Maarten van Stam - Soft As In Software :-)

A couple of days ago the Open XML Format SDK was posted on Microsofts download site:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ad0b72fb-4a1d-4c52-bdb5-7dd7e816d046&displaylang=en

With this SDK you get a set of strongly typed part classes for use with Open XML documents

Here's more info:

http://blogs.msdn.com/erikaehrli/archive/2008/06/10/announcing-the-open-xml-format-sdk-1-0.aspx

Windows Vista is done (ok, ok, some 'small' patchwork is needed to iron out the wrinkles). Ready for one and a half year now and the next version is under development and code named "Windows 7". 

Ehhrmm.... Excuse me, is -that- a code name?

Let's investigate some more code names. What about Office vNext .... Ah! "Office 14". That's no real code name either. Visual Studio vNext .... "Dev 10". Another one without code name.

What is going on here? Usually the next version of a product is published under a name that makes you feel as if you are reading an exciting book as a young boy exploring all sorts of new things in the world. Nope, nothing, rien ne vas plus, nada. Not this time. You'll have to do with names such as "Windows 7", "Office 14" or "Dev 10".

What about new features that will be in these new products. Let's hear it ... tell me ... what have you heard about the great features that will make it into "Windows 7". Or the other new and sexy thing that will be added to "Office 14". Will scenario X make it into "Dev 10" ?

My guess is that you won't be able to answer me on any of these questions even when you are under NDA. The amount of information in current developments out in the open is almost reduced to nothing.

Translucency vs. Transparency Blog Post is writing about the new policy that appears to be in place. In another interview with Steven Sinofsky, Steven is clearly saying that "there is no news" other than "it will be finished in three years". Yesterday there was this item: Communicating Windows 7 trying to explain it all ...

What do -you- think about this new policy. Do you think it is the right way to go for Microsoft, did they spill too much information in earlier releases? Or would you like to know where Microsoft is taking you in a couple of years, providing you early information so you can anticipate and prepare your business and investments knowing what might be the next thing?

For now development is done in little cubicles, doors and curtains closed, mouths zipped and blogs on hold. So .. back to work with what you have available right now, and let me know what your thoughts are on this.

DevDays 2008 (and GeekNight 2008) is now behind us now. It turned out to be an excellent developer event, a -mini TechEd- as I heard someone say.

The two days were covered with great sessions and great names. Steve Riley for one, with his famous talks on security (it needed an update for the -new- languages, but the basic message is still valid), didn't even appear on TechEd 2007 EMEA Developers but did appear at the second DevDays day.

A DevDays overview including several video impressions can be found at Tweakers:
http://tweakers.net/advertorials/devdays/archive (Dutch)

In one of the articles I was quoted when asked about helping the community and community user groups:
http://tweakers.net/advertorials/devdays/article/17/brug-tussen-ontwikkelaars-en-microsoft.html (Dutch)

As the event is Dutch both links refer to sites in the Dutch language (sorry for that :-) )

Today DevDays part 1 and Geek Night took place. The DevDays event is really getting bigger over the years. I heard someone say in a video that it was a 'mini-TechEd' and I think he was right.

The amount of sponsor stands is huge this year. Everywhere you look there are stands doing business and handing out swag. Sadly enough I don't have time to collect swag items :-) I run from session to session learning great things, boy there are so many technologies out in the open right now that it is almost impossible to keep up with all these things.

My main focus still is VSTO and Office Development (Wouter van Vugt is doing some sessions in that area) so that is the area of my expertise and I am able to keep ahead of things there. But you must be aware of all the other technologies that crawl into your expertise area. A couple of technologies that you hit when developing Office applications:

- Silverlight
- WPF
- WCF
- C#, Linq, new features
- Same goes for VB.NET
- Entity Framework
- SQL Compact
- etc etc

There just ain't enough hours in a day to keep up!

Hot news from the press ...

REDMOND, Wash. — May 21, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. is offering customers greater choice and more flexibility among document formats, as well as creating additional opportunities for developer and competitors, by expanding the range of document formats supported in its flagship Office productivity suite.

The 2007 Microsoft Office system already provides support for 20 different document formats within Microsoft Office Word, Office Excel and Office PowerPoint. With the release of Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) scheduled for the first half of 2009, the list will grow to include support for XML Paper Specification (XPS), Portable Document Format (PDF) 1.5, PDF/A and Open Document Format (ODF) v1.1.

Read the full article:
https://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2008/may08/05-21ExpandedFormatsPR.mspx

> scheduled for the first half of 2009

Hmm, does this mean that Office 14 is moved back and will be released not before 2010?

Bedtime now... DevDays 2008 tomorrow, early rise.