Planet SCM

Just found some really cool content on the Microsoft profile on Facebook for those learning to create applications for the Web and Windows using the free Visual Studio 2008 Express products. Sam used to work with me on my previous team. It looks like he's really enjoying his new gig.

Free Software, Free Learning: Visual Studio 2008 Express

At Microsoft the word 'Express' equates to 'Free' and Express Editions can be downloaded and used by anyone. With Visual Studio Express, you don’t need to be a seasoned programmer to explore your creativity. Check out the Coding4Fun blog for ideas…
Watch and Discuss

Podcast
Sam Gazitt discusses his favorite features of Visual Studio 2008 Express. This is the overview of VS but contains features that are not in the Express editions…there should be a non-pro version of this on the podcast site. I also cover popfly and samples that we ship as part of Coding4Fun.
(WMA 2MB) | MP3 (6 MB)

Getting Started
Jacqueline Russell walks through step-by-step instructions for downloading, installing and first project.My First Windows Application Video (WMA) or My First Web Application Video (WMA)

Program Now: Video How Tos
Create a C# WPF Application Video (WMV) | Article
Create a C# Windows Form Application Video (WMV) | Article
Create a C# Console Applcation Video (WMV) | Article
Writing Queries in C# (LINQ) Video (WMV) | Article

Facebook | Microsoft

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If you're a Second Life resident, you should come visit the Visual Studio Island tomorrow (Tuesday, July 31st) for a presentation by Amanda Silver from the Visual Basic Team.

Details:

Visual Studio Island in Second Life: Developer to Developer Speaker Series

Join Amanda Silver, Lead Program Manager in the Dev Div, tomorrow at the Visual Studio Island Theater in Second Life to speak about Visual Basic on Silverlight.

Amanda's work involves the language design of Visual Basic as well as managing a talented team of Program Managers that design and ship everything in Visual Studio that is Visual Basic specific. We are entering a new dimension in programming and now, Visual Basic, the programming language that brought Windows programming to the masses is now available cross-platform (yep, VB on a MAC)!

Event Details:

Guest Speaker: Amanda Silver, Lead Program Manager

When: Tuesday, July 31^st, 4 PM PST

Where: Visual Studio Island Auditorium in Second Life

How to join the event:

If you’re already a member of Second Life, you can teleport directly to the Visual Studio Island via this link; http://slurl.com/secondlife/Microsoft/101/123/30/

If you’re new to Second Life, you’ll be guided through the Second Life registration process and will need to set up an Avatar; https://www.visualstudioisland.com/registrations

About Second Life:

Second Life is a 3D online world with a rapidly growing population of over 3 million registered residents from 100 countries around the globe, in which the residents themselves create and build the world which includes homes, vehicles, nightclubs, stores, landscapes, clothing, and games.  As of May 10^th Visual Studio established an area in Second Life where developers can hang out, attend events, and test their wits to win prizes.  We’ve already given away 60 plots of land adjacent to the Island on “Coders Cove” where many developers have built houses and other interesting things.

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Last year, I blogged about v1 of the Interop Forms Toolkit (Not Ready to Bring Your Visual Basic 6 Apps to .NET? Bring .NET to Your Visual Basic 6 Apps). Its successor, Microsoft Interop Forms Toolkit 2.0, is now available for download.

The Interop Forms Toolkit 2.0 is a free add-in that simplifies the process of displaying .NET forms and controls in a Visual Basic 6 application. Instead of upgrading the entire code base, these applications can now be extended one form at a time. The goal is a phased upgrade, with production releases at the end of each iteration containing both Visual Basic 6 and Visual Basic .NET forms running in the same Visual Basic 6 process.

Source: Microsoft Interop Forms Toolkit 2.0

Note - This post marks 3 years of blogging and 1300 blog posts. Thanks for reading.

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Do you prefer to keep your hands on the keyboard when working in Visual Studio? If so, you'll appreciate this new cubicle art we posted last week that you can now download and print at your convenience:

Visual Basic

Visual C#

Visual C++

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