| Guest Editor, Dave Glover Writes, Hi there, my name's Dave and this month I have the honour of writing the guest editorial. If you spotted (Frank is our Group Manager of the .NET Ecosystem and Editor of the MSDN Flash) around February, you might have seen I'm a new entrant in Frank's team. I mainly focus on Web dev, SOA and mobility. I've moved to Melbourne after nearly 14 years in the UK basically because I fancied a change. I spent 11 years working for Microsoft UK so my knowledge is pretty good. The thing that's really struck me about Australians and local software development is just how wonderfully positive everyone is. For the developer folk I've met, nothing ever seems to be an issue. It's more like a challenge to get stuck in, create something and learn plenty along the way. This is true of everything from developer talks in schools and, helping to judge developer competitions at local Universities to, presenting at road shows, user groups and meeting with a wide range of customers and partners - it's all just awesome and world classSpeaking of user groups, if you're not a member of your local user group then I'd thoroughly recommend you . I've been actively involved in the Adelaide and Melbourne user groups and the best content I've seen delivered is at a 200 to 300 TechEd level. It's free and a great way to learn and meet like minded developers. Well, enough from me. Enjoy this month's Flash and please say "Hi" if you see me on your travels. Dave GloverDeveloper Platform GroupRemember, feedback is always welcome to us at | Feature Articles | If you're quick, you can still save 15 percent on the revolutionary new Imation Disc Stakka - the very latest in disc storage. PLUS you get a bonus 25 CDRs! This offer is only for MSDN Flash subscribers and it really must end 31 October 2004. If you're interested, you'd better hurry. . | | Look out Yokahama, Japan! The 2005 Imagine Cup finals are coming your way in August 2005. The total prize pool of US$215,000 will be awarded across categories like Software Design, Office Solutions, Rendering, Short Film, Algorithm, IT, Technology Business Plan, Visual Gaming and Web Development. Entry is open to a broad audience of students, not just student developers. All interested students should register today at | | October's security bulletins include critical updates for Windows, Exchange, and Microsoft Office 2003 Editions. Plus, Microsoft has updated bulletin MS04-028 on a GDI+ JPEG processing vulnerability. Both are crucial if your development platform includes any of the affected programs. | | If you subscribe to the MSDN Connection you should have received your complementary copy of MSDN Australia's new magazine.For those who don't know about this it's a bi-monthly publication designed to provide Software Developers with the ultimate insiders views on the latest technology, as well as local developer community news. It's FREE for MSDN Connection members, and delivered direct to you.However if you're not an MSDN Connection member, you can apply for membership at and you too will receive your complimentary copy of future editions. Alternatively you can purchase a copy at your local news stand. |
Your Future with Microsoft | Do you develop applications in an organisation which also uses Microsoft Access? Then you and your Access users can't afford to miss our special hands-on two-day workshop. You will find out: | • | How to upgrade to the most recent versions of Microsoft Access. | | • | How to move data, reporting and forms to SQL Server and the Microsoft .NET Framework in manageable steps. | | • | How to select which steps are appropriate for your organisation - each step is discrete and delivers a functional system. | | Workshops are running across Australia so there will be one near you. Book before 1 November to secure the early-bird rate of $625. | OzFox, the biggest Microsoft Visual FoxPro conference in Australasia, runs for three days from 29 November at Sydney's Coogee Beach. In a highly focused format, it will deliver the best content from the best speakers in the Fox community. VFP Product Manager Ken Levy, MVPs Rick Strahk, Doug Hennig, Cathy Gero, Mike Helland and FoxTalk editor Divid Stephenson will deliver keynote speeches. Plus there will be bonus sessions from local Developer Evangelist, Andrew Coates, and full examination of the imminent launch of Microsoft Visual FoxPro 9. If you are considering moving to the Microsoft .NET Framework or already developing with it, working with XML or would simply like to rub shoulders with other Visual FoxPro developers then you really can't afford to miss this event. . | | If you're building Microsoft Office System solutions then you've no doubt encountered issues like separation of data and view elements, server-side and offline scenarios, and difficulties with seamless integration. Microsoft people understand and have worked hard to address these issues with our Beta 1 release. You'll find that the Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System, Version 2005 Beta 1 will bring significant enhancements to the development of business solutions based on Microsoft Office Word 2003 and Microsoft Office Excel 2003. | | For a limited time you can upgrade to the NEW Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003 Special Edition for only $948(RRP). It's a great bundle, including both Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition and SQL Server 2000 Developer Edition. You'll be able to create data-driven Web applications using familiar Visual Basic techniques and dozens of reusable, browser-independent Web controls. And Web applications built using Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and ASP.NET will benefit from improved performance, reliability, security and scalability. | | Because we're always looking for ways to make your life easier, we have reorganised two key elements of the MSDN Library. Firstly, the now reflects current programming models. We've reduced the number of top-level nodes from seventeen down to a more digestible seven, and critical reference content is much easier to find. Secondly, we've updated our page with more information, a new schema you can filter against, and given them a brand-new look. |
New on Microsoft .NET Technology | The Microsoft 64-bit CLR team have been working hard to add a new 64-bit Microsoft .NET Framework section to the Microsoft . It will include overview material, hands-on labs, and debugging docs as well as related blogs, and more! We will notify you the moment it goes live so stay tuned. |
Fresh from the Web | Have you ever said: "There should be a 24-hour developer hotline for this"? Then, before you do anything else, you should . This site offers support for the Microsoft BizTalk Server. It's got a whole range of technical guides and support downloads. And they are all available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. So, no matter when you're working, it will give you an ideal resource. | | You can now take advantage of two new Web Part toolkits and a Web services toolkit for Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies. The toolkit allows you to connect systems from multiple vendors using XML Web services standards. It facilitates the integration of Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services sites with information line-of-business applications. It comes complete with source code and is available for no charge on Plus, as a developer, you can submit your own custom-built components through this link. You can share your handiwork with other users and receive recognition and feedback. Or download components from other developers who may have solved the development issue you're facing. If you make your components available on other Web sites, list their availability in this directory to make it easy for the users of . |
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| | ![MSDN Flash Australia]() | | Thursday, 28 October, 2004 | | Join the ANZ MSDN Connection By Developers, for Developers, MSDN Connection is Australia's peer-based recognition programme. | | Developer Training and Events | | Developer Communities Get help, when you need it, from your online peers. | | |