Tag Archives: SharePoint

The Microsoft Community Roundup

Posted by Steven Swafford on May 24, 2010

If you’re a Microsoft end user no matter if it is as a developer, consumer, or administrator then you may find this interesting. Are you looking for resources that can increase you knowledge or looking to find an answer to a question that you may have? If so, I will present a number of resources that you may or may not be aware of. While each resource may deal with a specific topic others may pertain to Microsoft products in general.

I work as a software engineer therefore my interest mainly resides within the area of development, but I will make every effort to add other topics as well. Should you have a suggestion, please contact me and I will get it added or leave a comment. It has been my experience that many experts in the field of Microsoft technologies are more than willing to help others. Remember, a community is a place to learn and interface with your peers.

Windows

Visual Studio .NET

Silverlight

SharePoint

MSDN

Office

Patterns and Practices

General Blogs and Communities

There you have it! Should you know of something I missed, please contact me or leave a comment.

Visual Studio 2010 Released To Maintenance

Posted by Steven Swafford on April 12, 2010

Today Microsoft has released Visual Studio 2010 to maintenance which probably means if you’re anything like me you are downloading your copy from MSDN as we speak. Don’t even get me started on the download speeds or interruptions with the file transfer manager but this is to be expected on day one. Even as I sit in Auburn, Alabama Wishing I Was At The Visual Studio 2010 Launch Event this week, it simply was not to be. Thank goodness for Twitter (#VS2010) and Microsoft, I almost feel like I am at the event, almost. Microsoft also announced that Silverlight 4.0 will go RTM later this week so you may want to keep an eye out for this product as well.

Before I go into detail on this release, I want to point you to a number of wallpapers you can download and a Windows 7 Theme to show your pride on Microsoft reaching this milestone. As well if you are considering making the move to Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 4.0 then you may be interested in the draft preview of Moving to Visual Studio 2010 eBook.

The book is not a language primer, a language reference, or a single technology book. It’s a book that will help professional developers move from previous versions of Visual Studio (starting with 2003 and on up). It will cover the features of Visual Studio 2010 through an application. It will go through a lot of the exciting new language features and new versions of the most popular technologies without putting the emphasis on the technologies themselves. It will instead put the emphasis on how you would get to those new tools and features from Visual Studio 2010.

I have always been an early adopter of many software products and this especially holds true for the Visual Studio IDE and .NET framework. Before you begin making an argument of why it is bad to jump in head first, I ask you to first think about the positive aspects of early adoption. It is always easy to state the negative without considering the positive. In fact, I am considering putting together a presentation for my management leaning of course to early adoption. I am sure I will experience a number of questions and concerns as any good manager should voice. Where do you stand? Will you consider early adoption and if so why?

Visual Studio 2010 Editions

It is important to understand the various editions and the functionality that they provide. While you most likely may be able to make due with the Professional edition you may find that you need to purchase other editions based up you needs. Microsoft has put together a product comparison to assist you in this decision making process (see the image below). If you are just beginning down the path of .NET development, Learn ASP.NET is an excellent resource and have well over 750 video and may with source code.

visual studio 2010 editions

Downloads

In my opinion Microsoft has always done a great job over recent years in providing training kits, free software downloads, and community support. The news of Visual Studio 2010 is no different! Here are a list of resources to get you started:

Well as you can see a great deal of downloads are out there and there is plenty to keep you busy. If you are jumping to Visual Studio 2010 why not leave a comment about you like and dislikes? Good luck and happy coding!

Critical Path Training SharePoint Content

Posted by Steven Swafford on November 28, 2009

Critical Path is known for their training and if you are a seasoned SharePoint developer or if you are just getting started then you should register with Critical Path and check out the guides and code samples they provide and in most cases at no cost. While I am on the subject of training, check out this free IT Certification guide:

ExamForce IT Certification Study Guide Bundle: Free Study Guides in this Offer:

Microsoft
70-631 TS: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Configuration – 29 pages
70-640 TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration – 78 pages
70-290 Managing and Maintaining a Server 2003 Environment – 45 pages

CompTIA
N10-004 CompTIA Network+ – 75 pages

Cisco
640-802 Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) (Provided as two study guides)
CCNA 640-816 Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part II (ICND2) – 51 pages
CCNA 640-822 Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (ICND1) – 71 pages

Now getting back to Critical Path they have a complete guides covering the following:

  1. Creating a SharePoint Server 2010 Beta 2 Virtual Machine
  2. Understanding the Required Accounts Needed to Install & Config a SharePoint Farm
  3. Creating Custom SharePoint Themes
  4. Understanding Field Controls and Web Parts in Publishing sites
  5. and so much more….

Don’t miss out on the valuable content and register at Critical Path Training today.

Microsoft 2010 Betas Available For Download

Posted by Steven Swafford on November 19, 2009

If you’re a developer or just curious about the next generation of Office, SharePoint, Project, Project Server, or Visio then you will be excited to learn that Microsoft has the beta publicly available for download.

Office 2010 for IT Pros
With Microsoft Office 2010, your people get a wide range of powerful new ways to do their best work from more places—whether they’re using a PC, phone, or web browser.
Download the beta

Office 2010 for Developers
This set of smart, secure, easy-to-integrate tools works with what you have now, so you can design new, innovative applications that work with the ones you’ve already built.
Download the beta

SharePoint 2010 for IT Pros
SharePoint 2010 lets your people connect in ways that work best for them And, you can create a working environment that fosters collaboration without compromising security.
Download the beta

SharePoint 2010 for Developers
With SharePoint 2010, you can create new solutions while leveraging your existing enterprise data, tools, and processes.
Download the beta

Download the Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 beta

Microsoft Project Professional 2010
From meeting crucial deadlines, to selecting the right resources and empowering your teams, Project Professional 2010 delivers new and intuitive experiences to successfully complete all types of projects.
Download the beta

Microsoft Project Server 2010
Project Server 2010, built on SharePoint Server 2010, unifies project and portfolio management to help organizations align resources and investments with business priorities, gain control across all types of work, and visualize performance through powerful dashboards.
Download the beta

Microsoft Office Visio 2010
Visio 2010 makes it easy to visualize and explain complex information at a glance.
Download the beta

I recently attended the SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas last month and I was impressed with SharePoint 2010. Work of advice, be sure to read the system requirements for attempting installation. Over the coming days I will be installing and configuring a virtual instance of Win7 x64 to begin digger deeper into this software.

Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2009

Posted by Steven Swafford on October 15, 2009

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server

As I indicated in my tweet a few days back my career is making a change for the better. I will be attending SPC 2009 in Las Vegas next week and I would like to be able to meet up with others who I have spoken with over the years within the .NET community. Should you also be attending please contact me and arrange a face to face meet. Here are a handful of the sessions I will be attending.

  1. Overview of the SharePoint Developer Platform
  2. Visual Studio 2010 SharePoint Development Tools Overview
  3. Advanced Reporting Design Techniques and Capabilities
  4. SharePoint 2010 Online Standard, Everything you Need to Know!
  5. Developing with REST and LINQ in SharePoint 2010
  6. and much more….

The event has sold out and I am sure this will be both informative and exciting… See you there!