Silverlight 1.0 Issue Resolution Lab: November 2007

A couple of months ago, we conducted an experiment where we offered our lab facilities and technical resources here in Redmond to companies building Silverlight sites or applications that wanted assistance in resolving issues. We were really delighted with the results of this venture; we saw some great Silverlight projects and found a few key last-minute bugs. The feedback from the developers who attended was also extremely positive, as the following verbatim examples indicate:

"[I] got more accomplished in three days than I did in the past two weeks and now have a clear path to completion"

"We enjoyed having access to key team members (both on products and evangelists) and they were more than willing to hear our concerns and help solve our problems."

"The hope was to gain further insights into Silverlight technology and to have a chance to spend some focused time with Silverlight. My expectations were met and exceeded."

Based on the positive reaction, we've decided to run another one of these labs, and we have a limited number of spaces available to offer for companies who are currently working on a Silverlight 1.0 project.

Here's the format: the lab runs over four days from Monday, November 12th to Thursday, November 15th. On Monday, we'll run an optional day of training that covers Silverlight 1.0, so if you're still getting up to speed on the technology and tools that allow you to build great Silverlight sites, this day should be helpful. Between Tuesday and Thursday, we'll have three days of issue resolution labs: every company attending gets their own private lab office with several machines pre-configured with a Silverlight development environment (plus the ability to bring in your own machines, of course). You can work as late as you like - the facility is open until you leave the building. We'll provide great support and technical assistance - you can have someone sit down alongside you to help you with your questions; if you've got a thorny bug, we'll pull in the relevant folk to diagnose and if necessary, log a bug then and there. It's a great place to really focus on closing down issues, getting all your questions resolved in a timely fashion, and simply enjoying the leafy ambience of Redmond. We'll even throw in a visit to the company store and visitor center. Naturally, you're responsible for your own travel and accommodation expenses.

If you're interested, drop me a line via the "email" link above. We can accept a maximum of four developers per company. Let me know what you're building, your prior experience level with Silverlight, and a little information about the company you represent.

This is a great opportunity that doesn't come around very often: I'd encourage you to make the most of it!