He's not dead, he's just resting

...And I'm actually pining for the fjords, would you believe!

Meanwhile, as I'll mention in the next MSDN Flash Ireland issue, we’re less than 100 days away from the launch of Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server 2005, and BizTalk Server 2006.  And judging by the improbable volume of swag I’ve dragged back from conferences, the November 7th launch will mark both a giant leap forward for our developer technologies, and a great party.  Keep your ear to the ground for more info about the party bit.

Between now and then, and you and me, who’s kidding who: it’s summertime, and on the emerald isle that means seizing every half-decent day and heading for the great outdoors.  But for those damp days that find you stuck behind your computer thinking that legendary wailer Peig had a pretty good crack at it after all, there’s an impressive array of new training resources available to keep you learning, leveling up your skills, and readying you to hit the ground running in November.

Check out the downloads on the Visual Studio 2005 site, such as the 101 Code Samples, new Starter Kits, and new lessons and topics in the Beginner's Video Series to Visual Studio 2005 Express.

And if you’re the social type (again, c'mere to me now, what island is this, like?!), you’re guaranteed to soak up like a sponge the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2005. Registration is getting tight, but there are slots still available.  What could be better than learning about the next generation of Microsoft technologies first-hand in Los Angeles this September?

The answer, of course, is enjoying your fleeting summer, so I’ll keep this short.  Contact me if you are interested in joining us at the PDC.

May the road rise up to meet you, and the compiler catch those nasty aul bugs that slow you down.