Windows Developer News... Accessibility tools, Windows SDK Download, Windows Phone 7...

  • Article

It's been a slow week as far as announcements are concerned. We have been going through our infamous review process at Microsoft and this period of time is typically pretty slow in the office.  In the Windows Developer world, there have been no dramatic releases or updates to software.  As such, I'll take this post to highlight some lesser known Windows 7 Developer Resources that are available through the Windows Development / Windows Programming sections of the Windows Developer Center:

The Windows SDK page is currently undergoing some changes so that it's going to be easier to figure out which link you are supposed to click.  I personally believe there should only be one prominent link on the page that makes it simple to download the latest Windows SDK but I'm working through some political issues with keeping around other SDK versions there.  It's somewhat personal preference, but simple and spacious are two things I'd like to see more of on the Windows Developer sites.

That said, the Windows SDK has become a one stop shop for developer tools for Windows.  For example, I just found out that we ship the accessibility toolkit in the Windows SDK.  Also, all of the Windows samples ship in the Windows SDK.

Also, completely unrelated, but still exciting for Microsoft employees.  Microsoft announced that it will be making Windows Phone 7 handsets available to every full-time employee at Microsoft.  This is a move similar to what Google and Apple have done with their flagship handsets but is an unprecedented move for Microsoft.  I personally believe that this is a brilliant way to get tons of great apps into the marketplace early because Microsoft is filled with talented and passionate developers (there are more than a handful on my team) who will tinker with these devices and put them through their paces.

Have a great weekend!

-Gus