Want to start programming?

For those of you that want to get into programming, but dont really know where to start, Microsoft have released a basic tutorial to get you started. Using the Visual Studio Express editions, which are free, you can work though 3 different levels of difficulty to help you get started.

More details on the beginning programing tutorials can be found here.

If your'e more of a designer, then some top tips for designing can be found here.

I am talking about Vista at a VBUG Event

On the 18th April , I am doing a talk at a VBUG event in Leeds, entitled 'So why do I care about Vista?'

This is a 2500 foot view of Windows Vista. What tools are available to make our lives easier, what can we do to improve the user experience of our software, and how to deal with the new security model to allow our applications to play in the Vista world.

Its at Mellon Analytical Solutions Europe Ltd. 1 Whitehall Riverside, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 4BN

From 18:30 - 21:00 (19:00 Start)

Registration Details: Mailto: Emma@vbug.com OR call 01753 649680

Hope to see you there.

The slides for this event are here.

evo%20launch.pptx

DDD5 Announced

Ok folks the next DDD is announced!

Its on June 30th at Reading.

If you have not been to a DDD event before you really dont know what you are missing. Its run by the community for the community and no marketing hype. Just cool things being done by top people.

Currently, there is a call for speakers, so right now noone knows what the agenda going to be until each session has been voted for.

See the sort of cool things that got talked about at the last events, or go and submit a session yourself!

Find out more at http://www.developerday.co.uk/ddd/default.asp

Halo 3: More details: Halo in 3 flavours

Wow,

Not only is Halo 3 going to be the biggest thing in gaming history to date, theres now going to be three flavours of it! The top version, called Legendary of course, includes a Spartan Helment to keep your game safe in, along with some storyboard art and a whole set of disks containing cinematic material with commertary from Bungie.

I've preordered this version already.

Best of all, I might actually have got some Halo 3 news on my blog before Richard Costall!

Read more on xbox.com here.

New user group starting in the Bristol area

Guy Smith-Ferrier is starting up a new user group covering the Bristol area called the .NET Developer Network.

I've heard Guy speak quite a few times since the start of .NET and he has a great style. He is also the author of the .NET Internationalization book and has done podcasts for the "4 Chaps from Blighty" website.

His first event is on the 23rd April, and Mike Taulty is doing a session on LINQ, covering the various language features that gets us to "LINQ to objects" and where that can then go with LINQ to X (XML/SQL/DataSet/Entities) etc.

Guy has this fetish for faggot and pea batches, and, dispite our best efforts, didn't manage to get one while in Coventry at NxtGenUG earlier this week. If anyone from the midlands is going down the the event in Bristol, please try and take him one down!

More details are available from here.

Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 Update For Vista

If you are doing development on Vista, particularly web development, then, following on from SP1, you will have been waiting for this update for development on Vista. Download it from here.