>From Ed Musters, Toronto .NET User Group President:
Happy New Year to all of our User Group members! 2008 promises to be a landmark year for product launches from Microsoft, and one of the most exciting for you the developer! And Toronto will be at the centre of it all for pushing as much information out to you as we can. Mark events in your calendar NOW such as the Toronto Code Camp happening on March 1st http://www.TorontoCodeCamp.net and the DevTeach conference is coming to Toronto from May 12 - 16 http://www.DevTeach.com. And more than a dozen user groups in all areas of the (much) greater Toronto area - from the lakeshore to Barrie, from Kitchener to Oshawa.
Visual Studio 2008 has been released already, with formal launch events by Microsoft in Toronto to happen soon. Visual Studio 2008 will be a user group focus for the year. Your adoption to 2008 should be rapid! You have it all including the integrated foundational elements of .NET 3.5 - Window Presentation, Windows Communication, and Windows Workflow Foundation. You can use VS2008, yet target your code to earlier versions of the framework for compatibility. There are many ways built in to help you migrate from VB6 or interoperate with legacy COM code. Sure, work with your old stuff, but start to build in brand new capabilities into your applications easier, more productively, and more securely. Even if you are brand new to .NET - this is the year to make your move, it's never too late! VS2008 can help you in your current job RIGHT NOW!
So to start off this year then in advance of the formal launch, we present the timely "getting started with Visual Studio 2008".
But new this year, we'd like to start our meetings off with special guest presentations of about 20 minutes. As developers, in addition to our programming and technical design/architecture skills - our seniority as we rise through the corporate ranks must include the "soft skills" in order to be successful including project management, business analysis - and working closely with end users and senior management project stakeholders. These skills are entirely different from your technical ones, and too must require its own investment and training! We'll have an expert in the field on hand so you have an opportunity to ask questions about the skill sets of the Business Analyst - if this is a role you are striving towards in your career.
When? THURSDAY, January 17, 2008, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Where? Microsoft Canada, 1950 Meadowvale Blvd , Mississauga (north of 401 at Mississauga Road exit)
Is this meeting CATERED? NO.
6:00 p.m. - Meet and greet! Arrive early! Great Prize give aways!!
6:30 p.m. - Opening Remarks
6:45 p.m. - TOPIC: Your User-Related Stress Syndrome – Relief is Available
Today’s developer must learn special skills in order to understand a business user’s needs. This short presentation will confirm the diagnosis and introduce a cure for relieving user-related stress syndrome, a common developer affliction. The treatment is a prescribed approach to gathering and documenting user needs that lead to less rework and frustration for developers.
7:05 p.m. - TOPIC: Preparing for Visual Studio 2008
One of the biggest challenges for developers out there is keeping pace with new emerging technologies and the rate of change. Visual Studio 2008 is there to assist - primarily to help you be successful with the projects you are working on today in the office, while providing new APIs, tools and functionality to make development even faster and easier.
In this session, you will learn how Visual Studio 2008 will help you develop Windows based applications. In addition, you’ll learn about new features such as C# language enhancements, Language Integrated Query (LINQ) and how it relates to the work you are doing right now.
8:20 p.m. - Wrap up and Prizes!
BIO: Howard Litman, Nexient Learning
Howard Litman is Director of the Business Process Improvement lines of business for Nexient Learning. He is responsible for the Business Analysis, Project Management, ITIL, and Enterprise Business Architecture training portfolios. Mr. Litman is a seasoned Information Technology professional with over 20 years of experience in systems development, support and IT management. He has held various staff and management positions with large multi-national companies. Prior to joining Nexient he performed management consulting and business analysis with organizations in the Canada and the USA. Today he works with businesses and governments to help them improve their business processes by upgrading their employees’ skills.
BIO: Jean-Luc David, Microsoft
Jean-Luc David has written four books for Wiley Publishing (including Professional JavaScript 2nd Edition, Professional WinFX Beta, Professional Visual Studio 2005 Team System and most recently, Professional Team Foundation Server). Prior to joining Microsoft Jean-Luc had been a Microsoft MVP for three years. Jean-Luc is very passionate about the community and loves talking and interacting with developers and IT professionals. Jean-Luc lives in downtown Toronto.
SPONSOR MESSAGE:
Navantis is very proud to sponsor the Toronto .NET User Group. We look forward to contributing to the .NET user dialogue and to sharing best practices and our development expertise with members. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and an award winning provider of premium IT professional services, Navantis designs, develops and deploys innovative business solutions developed using the .NET framework for some of North America's largest organizations including; Honda, CIBC, Microsoft, CBC, Magna Entertainment Corporation, The City of Hamilton and Allstate Insurance. Our mission is simple; to deliver exceptional client service and quality every step of the way. We are always seeking passionate, client-focused and exceptionally talented individuals who share our philosophy to join our team. Please visit us at www.navantis.com