PHP ON Windows Contest

Have you tried running PHP on Windows ? then don’t wait try it now.

If you have a great idea for a very cool PHP application, want to contribute to an existing open source project and you would like get a all-expense paid trip to php|tek 2010 and wiln some really fabulous prices like a 52″ Digital HD home entertainment system,2 XBox 360 Ultimate and subscriptions to php|architect. Then is how you can get started.

If you are participating in the event and do win some cool price let me know.

Good Luck !

Windows Azure World in Silicon Valley

Earlier this week our team (Developer & Platform Evangeliism team) hosted at our Silicon Valley (Mountain View campus) the last stop of David Chappell’s world-wide tour to talk about the impact of cloud computing, and latest developments on the Windows Azure Platform.

David Chappell’s talked about Windows Azure platform and what it means for enterprises. The topics he covered include:

• An overview of the Windows Azure platform: Technology and business model
• The cloud platform context: Google, Amazon, Salesforce.com, and more
• Using the Windows Azure platform: Application scenarios

We also had the CEO of CSRware.com and she showcased their “On-Demand Performance Management solution” for Sustainability and Green IT initiatives. Their current cloud initiative utilized Windows Azure, SQL Azure and hybrid (Software+Services) app dev pattern, for capturing tens of thousands of data points from their customer data center and aggregating them into a single data point to an on-premise SaaS offering.

Also my colleague David Chou also presented some additional views on how to architect applications using the Windows Azure Platform and some customer case studies.

If you missed attending the session no worries you can get all of the presentation that is posted at Strategy & Architecture Council site:

http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/archive/2009/10/31/windows-azure-world-tour-with-david-chappell.aspx

Thanks to everyone who attended the event, and if you have any further question please feel free to send me a note.

Windows Phone, Windows Marketplace and My Phone Launched October 6, 2009

Earlier this week Microsoft launched Windows phones. The new phones will be the first to feature Windows Mobile 6.5, the latest version of our mobile phone software, and will deliver new customer experiences through an improved, easy-to-use user interface, better browsing capabilities and access to valuable services, including Windows Marketplace for Mobile  and Microsoft My Phone.

It is expected our partners will deliver more than 30 new Windows phones in over 20 countries by end of this year alone to meet every style , a single  phone for work and play, richer collaboration and get stuff done easily and with confidence. 

One Phone for Work and Play

The virtual walls between work and play are crumbling. In a recent Omnibus survey in the U.S., survey respondents told us mobile phones help them bridge the gap between their personal and professional lives. Sixty eight percent of mobile phone users say they use their mobile phone for personal purposes while at work or school. Sixty-three percent of adults make social plans at work or school, Fifty-two percent take pictures and send them to friends, and forty-three percent would starve without their mobile phones (they use them to order meals).

 Get Stuff Done with Confidence

People want the ability to get stuff done with the confidence that comes from a Windows phone.  The Omnibus research revealed that more than eighty percent of adults who own a mobile phone would be willing to offer an award if they lost it. With this in mind, part of the Windows phone we have also  My Phone, a free service that syncs data from a phone — like pictures, music and text messages — to a Web portal for safe keeping. If a phone is stolen, left behind, sandwiched between couch cushions or otherwise lost, My Phone can locate it, ring it (even if on vibrate), lock it or wipe it clean of personal information and when you buy a new Windows phone, My Phone will restore contacts, photos, videos and messages right back to the new device.

Rich Communications

People also expect rich communications from their Windows phone, from doing real work on their mobile phones using PowerPoint, Word and Excel, to staying connected in their social lives through support for Windows Live messaging, the new MySpace application for Windows phone and photo sharing across other major social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

Consistent Browsing (similar to Desktop)

People want  a browsing experience that displays Web pages on the phone similar to the desktop and provides support for Adobe Flash Lite so people can view Flash-based video content right on their phones.

Phone that meets my Style 

Finally, people want a phone that meets their specific needs. They want to choose a phone that is unique to them, with the apps that matter to them, that is capable of connecting them with the people and information that matter to them – that reflects their unique lives, styles and lifestyles. Windows phones give people the choice of a broad selection of form factors from sleek, touch screen devices to full QWERTY keyboards. They have access to a wide range of quality applications for work and play through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

To find out which phones are available for your country/region and carrier, check out the initial list here!

Additionally my colleague, Anand Iyer has a great post regarding the announcement at his blog artificial ignorance about Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft My Phone and other new features in Windows Mobile 6.5

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Spark your Web with WebSiteSpark

Microsoft recently announced the availability of a new program for Web Professionals called Microsoft WebsiteSpark. With WebsiteSpark and the Microsoft Web Platform, Microsoft is demonstrating an ongoing and unwavering commitment to fostering the success of Web professionals and SMBs around the world.

The WebsiteSpark Program provides Web professionals with Microsoft software and solutions, together with related tools, training and support, to help their businesses succeed. The WebsiteSpark Program also helps drive new business opportunities by connecting Web professionals and hosters with an ecosystem of customers, partners and other professionals with complementary technologies.

Web development and design companies with up to 10 employees and owners can participate in the WebsiteSpark Program for three years with no up-front cost. There is only a $100 program offering fee, payable at exit, with no other costs or obligations. Once approved, these companies can have access to:

• Microsoft Web design and development tools, including three licenses of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition, two licenses of Microsoft Expression Web 3, and one license of Microsoft Expression Studio 3.
• Four processor licenses for production usage of Microsoft Windows Web Server 2008 or R2 (when available) and four processor licenses for production usage of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Web Edition.
• A third-party premium Website control panel (DotNetPanel).

Find out more or join at WebsiteSpark!

Microsoft SQL Azure CTP Available

Yesterday, Microsoft announced the first community technology preview of SQL Azure Database, a cloud-based relational database service built on Microsoft SQL Server technologies. With SQL Azure Database, you can easily provision and deploy relational database solutions to the cloud, and take advantage of globally distributed data centers that provides enterprise-class availability, scalability, and security with the benefits of built-in data protection, self-healing and disaster recovery.

To register for the free trial, visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/dataservices/default.aspx.

To learn more about SQL Azure, visit http://www.microsoft.com/azure/sql.mspx.

Additionally, see the updated SQL Azure content in the August release of the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit.

SQL Azure documentation on MSDN is also a great learning resource.

More information at the SQL Azure Team Blog here.

Architect Council | Innovation is the Name of the Game – Webcast

Adverse times are also best times for innovation! Choosing the right battles to fight, and reinventing ourselves with less resources are par for the course today.  However, not all innovation needs to be revolutionary or transformative. In fact, in the current economic crisis, opportunities for innovation can be found in aspects of our core competencies, and implemented as incremental and iterative changes.

For this series of Architect Council LIVE WEBCASTS on August 24 and 25, 2009, we will discuss two of the many ways architects can innovate by recognizing the impact to architects, and learning how to effectively leverage cloud computing beyond just another place to host existing assets.

DAY 1 – August 24, 2009 at Noon PST

Role of the Architect in Turbulent Times  –  Event ID:  1032423112

Miha Kralj – Architect, Microsoft

With faltering economies and the resulting shift of priorities – architects must be ready for change in their role. Innovative new technologies such as Cloud Based Computing, Software as a Service and Virtualization open up new and exciting opportunities for architects to show value in their organizations.   In this session we will discuss how the role of the architect has changed, introduce new architectural patterns, and show how to “do more with less”.

Link to Register:  ARCHITECT COUNCIL | Innovation is the Name of the Game Day 1 Live Meeting

   

DAY 2 – August 25, 2009 at Noon PST

A Closer Look at an Internet Service Bus  –  Event ID:  1032423113

Clemens Vasters – Program Manager .NET Online Services, Microsoft

Look under the hood of the Microsoft .NET Services service bus – the protocols we use- and how to use the services from non-Microsoft platforms and languages.  Learn which part of the messages and requests the Building Block service inspects, which parts are not inspected, and how you can verify this.  Also, learn how to work through NAT and Firewall limitations.   Lastly, hear about architecture on the Data Center side that enables “Internet scale”.

Link to Register:  ARCHITECT COUNCIL | Innovation is the Name of the Game Day 2 Live Meeting

SPEAKER BIOS

Miha Kralj

As a senior architect on the Microsoft Platform Architecture Team, Miha Kralj is responsible for leading architectural communities, helping the architectural profession to mature and grow, and coordinating activities within professional architectural organizations and bodies. Miha is a Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). He was also a founding member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) chapters in Slovenia and Yugoslavia.

Clemens Vasters

Clemens Vasters is a Principal Technical Lead in the .NET Services team, working in an architect role on the ‘Service Bus’ feature area and acting – more behind the scenes – as the architect for the Billing feature area and as the architect/lead developer for the internal Provisioning infrastructure of .NET Services. Before joining Microsoft some 3 years ago, Clemens spoke at many conferences, taught technology, and helped companies with software architecture in over 35 countries

Azure Commercial Availability Confirmed, Business Model Announced and More..

Yesterday at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference 2009, we announced the business and partner model for the Windows Azure platform including service level agreements and support programs.

Here are few highlights from the announcement.

· Commercial availability at Professional Developers Conference 2009 in November’09.

· SQL Azure will be available later this summer as a cloud-based relational database platform built on SQL Server.

· Free until the release in November. Now is the time to go check out the free CTP.

You can sign-up for the free CTP account for Windows Azure & .NET Services at http://www.microsoft.com/azure/register.mspx.

The Windows Azure platform, which includes a cloud services operating system – Windows Azure, a Web-based relational database in Microsoft SQL Azure (formerly SQL Services), as well as connectivity and interoperability services with .NET Services.

The pricing model will be a consumption-based pricing model, allowing partners and customers to pay only for the services that they consume.

Here is a summary of the pricing:

Additionally the service-level agreement will cover service uptime, connectivity, and data availability and will be backed by a enterprise-class guarantee as outlined in the Windows Azure blog:

“For compute, we guarantee that when you deploy two or more role instances in different fault and upgrade domains your Internet facing roles will have external connectivity at least 99.95% of the time. Additionally, we will monitor all of your individual role instances and detect within two minutes when a role instance’s process is not running and initiate corrective action. For storage, we guarantee that at least 99.9% of the time we will successfully process correctly formatted requests that we receive to add, update, read and delete data. We also guarantee that your storage accounts will have connectivity to our Internet gateway.”

Michael Jackson’s Memorial Service Available Via Silverlight and IIS Smooth Streaming

 

In less than 3 hrs the Michael Jackson memorial service will be underway and Microsoft will be broadcasting the Michael Jackson memorial, live in HD from the Staples Center in Los Angeles using Silverlight and IIS Smooth Streaming (the technologies used for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2009 NCAA March Madness, Netflix, etc.). And this event will be available worldwide to anyone who has an internet connection.

Visit the Sympatico / MSN inMusic website, at http://inmusic.ca/news_and_features/Michael_Jackson, for up-to-date content, and special tributes to the King of Pop. The Silverlight player providing the live streaming service will become available at the time of the event (2009.07.07 10AM Pacific Time / 1PM Eastern Time).

Also visit MSN for additional information and special coverage on Michael Jackson, at http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/music/michael-jackson.aspx. And visit a DeepZoom (also in Silverlight) collage of hundreds of Michael Jackson’s pictures, at http://www.msn.michaeljackson.shoothill.com/.

Architect Council |Webcast Series – “Pragmatic Patterns for Architects

 

 

“Cloud computing will supersede traditional IT”, “SOA will enable business agility”, “my way or the highway”, etc. We’ve all heard this type of proclamations before, as many look to the “next big things” in technology to exact sweeping changes and solve many issues; truth is, technologies and tools aren’t as instrumental in influencing progress, as the design and discipline in applying them to specific issues. When used appropriately, technologies and tools can be powerful enablers that bring about change.

To address this, and trying to be a bit more green, our team is hosting a series of live webcasts at noon PST on June 9th – 11th, 2009, which will focus on guidance and patterns for some of today’s hottest topics. Just another excuse to have lunch at your desk (if your time zone is nearby)!

Patterns for Moving to the Cloud – June 9
Larry Clarkin & Wade Wegner

Everything that you read these days seems to suggest that you should be moving to the cloud. But where do you start? Which applications and services should be moving to the cloud? How do you build the bridge between on-premises and the cloud? And more importantly, what should you be looking out for along the way? In this session, learn architectural patterns and factors for moving to the cloud. Based on real-world projects, the session explores building block services, patterns for exposing applications, and challenges involving identity, data federation, and management. This session provides the tools and knowledge to determine whether cloud computing is right for you, and where to start.

 

Building Silverlight & WPF Applications with Prism – June 10

David Hill

Prism provides guidance, via design patterns, to help you build robust, flexible and modular Silverlight and WPF applications. These patterns support unit testing, separation of concerns, loose coupling and the ability to share application logic between Silverlight and WPF applications. Prism includes source code for the library itself, extensive documentation, and a sample application that shows how the patterns work together in a real-world application. It also includes a Visual Studio add-in to help you easily share code between WPF and Silverlight. This session provides an overview of Prism, and shows how you can use Prism to design and build composite Silverlight applications.

Patterns for Parallel Computing – June 11

David Chou
With recent advances in cloud computing, service-oriented architectures, distributed computing, server virtualization, multi-core processors, etc., we are now seeing parallel computing techniques being implemented across the spectrum, and towards mainstream applications such as internet-scale web applications, massive data processing, graphics rendering, etc. But the myriad of choices also present a number of questions on when and how to utilize parallel computing. This session explores the architectural patterns and trade-offs between different forms of parallel computing, approaches for utilizing them to improve application performance and optimize use of existing infrastructure, and how concurrency can be applied towards day-to-day enterprise information processing needs.

For more details and registration, please visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/council-2009q2.aspx

ebaY sidebar for Internet Explorer 8

eBay has just launched a new sidebar offering in beta. I have been collaborating with eBay on this wonderful Internet Explorer 8 sidebar. What is unique is that they are the first Internet Explorer sidebar that utilizes Silverlight™ as part of the presentation layer opening up specific UI features to make the application standard out.

Here is a screen capture of the sidebar on the left running in Internet Explorer 8 on my laptop:

The sidebar utilizes eBay’s Services to obtain real-time information about the customer’s transactions, using an internet connection. Even when the user is not running Internet Explorer, a separate notification service (located visually in the tray) informs the user about important events.

Here is a short  video  on the eBay sidebar with Jonathan Gabbai Global Innovation Manager on the functionality and technical advantages of using Silverlight and IE8 features.

The eBay sidebar is a great example of “Software-Plus-Services” strategy as there is software that runs on a computer you control in this case it is IE8 and Silverlight, plus services delivered over the internet as eBay services, working together to enable cool new rich engaging experience for the eBay user and making both software and services better than either by themselves.

For more information on the eBay IE8 Silverlight sidebard, please see the following related articles:

Case Study: Coming Soon

Channel9 Video: eBay on IE8