have tool for developers and admins. Free from Ontolica.
SPSDev - Lot of great little utilities and web parts.
CorasWorks - The grand daddy of rollups for those with a budget
NinTex Smart Library - Workflow (and more) for your libraries
AJAX.NET Library - More DHTML to load up your otherwise bloated SharePoint sites but cuts down on post-backs
Bluedog Limited - Technical blog for SharePoint
Code Segment Blog - Free rollup type web parts
Reflector - Lutz Roeder's tool that every developer should have.

There's always more to talk about with SharePoint. The discussion did come up and people are still maybe confused over the whole SPS vs. WSS thing so feel free to grab me and we can head into the SharePoint lounge for a longer discussion around that with an impromptu get together (could be a long one, so pack a lunch). Also I noticed there were some pictures taken at the session so if you do have that it would be great if you can direct me to where they are or send me a copy (the session was at 7PM in room 501B).

That's it for me tonight. Tommorow I face the amazingly short shower (with pic so you get the full experience, don't worry this is with clothing) and the almost as amazing long day (complete with keynote from big Bill). A day of sessions, hanging out in the lounge, and finally coming to grips with my own inhumanity to people with one eyebrow.

PDC05
Flickr (new pics of Channel 9 guy in various situations, make up your own and join in the fun)
Moblog
Google Maps where I'm staying (Miyako)