Jerry Nixon

Microsoft Developer Evangelist

Announcing: Developer’s Guide to Microsoft Prism 5.0 for WPF

Prism provides guidance in the form of samples and documentation that help you easily design and...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 04/30/2014

Copyright is a form of protection grounded in the US Constitution and granted by law for original...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 04/30/2014

At last, C# is getting “?.”, sometimes called the Safe Navigation Operator

Visual Studio (and many other Microsoft Products) uses https://UserVoice.com as a feedback mechanism...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 02/26/2014

Free C# Training for Beginners and Forgetful Experts

Last year, I sat down with my colleague and friend Daren May for to create a Microsoft Virtual...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 01/16/2014

Vanity domains and Outlook.com

Outlook.com is awesome. It is super-fast with hyper-advanced features that sort of make Yahoo!,...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 01/16/2014

It’s all free! Here’s $500 for your user group, all the swag you want, and free Facebook advertising. No catch. Really.

Microsoft has a kind of love affair with its developer community. As a result, the Microsoft...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 01/16/2014

The most Comprehensive Blend for Visual Studio training you will ever receive – for Free; you’re welcome!

November 2013, immediately after the release of Visual Studio 2013, I sat down for an all-day...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 01/09/2014

Make it snow with XAML

XAML is a very flexible technology platform. This time of year, some of the nicest things you can do...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 12/18/2013

Decorate your tree with XAML.

Next week is Christmas. I know most of you are scrambling to find the perfect gift for that special...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 12/18/2013

The two ways to handle orientation in your Windows 8.1 app

Ah, elegance. Handling orientation basically means adjusting your app to account for real estate...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 12/03/2013

Over $100 million available to purchase Windows apps this holiday

Like most retailers, the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store see a spike in shopping activity...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 12/03/2013

XAML: How to add ItemsSource to the Windows 8.1 MenuFlyout

With Windows 8.0, Flyout options for developers were constrained to 1) custom development to get...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 12/03/2013

Students can make real cash this holiday season on Windows 8.

Introducing the Windows 8 Holiday App Challenge! Build an App Build your Windows 8 App and publish...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 12/02/2013

Windows 8.1: How to use Visual States in your XAML App

There’s no question that XAML’s résumé has a few items in bold. It’s ability to data bind sets it...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 11/19/2013

3 inevitable things; a glimpse into the future of our industry

In our industry, the future is uncertain. As technology gets more complex, employment seems assured....

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 11/07/2013

Everything I know ‘bout Behaviors in Blend for Visual Studio 2013

When Visual Studio 2012 was released, it supported a new way of building apps – Windows Store apps...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 10/25/2013

My XAML Contribution to the Star Trek Universe

After several painstaking minutes, I was able to create a fully-vectored rendition of the Star Trek...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 10/25/2013

Do you know Microsoft’s brands?

Now, this is just for fun. Over the years, Microsoft has commissioned hundreds of logos to brand...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 10/23/2013

Walkthrough: Is your Windows 8 app too square and boxy? Here are some options.

There are some really great features in XAML that some developers either 1) do not know they are...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 10/16/2013

Windows 8.1 design principles hand developers back their sanity

When the computer mouse was new, it was simple to use but unfamiliar to users. As a result, user...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 10/14/2013

IPhone 5S features I want to see on my Windows Phone, today!

Fingerprint authentication. I had it way back with Windows Mobile and loved it. But I don’t have it...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 09/10/2013

How Apple’s new IPhone 5S bald-faced copied Microsoft Windows Phone

There is no shame in copying excellence. In fact, I would say that a core tenet of excellence is its...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 09/10/2013

Windows 8.1 says, “Forget all that Design Stuff from Windows 8.0”

WHAT DESIGNERS HAD BETTER KNOW ABOUT WINDOWS 8.1 Let’s be perfectly clear, the Windows Design...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 09/09/2013

This is the most important control you may ever use

There are two version of PianoTime for Windows 8 – a successful title from a Colorado publisher. The...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 08/28/2013

5 things you must do BEFORE you publish your app.

You have your idea. You are developing your app. It’s coming along great. You can see the finish...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 08/28/2013

Walkthrough: Create a whiteboard app in 10 minutes

Recently, I updated my Timer App to version 2. And, one feature I added was a whiteboard. Letting...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 08/26/2013

Walkthrough: Let’s build a control like that awesome new one in Windows 8.1.

If you are like me, then every time you get a new MSDN magazine, you flip to the advertisements...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 08/15/2013

Here are some of the new things in Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 is imminent. What’s the word on the consumer features new to the update? Here’s the top...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 08/14/2013

Windows 8 apps need 28 logo varietals; enter Expression Design

One of the best parts of Expression Design transitioning to a free download is that it is now free....

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 08/13/2013

5 awesome reasons your Start Menu is better in Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 is coming. The release date is close. It’s free. Why upgrade? Not only are upgrades...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 08/05/2013

Walkthrough: Real world Manipulation techniques

Manipulation events are a wonderful companion to capturing mouse (pointer) movements and...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 07/26/2013

Resources for Migrating to 8.1

Windows 8.1 is the free and awesome update to Windows 8.0 and will be available in just a few...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 07/11/2013

Walkthrough: Two-way binding inside a XAML User Control

User controls are a great way couple logic and XAML in an encapsulated way. You can reuse a user...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 07/02/2013

Walkthrough: Reordering items in a GridView with Drag and Drop

So, you have some data showing in a GridView. You have ordered it programmatically. Now, you want to...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 06/12/2013

Starfleet Avatar Store on Xbox Live

You know how people take a great idea and go too far? You know how a joke suddenly goes serious and...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 06/10/2013

Walkthrough: Windows 8 Extended Splash Screen

So we have two real problems: If your app does not present a UI to the user in a given time, Windows...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 06/07/2013

Cash for Clouds

Beginning June 3rd, the Windows Azure Trial, MSDN, MPN, and BizSpark benefits will change. Instead...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 06/06/2013

Windows 8 and Windows Phone Exclusive: Halo Spartan Assault

What’s this? A new Halo game? Yes! And what’s this? Exclusive to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8? Yes!...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 06/06/2013

Star Trek into Darkness plot holes

I would like to take a second and compliment the latest Star Trek movie: Star Trek into Darkness....

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 06/06/2013

Horizontal Screen Breakpoints for Web Designers to Support

It’s difficult to create a site that looks great across browsers. The weaker web developers simply...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 05/15/2013

Ready to learn XAML?

Daren May and I teach the basics of Windows 8 XAML in a Jump Start course for Microsoft Virtual...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 05/10/2013

Best Windows Phone Commercial Ever

“Siri, search one-trick pony” “Aren’t you a little young to have an IPhone” “Isheep” “Copy-bots”...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 05/07/2013

Binding to an ENUM in Windows 8

You create a Settings flyout for your app so users can configure their experience. Sometimes, your...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 03/04/2013

App Challenge: Windows 8 Apps For Social Good Contest

Entries must serve a "social good". WE define this as a good or service that provides some...

Author: jerry-nixon Date: 02/07/2013

Next>