Communities and thouGhts from Gerver's Desk.

Build your skills : Exchange 2010

2009-10-07T22:32:00.001+02:00

Tags van Technorati: discount,training,exchange 2010,free,microsoft

Get a head start and become the go-to messaging person within your organization. Microsoft Learning has developed some great, free resources on Exchange Server 2010, including Silverlight Learning Snacks on Unified Messaging, High Availability and Storage, eLearning Clinics highlighting the new features in Exchange 2010, and finally, a PrePress preview of the upcoming MS Press Administrator's Companion Book. Additionally, check back here later this month for discounts on new Exchange 2010 Certification Exams.

Here are the links to all of this free content:

Free Silverlight Learning Snacks:

- Unified Messaging in Exchange 2010

- High Availability and Storage in Exchange 2010

Free PrePress Chapter Downloads:

- Free Chapters from Exchange 2010 Administrator’s Pocket Consultant

o Chapter 1: Exchange Server Administration Overview AND Chapter 6: Mailbox Administration

Free eLearning Clinics:

- Collection 6899: Exploring Features in Exchange 2010 (2-hours)

- Collection 6900: Introduction to Exchange 2010 (1-hour)

- Collection 6901: Exchange Server 2010 in an Enterprise (1-hour)

Microsoft’s Exchange Server 2010 Learning Portal:

- www.microsoft.com/learning/exchange

Scottgu video’s available from the3 DotNed meeting on Friday 25th of September 2009.

2009-09-28T14:03:00.001+02:00

Tags van Technorati: scottgu,microsoft,dotned,dvroegop,usergroup,netherlands,visual studio,mvc

Thanks for MVP Dennis Vroegop for arranging this using all social media nowadays available and the partner AFAS for hosting the user group “DotNed” meeting on such a short notice and with great hospitality and facilities we now have both sessions available online.

In the first part

Part 1: http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/matthijs/Scott-Guthrie-Visual-Studio-2010-and-NET-Framework-40/

Part 2: http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/matthijs/Scott-Guthrie-ASPNET-MVC-2/

Showcasting Windows PowerShell

2009-09-09T09:13:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: powershell,free,webcast,download,hands on lab

PowerShell Means “Powerful Automation”!
Announcing a new webcast series for both Developers and IT-Pro’s.

PowerShell is a Windows management technology designed for ease-of-use by both system administrators and application developers. PowerShell Version 2 (V2) is available with both Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 as well as previous Windows releases via an optional update.

For Developers specifically, Windows PowerShell in combination with the Windows Management Infrastructure (WinRM, WS-Management, WMI) provides a great way to automate server hosted solutions. For example, if you implement all your administration logic via PowerShell, then layer the MMC GUI over the top (i.e. MMC calls PowerShell to get the work done) - you will have given your Enterprise customers the absolute best of all worlds; GUIs, scripting, and delegated, remote automation.

PowerShell V2 introduces many new features including remote sessions, an integrated script environment, debugging tools, and much more.

Start your video tour of PowerShell V2 via MSDN Channel9 and TechNet Edge. Find reusable scripts and techniques at the PowerShell Script-Center. Subscribe to the RSS feeds at both the PowerShell and the Windows Management team blogs. Get demo scripts from MSDN Code Gallery.

Download and share the new Windows Server 2008 R2 Developer Training Kit with PowerShell HOLs!

Lasts posts from the MVP Award program blog

2009-09-07T16:21:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: mvpawardprogram,blog,links

Microsoft Valuable Professional MVP Award Program Website | RSS Feed
Windows 7 Launch Parties! - 04-Sep-2009
Microsoft MVPs Are Ready For Windows 7! - 04-Sep-2009
MVP Releases ASP.NET & JQuery Ebook - 03-Sep-2009
MVP Releases Windows Azure Community Site - 02-Sep-2009
MVP Releases Mobile Framework on CodePlex - 01-Sep-2009
Understanding the MVP Program - Part 2 - 31-Aug-2009

Belgium MVPs on TechNet stage (virtual stage that is :) )

2009-09-03T13:45:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: belgium,mvpawardprogram,mvp,technet,Tom Decaluwe,Johan Delimon,Ilse van Criekinge,Paul loonen,Kenny Buntinx

Technet Live events, virtually attending a presentation in the new connected world is your opportunity to receive technical information straight to your desk! No need to to leave the illuminated workspace during the dark days in autumn and winter or stand in a traffic jam!

List of Events from Microsoft Belgium, CLICK

The current list below is open for registration!

Date

Topic

08/09/2009

Registration:
Dutch

Secure web access with TMG
TMG incorporates strong web access security found in ISA with three enhanced new technologies. The addition of these three new components puts TMG right back at the top of the outbound web access solutions. Through URL filtering administrators get an easy and comprehensive way to manage web access ensuring corporate policies are followed and user productivity remains at its peak, while HTTPS inspection and Malware Inspection provide a much needed security layer to protect web users from the outside world and themselves.

Speaker: Tom Decaluwé – MVP Forefront

17/09/2009

Registration:
Dutch

French

Transitioning from Exchange 2003-Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010

In this session you will be provided with an overview of how you can uplift your current Exchange organization to the newest release, Exchange 2010. Emphasis will be put on the biggest changes, and how you can smoothly transition all functionalities without causing any issues for your end users.

Speaker: Ilse van Criekinge – MVP Exchange

29/09/2009

Registration:
Dutch

French

What's new in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP2

This session will talk about some of the improvements and new features that will be made available in Systems Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP2.We will talk about the difference between SCCM 2007 SP1 and SP2 and why this service pack is so important as Windows
7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 is in front of our doorstep.

Speaker: Kenny Buntinx – MVP System Center Configuration Manager

06/10/2009

Registration:
Dutch

French

Unified Communication Technical Overview

Microsoft unified communications technologies use the power of software to deliver complete communications--messaging, voice, and video--across the applications and devices that people use every day. Integrating the experiences you associate with the telephone--phone calls, voice mail, and conferencing--into the work you do on a computer--documents, spreadsheets, instant messaging, e-mail, calendars--has the power to fundamentally change the way the world works.
Microsoft unified communications technologies bridge the divide between computers and telephones with two integrated servers: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. They integrate with your company's existing phone system and deliver complete communications services using your existing data network. Presence technology appears throughout the Microsoft Office system, from document workspaces inside Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 to team sites and My Sites on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

Speaker: Johan Delimon – MVP Exchange

20/10/2009

Registration:
Dutch

French

What’s new in Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory

In this session, Microsoft Certified Master Directory Services Paul Loonen will go over the new features delivered in Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory. This session will show how to manage the AD using PowerShell cmdlets and the new AD Administrative Center. Further, it will be shown how to recover deleted objects using the AD Recycle Bin and how to verify your AD configuration using the new Best Practice Analyzer. Finally, new features such as Managed Service Accounts, Offline Domain Join and Authentication Assurance will be covered.

Speaker: Paul Loonen – MVP Identity and Access Management

29/10/2009

Registration:
Dutch

French

Data Integration using SQL Server 2008 Integration Services : Overview

In this session, you’ll learn about the new features of SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) including a look at how it will simplify the process of building an enterprise-class Extract Transformation & Load (ETL) solution. This webcast introduces the overall architectural enhancements in SSIS, the data sources & destinations, Control Flow and Data Flow components, and ETL package deployment.

Speakers:

Wesley Baekelant – Microsoft
Gunther Beersaerts - Microsoft

A long time ago….

2009-08-26T09:36:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: MVP,twitter,Award,blog,mvpawardprogram,microsoft,gerver

on a blog far far away et cetera </starwats tune>.

Finally an update again from my side, I have been very very busy in my private live and enjoyed a holiday (actually it was painting a decorating the new house the girlfriend and myself bought).

What has happened during all the time in the community? Naturally you could see all the global MVP happiness through the MVP Award Program blog and or follow them on Twitter. http://blogs.msdn.com/mvpawardprogram/

Some of the impressive things MVPs have done during that time,
MVP Bridges PHP with Windows Azure
MVP Launches Bing Sharp API
MVPs Provide The Experts Choice

You can also find all the MVP Leads their Twitter names here!, MVP Leads Love Twitter!

New MVPS Announced – July 2009

2009-07-01T17:32:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: MVP,most valuable professional,Award,new,re-awarded,july,2009,fy10

Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) are exceptional technical community leaders from around the world who are awarded for voluntarily sharing their high quality, real world expertise in offline and online technical communities.

We announce newly awarded and re-awarded MVPS every quarter, the award is valid for an year, given for the contributions of the individual to technical communities over the past year.

We are extremely happy to welcome the following new MVPs:

Hans vredevoort	Cluster	Netherlands
Ragnar Harper	PowerShell	Norway
Jannes Alink	System Center Configuration Manager	Netherlands
Kenny Buntinx	System Center Configuration Manager	Belgium
Jyrki Kivimaki	Directory Services	Finland
Andreas Stenhall	Windows Desktop Experience	Sweden
Andre Kamman	SQL Server	Netherlands
Peter Larsson	SQL Server	Sweden
Tero Vuorenmaa	Team System	Finland
Johan Veldhuis	Exchange Server	Netherlands
Magnus Bjork	Exchange Server	Sweden
Martin Lidholm	Communications Server	Sweden
Martijn Bellaard	Forefront	Netherlands
Maarten Balliauw	ASP/ASP.NET	Belgium
Petri Tapio Wilhelmsen	XNA/DirectX	Norway

We are also extremely happy to welcome back the following MVPS who have been re-awarded.

Hans Le Roy	Internet Explorer	Belgium
Jan Eliasen	BizTalk	Denmark
Marcus Murray	Enterprise Security	Sweden
Patrik Lowendahl	Visual C#	Sweden
Christoffer Andersson	Directory Services	Sweden
Jetze Mellema	Exchange Server	Netherlands
Cor Ligthert	Visual Basic	Netherlands
Maurice de Beijer	Connected System Developer	Netherlands
Bruno van Dooren	Visual C++	Belgium
Ronald Lemmen	Dynamics CRM	Netherlands
Wilfried Mestdagh	Windows Live Platform	Belgium
Jan Tielens	SharePoint Server	Belgium
Niek Otten	Excel	Netherlands
Erik van Ballegoij	ASP/ASP.NET	Netherlands
Edward Bakker	Solutions Architect	Netherlands
Bjorn Axell	System Center Operations Manager	Sweden
Anders Bengtsson	System Center Operations Manager	Sweden
Maarten Goet	System Center Operations Manager	Netherlands
Riemer Grootjans	XNA/DirectX	Belgium
Alex Thissen	Visual C#	Netherlands
Michel Roth	Remote Desktop Services	Netherlands
Wilco Van Bragt	Remote Desktop Services	Netherlands
Lene Fredborg	Word	Denmark
Henk Panneman	Windows Home Server	Netherlands
Joachim Marcel Farla	Communications Server	Netherlands
Stefan Schorling	System Center Configuration Manager	Sweden
Ronni Pedersen	System Center Configuration Manager	Denmark
Jesper Lund Stocholm	XML	Denmark
Joachim Nasslander	Cluster	Sweden
Peter Geelen	Identity Lifecycle Manager	Belgium
Peter Schmidt	Internet Information Services	Denmark
Olav Tvedt	Setup & Deployment	Norway
Dick Wenning	Dynamics AX	Netherlands
Marc Van Nooten	Consumer Security	Belgium
Toni Kinni	Consumer Security	Finland
Kurt Roggen	Management Infrastructure	Belgium
Andreas Sjostrom	Device Application Development	Sweden
Brian Rasmussen	Visual C#	Denmark

Thank you for your support to the community.

"How Do I?" Videos for the Azure Services Platform

2009-06-12T07:52:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Azure,HDI,free,content,learn

four Azure “How Do I” videos (HDIs) have been published Monday, June 8^th.

- The “How Do I” videos are free, task-oriented, and “bite-sized” to get you up to speed quickly

- See the Azure Services Platform in action without the CTP

- Learn more

· Webcasts – microsoft.com/events/series/azure.aspx

· Training kit – www.microsoft.com/azure/trainingkit.mspx

· Azure SDK - http://www.microsoft.com/azure/sdk.mspx

· Sample projects to review – codeplex.com, search “azure”

· Azure user groups – azureusergroup.com

Get access by going to the Connect.Microsoft.com site

Visit here for the overall summary page of videos

#DevDay2009 day 2

2009-05-30T11:46:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: devdays09,microsoft,event,the netherlands,community

And yes, Day 2 also is better understanded when using pictures :)

Difficult questions on WPF or WCF? you need Sander Gerz!

Attendees who were completely lost by all the great sessions were comforted by Gaby and went refreshed to the next sessions!

Matthijs talked about Unified Communications Development and the tools to use. Even I thought afterwards I could program these things! We make technology available to all levels :)

Questions on SQL? talk to JP at the SQLPass booth!

Dynamics MVP Dick Wenning talking to MVP Ton Stegeman how to combine the best of both technologies, something is happening there!

Sander and Dennis talking Visual Studio 2010 representing DotNed.nl

And the Winner from SDN “Krasse Krasse Krasse” recieved an XBOX360 from Mariane van Wanrooij representing SDN!

At the end of the day the attendees were exhausted by an information overflow while all the Sharepoint brains in The Netherlands got together and conversed about? (next version of sharepoint?, great techology? problems?) Personally I think they were either planning the next BlackBelt session or SharePINT!

Thank you all community members, MVPs, speakers and user group members who made the Ask The Experts area a great success this year, see you next year!

(btw, check out www.Devdays.nl for all the recorded sessions!)

#Devdays2009, day 1

2009-05-29T07:10:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: devdays09,microsoft,ask the experts,community,most valuable professional

Busy, very busy.. and pictures say more than words (think someone once said it) so here goes!

Ask The Eperts at the Silverlight and Expression stand, Rob Houweling and Sandra de Ridder showing all Microsoft Bling Bling!.

At the Community stand with all the usergroups such as VBCentral, DotNed, SQLPass and SDN, the latter made an applications on touch PC’s “Krassen, Krassen, Krassen” .

No complaints received from attendees where to find the experts :) All MVPs and User group experts were properly dressed!

MVP @Pvandesande won a Wildcard session, full house at his presentation!

And 2 more MVPs showing their good stuff to a crowd, @edwb and @clemensreijnen

Day 1 ended with Geeknight, an evening for geeks who like technology. Keynote consisted of a connected life on Microsoft technology followed by many presentations!

And luckily the Geeks were present.

Personally I think it was a great day 1 with many attendees and much interaction happening at the Ask The Experts and Community area. Day 2 here we come!

Community Day Belgium, 25th of June 2009 – FREE EVENT, DO NOT MISS IT (awesome!)

2009-05-12T09:13:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: community,communityday,belgium,mvp,most valuable professional,ilse van criekinge,gill cleeren,microsoft

Last year, “Successful Communityday.be” indeed.. this year, the continued succes of Ilse van Criekinge [Exchange MVP] en Gill Cleeren [ASP.NET MVP] who’s time and devotion are to be praised :)

Compared to last time, there are 6 more User Groups joining that brings the total to 11 now. I also see 8 MVP’s on the agenda as a speaker and assume many will be visiting and available to talk to.

Below there is a snapshot of the email invitation I received, click it to register yourself for this free event and get updated to the latest information.

Mix essentials Europe, May 28 & 29

2009-04-27T13:07:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,mix,essentials,netherlands,mvps,devday09

Several MVPs such as Jan Tielens, Gill Cleeren and previous MVPs (ex-mvp?) Maarten Struys will be presenting at the European Mix Essentials in the Netherlands.

Take a look at the agenda,
Day 1, http://www.microsoft.com/netherlands/mixeurope/day1.aspx
Day 2, http://www.microsoft.com/netherlands/mixeurope/day2.aspx

See you there!

Microsoft Devdays 2009 Wildcard session list

2009-04-21T10:46:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: wildcard,devdays09,microsoft,the netherlands,community,event

The introduced Wildcards at the Devday09 website www.devdays.nl has produced a few interesting suggested sessions already. I have listed them all for your convenience.

Michael van der Veeken
- Creating a Web Desktop environment with Silverlight

Dennis Doomen
- TDD and SOLID, two ingredients for high quality software

Dennis van der Stelt
- If you build it, you’ll ship it

Nick Boumans
- E-commerce using SharePoint Commerce Services for Commerce Server 2009

Lennard van Leuven
- Toegankelijke websites realiseren met SharePoint, kan dat?

Pieter Joost van de Sande
- Introductie Design by Contract in .NET

Sander Hoogendoorn
- Agile and Scrum anti-patterns

Go vote for your favorite session or presenter and you can still propose sessions if you are interested! Looking at the content and current votes it will be hard but I am sure we have many in the community out there that like a challenge!

CU @ devays09!

Fix-it, SBS community Award and DeepZoomPix!

2009-04-17T12:54:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,fix it,deepzoom,sbs,ebs,community,award

Three topics !

FIX IT!
Microsoft's support Knowledge Base contains thousands and thousands of articles describing problems that users may encounter. The articles include detailed instructions for fixing each problem, and I do mean detailed--some of them go on for pages and pages. An ordinary user who reaches one of these solutions may find the instructions impossibly confusing.

That's where Microsoft's new "Fix it" button comes in. On selected Knowledge Base pages (over a hundred so far) users can simply click a button to resolve the problem.

Click to go to On10.net and see an interview with Lori Brownell on the topic!

SBS Community Award

The support team for Small Business Server and Essential Business Server received an Award for their outstanding service towards our Community!

DEEPZOOMPIX
All kinds of Microsoft technology coming together in a great showcase/example if you are geek enough? DeepZoomPix Developer Resources. For all others [do they exist? we all are geeks in some way :) ] it is a great way to look at your own vacation pictures or maybe from friends?

Lets see if it works <fingerscrossed>,
pictures of some construction site,

We HAVE to keep this working after the 31st of December 2009, who do we need to talk to??

Free Microsoft Press E-book co-authored by an MVP.

2009-04-15T15:07:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: free,e-book,mvp,microsoft Press,Microsoft,Learning

Celebrating 25 years
For 25 years, Microsoft Press books have focused on helping you take your skills and knowledge to the next level. Celebrate our 25th Anniversary with a "Free e-book of the Month" offer! Simply sign up for the Microsoft Press Book Connection Newsletter for notification of offers, register, and download the selection of the month.

MVP Charlie Russel from Canada co-authored this book which is now freely available as E-book of the Month.

THIS OFFER IS VALID UNTILL THE 22nd of APRIL!

Microsoft video, Software + Services

2009-04-06T13:09:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,video,software+services

April 2009 MVP Award , Congratulations!

2009-04-02T13:58:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: MVP,April,nominations,Benelux,Scandinavian,Award

We are honored and excited with the number of new Most Valuable Professional Awards we have been able to give in the Benelux and Scandinavian countries. Next to new to the program individuals we also have a great group of renewing MVP’s who continued their passion in the communities and for this they too deserved the MVP Award.

These great individuals who spend their time and devotion in the communities are exceptional and there for I am proud to blog these lists,

NEW MVPS!

Robert Smit	Cluster
Ment van der Plas	SoftGrid
Pieter Gheysens	Team System
Terje Sandstrøm	Team System
Dag Staale Jenssen	Small Business Server
Tore Lervik	Virtual Machine
Johan Hedberg	BizTalk
Joar Øyen	Connected System Developer
Matthieu B. SUICHE	Enterprise Security
Mark Briggeman	Windows Mobile
Hengel Guy	SQL
Karine Bosch	SharePoint Server
Erik Ejlskov Jensen	SQL
Pål Fossmo	Visual C#

RENEWING MVPS!

Tino Donderwinkel	Exchange Server
Michiel van Otegem	ASP/ASP.NET
Sander Gerz	Visual C#
Remi Caron	Visual Basic
Gérard Oomens	Office System
Leen Snoek	Management Infrastructure
Dennis Gandasoebrata	Windows Desktop Experience
Christian Hougardy	SharePoint Server
Vera Noest	Terminal Server
Frans Bouma	Visual C#
Paul Wilders	Consumer Security
Stefan Blom	Word
Jani Jarvinen	Visual C#
Jan Endre Blomquist	Visual Basic
Mikael Nystrom	Essential Business Server
Johan Arwidmark	Setup & Deployment
Kim Oppalfens	System Center Configuration Manager
Arno Gerretsen	Games for Windows
Gijsbert in 't Veld	BizTalk
Mark Brummel	Dynamics NAV
Michel Bintener	Macintosh
Andre Obelink	Visual Basic
Mieke Verburgh	Consumer Security
Marc Gregoire	Visual C++
Eric Wauters	Dynamics NAV
Karel Vos	Windows Desktop Experience
Pieter Joost van de Sande	Visual C#
Ton Stegeman	SharePoint Server
Dennis Lundtoft Thomsen	Communications Server
Jaap Wesselius	Exchange Server
Ilse Van Criekinge	Exchange Server
Kris van der Mast	ASP/ASP.NET
Jakob H. Heidelberg	Enterprise Security
Roel Oost	Visual Basic
Stefan Kamphuis	ASP/ASP.NET
Alex van Herwijnen	Windows Live Platform
Steven Van de Craen	SharePoint Server

“Word if Mouth Marketing”, a book that includes a chapter on the Microsoft MVP Award Program.

2009-03-26T13:18:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: mvp,microsoft,community,book

Click the picture to be taken to a excerpt on the chapter that talks about the Microsoft MVP Award Program!

the book can be ordered here internationally, http://www.amazon.com/Word-Mouth-Marketing-Companies-Talking/dp/1427798613/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235601176&sr=8-1

IE8 FireStarter – Live Meeting

2009-03-19T10:59:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: developers,web slices,community,livemeeting,online,microsoft

Click the picture above for details about this meeting or to attend the meeting in person (if you happen to be in or around Redmond :) )

I am sure this topic will also be covered during Devdays09 in the Netherlands :) (otherwise the people attending the Expert Zone will surely know how to answer all your questions.

[Devdays09] are coming!

2009-03-17T18:34:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: DevDays09,mvp,microsoft,event

Look at the list of speakers including Most Valuable Professionals!

Next to delivering speakers to the event the community will play a big role during the event, when I have information to share I will out it up here.

For now, make sure you use the early bird registration!

Messenger product group interviewed MVPs during MVP09 summit.

2009-03-12T09:39:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: mvp09,most valuable professional,microsoft

Messenger and Windows Live MVPs interviewed by Messenger product group. Enjoy.

MVP Award Program Global Summit 2009 - Twitter

2009-03-01T16:34:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: mvp,summit,2009,seattle,microsoft,twitter

For those who are interested in what all the MVP’s and or MVP program MSFTees are twittering about?, you can use #mvp09 to see it all come by in your favorite twitter client.

If you do not have a Twitter account or do not have a client installed you can use Twitterfall right here http://twitterfall.com/mvp09

if you have no idea what the MVP Award Global Summit is, check out this page http://www.mvpsummit2009.com/

One World Developer Community, A virtual event happening on April 1st2009!

2009-02-26T10:54:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,free,developers,virtual,community

A nice free event for all developers on the globe!

One event, one day
one world developer community

Download a free e-book from the MVP Award Program Blog

2009-02-25T07:59:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: MVP,program,award,free,e-book,vista,resource,kit

Springboard Virtual Roundtable w/ Mark Russinovich - Windows 7 Beta

2009-02-12T12:43:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: Russunovich,springboard,windows7,roundtable,virtual,event

Mark Russinovich and a panel of experts will have a live discussion on Windows 7 beta on 12 February at 20:00 local time (Western Europe). Here is the official invitation:

Springboard Series Virtual Roundtable
Windows 7: To the Beta and Beyond
Date: Thursday, February 12th
Time: 20:00 CET (Brussels)

https://ms.istreamplanet.com/springboard

Join Mark Russinovich and a panel of subject matter experts for a live discussion of what's in store for IT pros with Windows® 7. Learn about the evolution of features like Group Policy, BitLocker™ To Go, DirectAccess, BranchCache™, and Software Restriction then get tips on troubleshooting, deployment, and application compatibility. Bring your questions—Mark and the panel will answer as many as they can during the hour-long event, then publish the rest in a Q&A after the event.

Find answers to your Windows client OS deployment and management questions with resources, tools, monthly feature articles, and guidance from subject matter experts and early adopters. To learn more, visit www.microsoft.com/springboard.

As part of the “virtual” experience, you may submit your questions about Windows 7 Beta to the panel live during the event—or submit questions in advance to vrtable@microsoft.com.

Springboard Series: The resource for Windows desktop IT professionals

MicrosoftBelgium Techdays09.. awesome list of speakers although I say so myself :)

2009-02-06T13:54:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,belgium,techdays09,mvp,speakers

If you take a look on you will see an awesome list of speakers, can you count the number of MVPs that will actually speak there?

With topic such as you have to be interested,

ITpro,

Configmgr (R2) Task sequences – a very flexible delivery Engine
Protecting your network: NAP, IPsec and Server and Domain Isolation
The Evolution of Object Recovery in AD - From basics to perfection - A Technical Deep Dive
Group Policy Infrastructure in Windows: Today and Tomorrow

Developer,

Enhancing the SharePoint Developer Experience
Under the hood in Silverlight's controls skinning framework
Databinding in Windows Presentation Foundation: from the beginning to the end

Take a look! http://www.microsoft.com/belux/techdays/agenda.aspx

phpBB hacked.. :(

2009-02-05T13:28:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: community,warning,hack,phpbb

In general this is BB system is used by many in the community as it is easy to use and if I am not mistaken free! Unfortunately it seems to be hacked by someone explaining it on this site, http://hackedphpbb.blogspot.com/

Anyone using phpBB should be looking for an update or on advise how to protect your user(s) information against hackers.

An explanation can be found here, http://area51.phpbb.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=29973

The following appears on the phpBB website

By no means this is meant to be harmful towards any competitors product or technology, a sincere warning to protect the innocent.

History of The Internet in 8 minutes

2009-01-28T11:05:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: internet,history,youtube

www.MSCOMMUNITY.be

2009-01-14T12:59:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: belgium,community,mvp

Wow, simply wow…

A website that simply brings the community based upon Microsoft technology together for easy access and availability.

Please take a look and thank the people mentioned on the pages and in the communities for their effort and let them know it is appreciated!

January award cycle, new MVP’s!

2009-01-05T13:55:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: mvp,2009,newly awarded,netherlands,belgium,norway,finland,sweden,denmark,luxembourg

Yet again we have re-warded Most Valuable Professionals for their effort in the communities.Most of them can be found on www.microsoft.com/mvp and click the Awardees link.

We are also very happy that we were able to Award a few for the first time, the list is below.

Alexandre Verkindere	Mathias Olausson
Tom Decaluwe	Clemens Reijnen
Carsten Keutmann	Hassan Fadili
Mads Kristensen	Rob Houweling
Morten Skou	Waldek Mastykarz
Lars Wilhelmsen	Thomas Huijer
Mikael Hakansson	Sander Berkouwer

Please feel free to congratulate and thank them for the community effort they have shown over the past 12 months!

http://blogs.msdn.com/mvpawardprogram

2008-12-18T11:33:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: mvp,blog,sweden,andreas sjostrom

Without many bells and whistles we have gone live with a blog on true MVP impact stories :)Take a look on the stories we already have posted on http://blogs.msdn.com/mvpawardprogram

Especially the from Andreas :) http://blogs.msdn.com/mvpawardprogram/archive/2008/12/18/windows-mobile-mvp-wins-swedish-it-consultant-of-the-year-award.aspx

{You shape} your knowledge – Techdays.be

2008-12-18T09:45:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,belgium,most valuable professional,techdays

11 and 12 March 2009 Techdays will happen in Antwerp, Belgium.

The digital world is nothing without you.

Whether you’re a developer, IT pro or designer:
It is your thoughts, knowledge and ideas that shape the digital world. Microsoft supports you with platforms and tools that are designed for your needs. Because we’re on the same road.

During TechDays, in March, get all the tools you need to shape your knowledge.

If you take a look at the “Brain Masters” you can see some familiar names :)

WWW.TECHDAYS.BE

Infoworld on MVPs

2008-12-11T10:53:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: MVP,most valuable professional,press,article,microsoft

In my inbox I received an email referencing to an article on Infoworld.

· Every year Microsoft grants MVP status to people who are exceptional technical community leaders. Why? According to the MVP site, it's because they voluntarily share their ‘real-world expertise in offline and online technical communities.’"

· “…recently I have not only seen the true depth of the MVPs in the world at large, but also the tremendous value of their community spirit. MVPs can save your company money -- lots of it, in some cases.”

· “The core spirit of the MVP program is that of sharing freely, giving back to the community, and helping others without gain.”

· “MVPs are all around the world in more than 90 countries, representing 30 different languages and covering more than 90 Microsoft technologies. They are here to help you.”

Interested? read the whole article on http://weblog.infoworld.com/enterprisewindows/archives/2008/12/microsoft_mvps.html

Free Expression Web training – team blog

2008-12-08T14:00:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: expression,free,training,microsoft,web

Just found some free web based training from the Microsoft Expression Web Team Blog.

CSS-based layout

Rich data presentations

Server technology

ZoomIt! always wondered how they did it :)

2008-11-26T12:31:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: zoomit,free,download,microsoft,community

Ever wondered how some people during a presentation zoom into a particular part of the screen? wonder no longer it is Zoomit!

ZoomIt is screen zoom and annotation tool for technical presentations that include application demonstrations. ZoomIt runs unobtrusively in the tray and activates with customizable hotkeys to zoom in on an area of the screen, move around while zoomed, and draw on the zoomed image.

Go check it out, http://technet.microsoft.com/nl-nl/sysinternals/bb897434(en-us).aspx

Seadragon and Ajax? Deepzoom embedded

2008-11-25T13:10:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: seadragon,microsoft,live,labs,deepzoom

Seadragon Ajax, very nice way of zooming into pictures while surfing the web and within your browser.

I really like to explore the content in those pictures, check the Ankor Wat Temple :)

Anatomy of a Hack 2008 (Jesper Johansson)

2008-11-13T14:39:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: jesper johansson,mvp,itforum,anatomy of a hack

Check it out following this link, http://www.microsoft.com/emea/teched2008/itpro/tv/default.aspx?vid=75

I blogged some of my thoughts after a conversation I had with Jesper during ITforum and today I find the recording after I receive the Technet Newsletter from Microsoft!

This is a must see and act video :)

ITForum Barcelona – Last day

2008-11-12T17:17:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: rbn,community. malware. spyware,anatomy of a hack,jesper johansson,mvp,itforum

I know it the event was last week but up until now I have been very busy working on the current nominations and it is keeping me of the streets :)

On the last day I spend all day at the MVP Booth in the community area of the exhibition. During the day I had the pleasure to receive a personal demo/presentation from Jesper Johansson on Anatomy of a Hack.

During this session Jesper showed how much work “the people who try to lure you into buying stuff from them or even give you information such as credit card numbers and more” put into their projects.

Sure, most of the hacks or deceiving is only able to work when users allow things to happen. in the older days you would see many spelling errors and or other mistakes that immediately alerted anyone not to use or click the message/warning. Nowadays the effort in the programming of these deceivers becomes almost as good normal programs and even for the trained IT professional it is hard to see.

A question Jesper asks his audience during the session in which he demos during a simple visit to a website and actually falling for the trap that shows how sophisticated it became during the last few years is “How many of you would fall for this? ” – remember these are IT professionals – and some of them actually have to admit they would fall for it. The next question he asks is about family and parents they think would fall for it and the response is almost 100%.

The 100% is frightening and made me think that we as IT professionals have a duty to inform and help our fellow PC users to understand and learn how to prevent these people from making money!

I shamefully admit that I’m also a bit numb from all the extra pictures/popup fake mails etc I get and pay less attention I should by just clicking them away. I also admit I pretend to think those sites run from Russian beyond our control domains and thus an action is lacking from my side.

In the upcoming period (not during nominations :)) I will spend some more on the topic as I think we as a community have a great opportunity.

I call upon my fellow PC users who are savvy enough to help others to prevent the Russian Business Network stealing from us.

ITForum Barcelona – Day 3 and 4

2008-11-07T11:23:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: itforum,barcelona,speaker idol,ilse van criekinge

A lot happened, I went to see the session from Ilsevan Criekinge naturally, a full room and a flawless presentation!

(Sorry for the blurry picture)

Many sessions, speaker idol final won by a non-MVP so we broke the standard there (hey, she also won Speaker Idol in the US, should she have been competing at all?) I can only say that all the contestants did great and we have a sunny and bright future ahead of us with excellent upcoming speakers!

Other time was all business, meetings etc etc.. no more pictures.

ITForum Barcelona – Day 2

2008-11-05T10:20:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: powershell,mvp,community,teched,itforum

Day 2 we saw more speaker idols and a very busy exhibition area. During the day a Powershell speaker panel was on the community launch area and Marc van Orsouw, Powershell MVP from the Netherlands (www.thepowershellguy.com).

and I also found Joachim Nässlander a Swedish MVP on Data and File Storage attending ITForum as an Ask The Expert .

ITForum Barcelona continued – Day 1

2008-11-04T08:56:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: itforum,teched,barcelona,mvp,community,speaker idol,Ask the Expert

Exhibition opened up in the evening and people rushed to the floor to meet the ATE (Ask the Experts) boots. These experts consist of Microsoft Certified Trainers, Most Valuable Professionals and Microsoft employees.

The first round of Speaker Idol, a contest for people who want to become a first class speaker at industry events was held with Ilse van Criekinge (MVP from Belgium within the Exchange expertise) as one of the judges

and naturally at the MVP Community booth attendees pictures were taken to than be “badged” for them to wear during the event :)

I was able to take a snapshot of a Microsoft employee who’s name I will not mention but you might recognize him (together with another Microsoft employee he is responsible for making Teched TV) .

Teched ITforum Barcelona 2008 - Day1

2008-11-03T16:13:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: Teched,ITforum,2008,Barcelona,microsoft,community,influencers,hand-on-labs,MVP

Day 1 at Teched, better weather than the Sunday before with only rain in usually sunny Barcelona which made it a bumpy ride into the airport (especially above the Pyrenees.

Anyway, beside a keynote and registration there is not much happening yet, this evening however the Exhibition Welcome Reception will take place and I can be found in the Community Lounge area :)

Here are some pictures of the diehards that now do not have to stand in the rain to enjoy a smoke :)

Not much happening I said? I apologize to the influencers who are very busy running things at the Hands on Labs and Instructor Led Labs.

And I caught Arlindo Alves (Belgium ITpro MSFT) being interviewed by a group of enthusiasts :) (in the picture on the left you see Jakob Heidelberg standing on the right side, he’s an Enterprise Security MVP from Denmark).

Windows 7 @ TechNet Edge

2008-10-30T11:55:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: tim sneath,windows 7,video,itpro

From the Technet Edge website,

As you've probably heard by now, a Technical Preview of Windows 7 was given out to attendees this week of the Professional Developer's Conference.
I sat down with Tim Sneath, the Director of Client Evangelism, to find out what this means for IT Pros.
The resources Tim mentions that you can check out for more info are the Springboard blog and the Windows 7 Engineering blog.

What's the story with Windows 7 at PDC

Introducing Windows Azure - Channel9

2008-10-28T07:47:00.001+01:00

Tags van Technorati: channel9,windows azure,microsoft,cloud

FROM CHANNEL 9

Manuvir Das, Director in the Windows Azure team introduces us to Microsoft's new cloud operating system, Windows Azure. Is Windows Azure a new OS from Microsoft? Well, sort of, but not in a strict sense (e.g., Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008). That said, one could say that Windows Azure extends Windows to the cloud. That is, Windows Azure provides a highly scalable virtualization fabric for server-side application execution, deployment, automatic management, and simple storage. Windows Azure provides the base infrastructure for services in the cloud.

Manuvir Das: Introducing Windows Azure

Celebrating 25 Years, Microsoft Press Books!

2008-10-23T10:11:00.001+02:00

Tags van Technorati: free,Microsoft Press,25 years,e-book,offer,Windows Server 2008

The above is a picture from the website, here’s the link, http://csna01.libredigital.com/?urws8un4p7

Microsoft Security E-mail Spoofs with Malware

2008-10-15T15:57:00.001+02:00

Tags van Technorati: microsoft,email,malware,security

From several news sources and personal email addresses with a lesser strict spam filter I have been made aware that again people are receiving a FAKE Microsoft email about an update for a Microsoft product.

I want to refer you all to a post from Christopher Budd, http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2008/10/13/microsoft-security-e-mail-spoofs-with-malware.aspx

We never send unsolicited email to anyone and certainly not one where we ask you to download an update. Newsletters and email notifications we do send but only to those who opted-in for them.

Check out this website to help you identify fake emails, http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/phishing/msemail.mspx

VORT-EX 08.. A virtual event..

2008-10-01T11:27:00.001+02:00

Tags van Technorati: Vort-ex,microsoft,community,online

Found, http://www.microsoft.com/vort-ex

The MSDN and TechNet teams recently helped to launch VORT-EX08 (Virtual Online Remix- Total Experience), an online “virtual” conference for IT professionals, developers, and designers in the Europe. (Central Europe actually).

There are cool virtual booths for both MSDN and TechNet. To see them, sign in to the Vortex site with your Live ID, then click on the Community button.

If you click INETA (the International .NET association) you will see a video that was shot last year with Graham Watson and 2 MVPs (Andre Obelink and Tomislav Bronzin)

Check out the links to learn about Forums, Galleries, Social Bookmarking and more. And definitely watch the video. It has great info on the sites and our new social tools and features some cool video effects.

This whole approach to virtual events is new for us, so please let us know what you think!

Pull Down The Shaded

2008-09-30T14:29:00.001+02:00

Tags van Technorati: labs,live,microsoft,download,beta

From labs.live.com..

Pull Down The Shades: A Color Sidebar Gadget

Many different programs use RGB color hex codes. While some programs have color management, sometimes you’ll need to use a palette across many programs like Expression Blend, Photoshop, Illustrator, HTML/CSS, and Flash. This handy sidebar gadget keeps your palettes at your fingertips, letting you quickly sample each hex code to your clipboard, so you can easily use your colors across all applications...

New Version of Pro Photo Tools released

2008-09-30T10:36:00.001+02:00

Tags van Technorati: pro photo,new version,download,microsoft

from http://blogs.msdn.com/prophoto/

The latest version of Microsoft Pro Photo Tools has been released with some newly added features and improvements in performance. Microsoft Pro Photo Tools provides a set of tools for photographers allowing them to perform various tasks with their images—including RAW captures. The current version enables you to quickly geotag your photos, edit metadata, and organize your images by leveraging the power of Microsoft Live Local.

New features include:

Support for reading & writing XMP side car metadata enabling interoperability with Adobe products.
Viewing actual RAW images, in addition to thumbnails
Conversion of RAW files to JPEG and TIFF using “As Shot” camera settings.
The ability to resize RAW images.
Support for 64-bit Windows
Support for geotagging international locales
Improved functionality for geotagging images.

Fake pop-ups..

2008-09-25T11:11:00.001+02:00

Tags van Technorati: fake,pop-ups,malware

From several news sources today it is mentioned that many people fail to recognize fake pop-ups, the BBC reports on this.

Basically this means the fake pop-ups do work, unfortunately they work in favor of those who try to trick you into clicking the popup, this could be just to get the click and generate revenue but could also be in trying you to install some piece of software known to us as malware.

Malware stands for Malicious Software, usually designed to infiltrate a PC and use its resources for some negative actions.

We have to assume that those fake pop-ups appear on lesser standard website, meaning with lesser standards not the website you usually visit like CNN or MSNBC.

How could you prevent this from happening to your PC? that is not an easy thing to do but if compared to driving a car it means you constantly have to be on the lookout to prevent “accidents” from happening and when they do happen you should know what to do.

Install a virus scanner, regularly use anti-malware or anti-spyware utilities and use the firewall and most of all, be very conscious using the internet :). Similar to opening files from an email, do you trust the source who send it to you? if you know the person wonder why he/she would send this to you (he/she could have clicked that fake pop-up!!).

Be cautious out there on the (digital) highway.

Best Windows Vista website

2008-09-17T13:08:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: Vista,community,microsoft

The community has spoken and made the choice, Tweakhing with Vishal has won the contest that was brought to the web by the WindowsVistaBlog. Here’s the posting from WindowsVistaBlog.

Almost two weeks ago, I blogged about a contest being put on by The WinVistaClub for finding the best Windows Vista website on the web. And yesterday the winners were officially announced!

Winner: Tweaking with Vishal

The website Tweaking with Vishal took the crown by a landslide, capturing 32% of the 11, 520 votes. The website is definitely a Vista tour de force with hundreds, dare I say thousands of tips and tricks for customers.

Congrats to Vishal and all of the finalists. We appreciate your hard work and dedication to spreading the word!

BlogMS – Consumer & Hardware solution, 8-14 Sept.

2008-09-15T13:06:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: blogms,community,microsoft,blogs

Have you read a Microsoft blogpost last week? if not here you can find a large collection of blogposting by Microsoft Team Blogs using this Link.

From the overview I copied the following,

Consumer and Hardware Solutions
Microsoft Surface Website | RSS Feed
Live from MSNBC…it’s Microsoft Surface - 08-Sep-2008
Ashton Kutcher thinks Surface is cool - 11-Sep-2008
Can't multi-touch this! - 11-Sep-2008
Response Point Website | RSS Feed
SP1 Fact Sheet on line - 13-Sep-2008
Windows Home Server Website | RSS Feed
Java with John - 10-Sep-2008

New Family - Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates (Long Version)

2008-09-12T14:26:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: seinfeld,gates,windows,video

;-)

What is up with those ads? read about it on WindowsVistaBlog.com

Hug a developer :)

2008-09-09T10:34:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: hug,developer,fun

I just smiled ear to ear when I saw this video, now where are the hug a manager, projectlead, finance manager etc etc.. or even Hug Your MVP Lead for that matter?

Countdown to PDC, brainteasers

2008-09-04T14:56:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: channel9,pdc,community,don box,chris anderson,Microsoft

I came across a video from Channel9 with Don Box and Chris Anderson, very known within the developer community. During the show Mike Swanson shows a challenge and asks the viewers to solve it for him.. the previous brainteaser has not been swolved according to the vido, so if you like challenges go and watch the video :)

Countdown to PDC2008: By Developers, for Developers: Don Box and Chris Anderson

Official Microsoft Team Blogs - BlogMS

2008-08-25T15:23:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,social networking,blog,blogms

Wow we do send out a lot of information into the blogworld.. check out http://blogs.technet.com/blogms/ for an overview on last weeks blogpostings on official Microsoft Team blogs (yes, there’s much more if you take all individual bloggers… )

Naturally the all the large headlines are also included but things like a tip of the day from the mobile team or Essential power tools voor Team System are just 2 to mention.

148 Microsoft Team blogs searched, 76 blogs have new articles in the past 7 days. 169 new articles found searching from 18-Aug-2008 to 24-Aug-2008

User Group TV for ITPro’s debuts

2008-08-22T14:36:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,user group,ugtv,community

User Group Television (UGTV) is a monthly webcast dedicated to bringing informative programming to User Groups worldwide while providing Microsoft the ability to introduce up and coming informatino to user group communities as well as highlight our engagement with them.

http://edge.technet.com/Media/UGTV-User-group-Television-for-ITPro-Debuts/

Microsoft Office Labs

2008-08-21T14:52:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,office,labs,speedlaunch,email prioritizer,pptplex,beta,community,feedback

With project like below working on your pc/laptop only gets better.. Try them out and give feedback to the team. Only feedback can make these product better :) I personally like speedlaunch.

Email Prioritizer

Tired of email overload? Email Prioritizer is designed to help you manage email overload with a "do not disturb" feature and email ranking. Works with Outlook 2007 running on Exchange server.

Learn more | Download it

pptPlex

With just a few clicks, transform your PowerPoint presentations into a zoomable canvas. Works with Microsoft PowerPoint 2007.

Learn more | Download it

Speed Launch

Get quick access to all the documents, files, and websites you use most. Speed Launch is Office Labs’ first community prototype.

Learn more | Download it

Photosynth.net

2008-08-21T10:37:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: photosynth,microsoft,released

Photosynth is released, check it out on www.photosynth.net

and here’s a link to Cnet reporting on photosynth, http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10020637-2.html?hhTest=1&tag=nefd.top

In my inbox, 2nd Dutch Codecamp (dutch alert)

2008-08-18T11:47:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: sdn,dotned,vbcentral,codecamp,netherlands

Tijd om je even los te scheuren van het Olympisch festijn en je agenda te pakken. Op 6 september 2008 organiseren de SDN, Stichting dotNed en VBcentral samen het tweede Nederlandse Code Camp.
De voorlopige sessie agenda staat nu online, zie de Tracks en Sessies pagina voor meer informatie!

Wat is een Code Camp? Er is een heus Code Camp manifest, maar in het kort: een dag van code, code sharing, freaking en gezellig samenzijn. Een evenement door ontwikkelaars, voor ontwikkelaars. De regie ligt voor een belangrijk deel bij de deelnemers! Het aantal plaatsen voor deelnemers is wel beperkt tot maximaal 120. Wacht dus niet te lang met beslissen want voor je het weet is er geen plaats meer.

Virtual Facebook :)

2008-08-14T09:44:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,virtualization,community,feedback

As part of the Virtualization campaigns, Microsoft colleagues Edwin Yuen and Cynthia Starr will be discussing all of the product features and benefits on Facebook. They will use this forum to address any marketing or technical questions about Microsoft’s virtualization products as well as invite open discussion with our various partners and competitors. We want our community opinions too. If you want to participate, you can post your thoughts to the wall or you can just watch what we are saying from afar.

Ask to be their friend on Facebook - you can find them here:

http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1341172571
http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1346782204

In the spirit of the Olympics

2008-08-13T09:36:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: vista,gadget,olympics,china

I just found a gadget that keeps track of the medals per country during the current Olympics in China.

http://blog.donavon.com/2008/08/beijing-2008-olympics-medal-count.html

I can haz Deepzoom ;-)

2008-08-12T10:41:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: deepzoom,microsoft,humor,lolcatz

Deepzoom is a technology released by the Labs from live.com DEEPZOOM.

Used by hardrock.com to show their massive amount of memorabilia on the Internet, http://memorabilia.hardrock.com/ (zoom in and enjoy!)

and now the Lolcatz (if you never heard about them, it is a funny picture of a cat and now even broader to other animals with a comment using phonetic langauge).

Go and check out http://robburke.net/images/deeplol.html, if you like the pictures and “humor” it can entertain you for some time.

Technical Rollup Mails – August 2008

2008-08-01T11:33:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: UKTRM,Technical,rollup,mail,microsoft,community,blog,evangelism

The great evangalism team in the UK again have released their TRM’s.

Mentioned by an MVP, IE8 beta testers wanted

2008-07-31T13:41:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: IE8,beta,test,microsoft,blog,msdn

From the IE Development blog,

Wanted: IE8 Beta Testers

As previously mentioned in the IE8 Beta Feedback post back in March, we have several ways to submit feedback on the IE8 Beta. Currently the only way to directly file a bug with the IE Team is to be a part of the IE8 Technical Beta program on Microsoft Connect. Beta 2 is right around the corner and we are expanding our reach! If you wish to be a part of making IE better by contributing great bug reports then please email us at IESO@microsoft.com and tell us a little about yourself including why you’d be a great beta tester.

We look forward to hearing from you,

Allison Burnett
Program Manager

Check http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/07/30/wanted-ie8-beta-testers.aspx

Toby Richards: Community and MVP Program Roadmap

2008-07-30T10:53:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: Toby Richards,MVP,community,roadmap,general,manager

Toby Richards, General Manager for Community Support Services and the MVP Program at Microsoft, is interviewed by Ken Levy discussing the current state of the Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professionals) community and the roadmap for the MVP program and MVP summit.
Toby took over this role in early 2008, and he is responsible for programs that identify, award and enable community influencers around the world, creating deeper relationships and richer feedback opportunities that improve Microsoft products and services. Also discussed in the interview is online support strategies and how MVPs help users and developers who are not MVPs. For more information, go to the MVP Program Web site.

Toby Richards: Community and MVP Program Roadmap

Windows “Mojave”..

2008-07-29T18:58:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: windows,mojave,public,vista

You probably read about it on the Internet about the “Windows Mojave experiment”. Basically we showed Windows Mojave, the next version of Windows, to people biased against Windows Vista and guess what? at the end it was Windows Vista people were looking at.

Look at this website to see what the experiment was about, http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/

Free 3d Download from Microsoft

2008-07-28T08:25:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,free,download,caligari

Caligari trueSpace 7.6

Microsoft acquired Caligari some time ago and we just announced that Caligari trueSpace 7.6 is available for all and for free!!! (click here to register and download).

Check Chris Pendleton’s blog post on how to integrate your models in Virtual Earth or how to get access to the download, forums and tutorials.

Microsoftcommunities.com

2008-07-21T10:04:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,communities,global

This website holds easy instant access to several what we call Microsoft communities. It includes the use of Silverlight to visualize the “ happenings” in the community.

There is the Anemone that tracks Activity from Channel9.
The Orbs track activity from Microsoft Technical Communities (aka forums) and the Ticker updates you on MSDN and or Technet blog posts.

A snippet from the microsoftcommunities.com homepage,

A new community focus.

A funny thing happened while we weren't looking.
A lot of very talented, highly motivated developers and IT professionals began talking online about our tools — what they liked, ways to make things even better, and how they'd use them in real-world

applications. We were intrigued. We were motivated. We were excited about this growing community and we couldn't wait to get involved. So here we are. Supplying the feed, just like you. Come on in. The water's fine.

In Plain English, “LinkedIn”

2008-07-03T07:27:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: video,in plain english,linkin,social networking

a visual explanation what LinkedIn is from Plain English again.

Ronald Beekelaar on Hyper-V

2008-07-02T08:12:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: ronald beekelaar,mvp,virtual machine,product group,netherlands

Ronald is a Virtual Machine MVP in the Netherlands and blogged on the Windows Virtualization Team Blog including a video.

Read the whole post here.

Newly awarded MVPs, July 2008.

2008-07-01T21:12:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: most valuable professional,award,july,2008,benelux,nordic,belgium,luxembourg,netherlands,denmark,finland,norway,sweden

What a nice way to start the july month, 18 newly awarded MVPs in Benelux and Nordic (scandinavian) region.

Congratulations to you all!!

MVP Name	Technical Expertise	Country
Peter Geelen	Identity Lifecycle Manager	Belgium
Marc Van Nooten	Consumer Security	Belgium
kurt roggen	Management Infrastructure	Belgium
Lene Fredborg	Word	Denmark
Ronni Pedersen	System Center Configuration Manager	Denmark
Jesper Lund Stocholm	XML	Denmark
Peter Schmidt	Internet Information Services	Denmark
Ejvind Hansen	Consumer Security	Denmark
Brian Rasmussen	Visual C#	Denmark
Toni Kinni	Consumer Security	Finland
Joachim Farla	Communications Server	Netherlands
Dick Wenning	Dynamics AX	Netherlands
Einar Otto Stangvik	Visual C++	Norway
Olav Tvedt	Setup & Deployment	Norway
Stefan Schörling	System Center Configuration Manager	Sweden
Joachim Nässlander	File System Storage	Sweden
Andreas sjostrom	Device Application Development	Sweden
Tobias Thernström	SQL	Sweden

Congratulations! We are pleased to present you with the 2008 Microsoft® MVP Award! The MVP Award is our way to say thank you for promoting the spirit of community and improving people’s lives and the industry’s success every day. We appreciate your extraordinary efforts in the technical communities during the past year.

But let us not forget there were also a few renewing MVPs that got the award again for the same reasons mentioned above.

MVP Name	Technical Expertise	Country
Hans Le Roy	Internet Explorer	Belgium
Bruno van Dooren	Visual C++	Belgium
Jaak T. Doom	Windows Desktop Experience	Belgium
Wilfried Mestdagh	Virtual Earth	Belgium
Jan Tielens	SharePoint Server	Belgium
Riemer Grootjans	XNA/DirectX	Belgium
Jesper Hanno	Forefront	Denmark
Nikander Bruggeman	SharePoint Server	Netherlands
Jetze Mellema	Exchange Server	Netherlands
Cor Ligthert	Visual Basic	Netherlands
Maurice de Beijer	Visual Basic	Netherlands
Ronald Lemmen	Dynamics CRM	Netherlands
Andreas Johansson	Client App Dev	Netherlands
Niek Otten	Excel	Netherlands
Erik van Ballegoij	ASP/ASP.NET	Netherlands
Edward Bakker	Team System	Netherlands
Maarten Goet	System Center Operations Manager	Netherlands
Alex Thissen	Visual C#	Netherlands
Michel Roth	Terminal Server	Netherlands
Wilco Van Bragt	Terminal Server	Netherlands
Jan-Erik Sandberg	ASP/ASP.NET	Norway
Marcus Murray	Enterprise Security	Sweden
Patrik Löwendahl	Visual C#	Sweden
Christoffer Andersson	Directory Services	Sweden
Bjorn Axell	System Center Operations Manager	Sweden
Anders Bengtsson	System Center Operations Manager	Sweden

in just one word, “WOW” and THANK YOU all !

In my Inbox, “Hyper-V communit” (dutch alert)

2008-07-01T12:50:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: community,netherlands,hyper-v,mvp

Shamefull copy ansd paste from the email.

L.S.,

Vandaag, donderdag 26 juni 2008 heeft Microsoft een persbericht uitgestuurd waarmee officieel Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V aangekondigd wordt. Een belangrijke mijlpaal voor Microsoft, en de release van Hyper-V is twee maanden eerder dan oorspronkelijk gepland, een opmerkelijke prestatie.

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is de eerste Type-I Hypervisor virtualisatie software van Microsoft. De download wordt beschikbaar gesteld via de downloadsite van Microsoft komt ook als update beschikbaar via Windows Update.

Dit is ook het moment om dé Nederlandse informatiebron rondom Hyper-V aan te kondigen: www.hyper-v.nu, een een initatief van Jaap Wesselius, Thorwald van Elburg en Hans Vredevoort.

Er is veel vraag vanuit de markt naar Hyper-V en ook de hard- en software leveranciers staan vooraan als het om Hyper-V implementaties gaat. Wij proberen deze vraag en aanbod bij elkaar te brengen en de nodige informatie en praktijkervaringen publiekelijk beschikbaar te maken middels blogs, forum, een download optie, workshops en regelmatig een nieuwsbrief. Bijgaand vind je de eerste Nieuwsbrief die we onlangs hebben verstuurd.

Ook zit een workshop Hyper-V in de planning, evenals een Hyper-V bijeenkomst bij HP in Amstelveen. Op deze bijeenkomst wordt uiteraard Hyper-V gepresenteerd, maar ook aanverwante producten als bijvoorbeeld Virtual Machine Manager 2008. Meer informatie volgt binnenkort op onze site en op de site van HP.

Ga naar onze website http://www.hyper-v.nu en schrijf je in. Deel mee met de ervaringen van ander, stel vragen in het Forum of download informatie die (nog) niet publiek op de site staat. Wil je meewerken aan onze site, content laten publiceren of misschien iets op een bijeenkomst presenteren laat het dan weten aan ons via info@hyper-v.nu

Graag tot ziens op onze site of misschien op onze eerste bijeenkomst bij HP in Amstelveen!

Jaap Wesselius
Thorwald van Elburg
Hans Vredevoort

Community Devcasts (Dutch Alert).

2008-06-09T11:58:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: MVP,Alex Thissen,screencast,microsoft,nederland,devcast

Wat zijn de Microsoft community webcasts?

De Microsoft community webcasts zijn opgenomen presentaties met beeld en geluid. Iedere webcasts behandelt een onderwerp dat uitgelegd wordt door een expert op dat gebied en een gastheer.

De webcasts duren ongeveer een kwartier tot een half uur, zodat ze makkelijk tussendoor te bekijken zijn. Sommige webcasts maken deel uit van een serie, waarin een onderwerp uitvoeriger wordt behandeld, maar zijn afzonderlijk te bekijken.

Bekijk de Community DevCast, met informatie over .NET development, de tools, de frameworks, de programmeertalen, pattern & practices, handige programmeertip, informatie en veel meer... Microsoft Community DevCasts worden gegeven door ontwikkelaars voor ontwikkelaars.

http://www.microsoft.com/netherlands/msdn/devcast/

De DevCasts worden verzorgd door Nederlandse MVP's.

Social Media in Plain English

2008-06-09T11:38:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: plain english,video,social media

Social Media in Plain English from leelefever on Vimeo.

Again another “in Plain English” explanation of the Internet age, Social media explained.

European football championship

2008-06-05T10:14:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: community,install,microsoft,dutch

Found this little nugget (or rather was received through email :) ) and wanted to share it with you. An easy to install all the matches in your outlook executable! the info in the schedule itself is in the Dutch language but the times, locations are in English.

http://www.microsoft.com/netherlands/ondernemers/downloads/ektool.aspx

(and yes, we call it football and not soccer).

Live Sysinternals....

2008-05-30T14:03:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: sysinternals,microsoft,global,tools,use

shameful copy and past from http://live.sysinternals.com/About_This_Site.txt

What is this?

This is a file share allowing access to all Sysinternals utilities. We have developed this to test an alternate distribution mechanism for our utilities.

This will allow you to run these tools from any computer connected to the Internet without having to navigate to a webpage, download and extract the zip file.

If you are unfamiliar with Microsoft Windows Sysinternals, it is highly recommended that you visit the website at http://technet.microsoft.com/sysinternals before using these tools.

If you have any questions or comments on this file share, please email syssite@microsoft.com

Regards,
The Microsoft Windows Sysinternals Team

Check it out, http://live.sysinternals.com.

In my Inbox, .NET User Group Brugge (dutch alert).

2008-05-26T10:57:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: user group,brugge,belgium,accb.net,kris,lauwereins

ACCB.NET bijeenkomst op,

woensdag 28 mei 2008 om 20h30
XAML

en/of

Woensdag 4 juni 2008 om 20h30
Praktijk bijeenkomst

Bij deze nodig ik jullie uit op de volgende .NET bijeenkomsten. Dit werkjaar gaan wij van start met Praktijk bijeenkomsten (Workshops), waarbij we op die avonden echt aan het programmeren slaan.

Tot aan de zomer, waarbij we van ons welverdiende vakantie kunnen genieten, hebben we nog 3 opeenvolgende demonstraties, die telkens op elkaar gebaseerd zijn. Het betreft eerst XML – XSL (30 april), daarna XAML (28 mei) en daarna WPF en Expression Blend (25 juni).

Op 28 mei 2008, wordt u uitgenodigd voor de demonstratie van XAML.

Op 4 juni 2008, is onze maandelijkse praktijk bijeenkomst. Vergeet zeker jullie notebook niet!!! Programmeervragen en –problemen kunnen aanbod komen, zowel voor BEGINNERS als GEVORDERDEN.

Mogen wij u vragen om u vooraf in te schrijven op http://www.accbdotnet.be/datum.htm

Onderwijl is ACCB.net sinds oktober 2007 verbroederd met VBiB (Visual Basic in België), Forum, Tips & Tricks,… Kortom alles voor de beginnende of gevorderde Visual Basic programmeur. Op de praktijkavonden bespreken wij enkele van de problemen, die gesteld werden op het forum.

NIEUW URL !!!

Noteer alvast ook onze nieuwe URL: Naast http://accbnet.ccat.be kun je nu ook alles bekijken op http://www.accbdotnet.be

Suggesties betreffende bepaalde demonstratie en activiteiten zijn altijd welkom, gelieve deze door te sturen zodat we deze kunnen opnemen in onze planning.

Ons clublokaal bevindt zich te Brugge (St-Pieters), voor wie er nog niet geweest is, is er meer gedetailleerde informatie te vinden op http://www.accbdotnet.be/plaats.htm

In de pipeline (toekomstige thema’s)

· WPF

· Microsoft Expression Blend

· Microsoft Expression Web

· Silverlight

· ASP.NET en AJAX

· Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)

· NDepend

· …

MVP in the Spotlight - Jani Järvinen

2008-05-21T13:46:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: MVP,spotlight,Jani,Järvinen,Visual C#

Name and Surname: Jani Järvinen (Mr.)
Award in: Visual C#

MVP Profile: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=0748890C-FE7F-4A84-907C-1A3DFBC68BB0

Occupation: Technical Manager/Consultant

Company: Moonsoft Oy, Finland (www.moonsoft.fi)

Let’s start asking you what do you do for a living...

My job is to work as a technical manager here at Moonsoft Oy in Finland. Moonsoft is a Finnish company selling software and consultancy to the Finnish and Nordic markets. I focus on software development and security related products/topics on the Microsoft platforms, of course mostly on the .NET platform. My daily tasks include keeping up to date with technology, learning about new software development topics, and consulting our customers in their projects and helping to design the applications and write code, if necessary.

In addition to this my day-job, I write magazine and web articles about current software development topics as well as keep my blog. If time allows, I hang around the Microsoft .NET development newsgroups (Usenet), and share my knowledge there. Last half-a-year was spent on my Visual Studio 2008 book, which is written in Finnish and aimed at the professional developer. The title, freely translated to English, is “Visual Studio 2008 Handbook”.

Being an MVP: what does it mean to you?

To me, being an MVP means being able to connect with top experts in the field, get access to a wealth of resources and being able to learn new technology even while it’s in the making. All this allows me to learn more about things I love, and in the end share what I’ve learned with others.

Which were the most important successes you achieved from a community perspective?

I’m very happy to have been able to start a local, Finnish software development community at the web site www.itpro.fi. We regularly keep a blog, hold meetings and share our findings, and we’re also planning on keeping online sessions to the software development audience in Finland. Also, the number of people reading my blog is in the increase, which is naturally rewarding.

Additionally, I’m happy to help people with their software development and design issues on the Usenet newsgroups. It often feels like a community there, especially since there are many regulars. I started answering questions already a long time ago, maybe some 15 years ago. Then of course .NET was unheard of, and Win32 API programming needed much tweaking back then.

What is the drive that incite you helping a lot of people solving their technical issues?

During the years, I’ve learned a lot from both people around me, and on the Internet. Many times, success is based on your knowledge, and for example in software development this rule works out very well. Since I have learned from others, I feel obliged to share my knowledge with others. And the important thing is that this isn’t a one-way street: by sharing your information, you also learn more. Sharing what I know with others keeps the ball rolling, so to speak.

What kind of suggestions would you give to the ones who want to deepen their knowledge on Visual Studio and .NET?

Today, I find the Internet the best place to find more information about technology, and Visual Studio/.NET programming isn’t an exception. However, even though the Internet is a great place to share information, it often is more like a reference, and the information tends to be scattered. Thus, I still believe that traditional classroom courses, books and magazines have their place. It is often the overall picture you need to master first, and then deepen your knowledge about particular topics.

Microsoft people are active blog keepers, so these are often then best sources of real-world information. Together with MSDN documentation these would be the two places online I would recommend if asked to pick only one or two. Using a good RSS reader makes following the most important blogs much easier.

What do you do when you’re not online?

Even though a bit part of my time requires using a computer, there are also times I want to do something else. Of course, spending time with my family and friends is very important, and also gives perspective to many topics. As for my hobbies, bicycling, motorbiking, music and photography are close to my heart.

Last but not least, where can we find you (online and/or offline)?

On the Internet, my homepage can be found at http://www.saunalahti.fi/janij/. There, you can find my software development blog (in English), and some other information about myself, including some photographs (I’m in the process of updating my site to a new look). Offline, I’m spending most of my time around my home in Vantaa, Finland, which is a suburb city of the Finland’s capital area. A very nice place, especially in the summer!

In my inbox, Pro-Exchange newsletter May 2008

2008-05-06T09:40:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: pro-exchange,belgium,mvp,Ilse van Criekinge,community,exchange,uc,user group

This mail popped up in my inbox, Ilse is an Exchange Design MVP from Belgium and is very (did i say very? I mean VERY VERY) active in the community. Ilse her MVP Profile

Dear Member,

The Belgian community has a very strong reputation internationally with many individuals making their mark in their fields of expertise. Lots of individuals, just like you, are hungry for more information about the many Microsoft products and technologies. In addition to the technical information, there is also very often the need to just socialize with other persons within the same domain of expertise. The many user groups that were started the last couple of years are doing a great job trying to address these needs with monthly meetings.

Nine of them, Belgian Dynamics Community, Biwug, IT-Talks, Pro-Exchange, Scug, SQLUG, Visug, Winsec, and XNAbug have decided to combine their efforts again to organize another joint-event just before summer starts. So if you are eager to learn, get answers to your questions and meet your peers, come and join us at the premises of SemCom in Keerbergen on Thursday, the 26th of June 2008.

You can start planning your ½ day of free training already! And for those of you who were there last year, no need to get up early this year, there is nothing going on @ Werchter J

Pro-Exchange will host two sessions, and co-host a third session together with Biwug. During our sessions we will cover OCS and Voice, Windows 2008, and SharePoint vs Exchange Public Folders: The Battle. Have a look at the agenda, and I’m sure you will find very useful sessions. So head over to http://www.communityday.be and register now! (space is limited)!

Hope to see you all there!

Latest Posts on Pro-Exchange include:

· Available for download now: Visio - Exchange Server Connector

· Exchange Management Shell: TFM

· COMMUNITY DAY 2008

· G711, Gsm, or Wma: which audio codec to use for call answering messages?

· TechNet Briefing: Security Strategies with Steve Riley

· Single Instance Storage Exchange when moving mailboxes?

· Get-Mailbox | ?{$_.UmEnabled} | Get-UMMailboxPIN | ?{$_.FirstTimeUser}

· Pro-Exchange Event April 24, Thank you Luc!

· Error 0XC1037986 while removing an Ex2003 Server after migration towards Ex2007

· Outlook 2007: Sync error 0x80190194 (OAB synchronization)

· Ports used by Microsoft Office Communications Server & Clients

That’s it for now, enjoy the sun, and see you in Keerbergen!

- Ilse

If you are into Exchange and within a travel distance of the event, go visit and share your knowledge or learn from some great community contributors!

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Hoe Geek ben jij?

2008-05-05T16:11:00.001+02:00

Shamefull copy and paste..

Overtuig ons van je kwaliteiten en win de Geek of the Year Award.

De DevDays komen er weer aan en speciaal voor alle geeks is er een avondprogramma ontwikkeld waarin plezier met technologie voorop staat; schrijf je hier in. Tijdens deze avond zal Microsoft de winnaar bekend maken van de Geek of the Year Award.

Wil jij kans maken om de Geek of the Year award te winnen en naast eeuwige roem ook Visual Studio 2008 pro én een MSDN jaarabonnement in ontvangst te nemen? Doe dan mee met de Geek Challenge en stuur een filmpje met je beste werk (een coole, aparte of handige applicatie) naar geeknl@microsoft.com

Uit alle inzendingen worden 5 finalisten geselecteerd die gratis toegang krijgen tot DevDays. De genomineerden komen met hun werk op deze pagina te staan waar je je stem uit kan brengen op je favoriet. Zo bepaal jij wie de winnaar wordt.
De inzending sluit op 15 mei, dus wees er snel bij!

Doe mee met de Geek Challenge én schrijf je hier in voor de Geek Night.

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Search Commands.. I like it...

2008-05-05T13:26:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,search commands,office

I have to admit, I already work with the 2007 suite for a long time and know where to find the command I use (daily, bi-daily and weekly :) ).

This however is pretty cool and helps you find them quicker than ever!

SEARCH COMMANDs

Search for commands in your own words and get the button to do it, instantly. Works with Microsoft Office 2007 - Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

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In my inbox... ACCB.net gathering

2008-04-28T08:37:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: .net,brugge,accb,user group,belgium

Dutch alert

Geachte,

Betreft: ACCB.NET bijeenkomst op woensdag 30 april 2008 om 20h30

XML – XSL – XSLT - XPath

en/of

Woensdag 7 mei 2008 om 20h30

Praktijk bijeenkomst

Bij deze nodig ik jullie uit op de volgende .NET bijeenkomsten. Dit werkjaar gaan wij van start met Praktijk bijeenkomsten (Workshops), waarbij we op die avonden echt aan het programmeren slaan.

Op 30 april 2008, wordt u uitgenodigd voor de demonstratie van XML – XSL - XSLT - XPath.

Op 7 mei 2008, is onze maandelijkse praktijk bijeenkomst. Vergeet zeker jullie notebook niet!!! Programmeervragen en –problemen kunnen aanbod komen, zowel voor BEGINNERS als GEVORDERDEN.

Mogen wij u vragen om u vooraf in te schrijven op http://www.accbdotnet.be/datum.htm

NIEUW URL !!!

Noteer alvast ook onze nieuwe URL: Naast http://accbnet.ccat.be kun je nu ook alles bekijken op http://www.accbdotnet.be

Suggesties betreffende bepaalde demonstratie en activiteiten zijn altijd welkom, gelieve deze door te sturen zodat we deze kunnen opnemen in onze planning.

Ons clublokaal bevindt zich te Brugge (St-Pieters), voor wie er nog niet geweest is, is er meer gedetailleerde informatie te vinden op http://www.accbdotnet.be/plaats.htm

In de pipeline (toekomstige thema’s)

· XAML

· WPF

· Microsoft Expression Blend

· Microsoft Expression Web

· Silverlight

· ASP.NET en AJAX

· Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)

· NDepend

· …

Nog dit
We sturen je dit emailbericht ongevraagd omdat je op de mailinglijst van de ACCB.NET staat. Wil je in de toekomst niet meer geïnformeerd worden over onze activiteiten dan kan dat ook. Beantwoord je dit berichtje met als onderwerp: SCHRAPPEN dan beloven we dat we je geen e-mails meer te sturen.

Onze website's
http://www.accbdotnet.be

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Mesh!.. Mesh?

2008-04-25T11:52:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: Community,preview,livestream,mesh,microsoft,ctp

If you are like me, "lesser technically advanced", you might wonder what Mesh is all about?

Here, there, everywhere

Live Mesh puts you at the center of your digital world, seamlessly connecting you to the people, devices, programs, and information you care about — available wherever you happen to be.

Get started today. Learn more.
https://www.mesh.com/

We found a good explanation on On10.net
Link to On10 Live Mesh.

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Geeknight!

2008-04-24T13:29:00.001+02:00

Geek Night is een compleet nieuw fenomeen op DevDays. Donderdagavond 22 mei staat plezier met technologie centraal. Geek Night is dan ook zeker geen standaard developer-event. Iedere computer- en development-enthousiasteling is welkom. Deze avond is ‘the place to be’ voor iedereen die geïnteresseerd is in technologie. En hier graag direct zelf mee aan de slag gaat om coole toepassingen te bouwen. Bijvoorbeeld een raket met GPS-tracking of robots. Kom langs en stap binnen in een wereld vol technologie en tools die bovendien in veel gevallen gratis beschikbaar zijn!
Geek Night plaatst technologie in een compleet ander perspectief. Daarbij staat fun voorop. Dat gebeurt met demonstraties van de nieuwste tools voor Mash-Up development, Rich Internet applicaties, Robotics met MSRS, game-development met XNA, computer simulatietechnologieën, FlightSim development en showcases rond digital imaging en fotografie. En dat is nog maar een selectie. Er is veel meer. Zo presenteert het Microsoft Coding4Fun team de laatste ontwikkelingen op het gebied van .NET technologie. Digitaal televisiekanaal Channel 9 geeft een kijkje in de keuken van Microsoft via interviews met de bedenkers en ontwikkelaars zelf. Ook de Nederlandse developer communities zijn natuurlijk van de partij. Zij verzorgen workshops over boeiende onderwerpen. Ontmoet deze experts en deel hun passie voor technologie.
Plezier staat centraal. Daarom is er veel gelegenheid om even stoom af te blazen. Deelnemers kunnen zich uitleven op Xbox 360 consoles. En de guitar hero competitie biedt een excuus om helemaal los te gaan.
Toegang tot de Geek Night kost € 15,-. Klik op de bovenstaande button om in te schrijven.

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It has started.. MVP Summit 2008

2008-04-15T18:32:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: MVP,Summit,microsoft,2008,seattle,redmond,campus,product groups

The summit 2008 has started and we see a lot of MVPs wandering around jetlag-ed in downtown Seattle. Registration has been done and today the 1st day of deep dive.

Now the MVPs are going to talk to the product groups on the Microsoft Campus and learn new items and features in the products. They naturally will have the ability to supply feedback, direct feedback :), to the product group on these new features but also on complete other items. What of the greatest things I myself see happening is that the MVPs as User group and community leaders take the feedback they received from their community to the group and really are the voice of the customer.

as a note, this is a NDA event and MVPs cannot speak nor blog about it, this is done so the MVPS and the product groups from Microsoft have a deep and lively discussion without being worried on leaking the wrong information. If you run into an MVPs please understand why they cannot tell everything to you and appreciate that what they can share will be shared!

http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2008/apr08/04-1408MVPSummitPR.mspx

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Creating a More Trusted Internet: By Scott Charney

2008-04-09T16:16:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: Internet,social,networking,Microsoft

Imagine a more trusted, privacy enhanced Internet experience where devices and software enable people to make more effective choices and take control over who, and what, to trust online.
It is not an overstatement to say that the Internet has transformed the way we live. Social networking represents the new town square; blogging has turned citizens into journalists; and e-commerce sites have spurred global competition in the marketplace. But with people of all ages flocking online, and with the proliferation of high-profile, targeted attacks on individual or organizational information, assets and identities, more and more people consider the lack of security and privacy on the Internet to be at an unacceptable level.

Read Scott Charney’s Full Article about End to End Trust
Read Microsoft's End to End Trust White Paper

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Sean O'Driscoll on Channel9

2008-04-09T09:54:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: Sean O'Dricoll,MVP,Microsoft,Channel9,community

Sean used to be the General Manager for Community Support and the MVP Award Program and has chosen to pursue personal objective last year. Still this is a very interesting video made available just now on Channel9.MSDN.com

Sean O'Driscoll, a General Manager for Community Support and the MVP Program at Microsoft, is interviewed by Ken Levy discussing the history, current state, and future of Microsoft MVPs and the MVP Program. For the past 5 years, Sean has been responsible for the MVP Program which now includes about 4,000 MVPs worldwide. Microsoft MVPs (Most Valuable Professionals) are a select group of experts representing technology's best and brightest people who share a commitment to community. For more information about the MVP Program, refer to http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/.

Sean O'Driscoll: General Manager for Community Support and the MVP Program

Posted by Dan // Tue, Apr 8, 2008

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Vista SP1, from the Update blog

2008-04-08T08:48:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,vista,servicepack,sp1,update,blog

From the Vista Blog I read,

I have a quick update for you about Windows Vista SP1. The Microsoft Update Blog contains some important information about updates to the SP1 prerequisite distribution plan. Starting tomorrow, we are resuming the automatic update and installation of the Servicing Stack Update.

In mid-April, we will begin distributing SP1 (in the first 5 languages) using the Automatic Update system. We have a lot of Windows users, so not everyone will get it on the same day. In fact, it will go to a small percentage of Windows Vista users each day. The exact timing of when you will receive it depends on when your PC is ready for Windows Vista SP1.

In addition to starting the automatic delivery of the first 5 languages, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you that also we're on track for the initial release of SP1 in the remaining languages in mid-April.

Nice to see we are on track to deliver for the remaining languages :)

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MVP in the SPOTLIGHT "Edward Bakker".

2008-04-03T13:44:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: Edward Bakker,MVP,Team system,profile,spotlight,microsoft

Name Surname: Edward Bakker
Award in: Team System
MVP Profile: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=34690A6D-2718-4FF1-BA74-FBD9A9AA67BB
Occupation: Software Architect
Company: Inter Access

Let’s start asking you what do you do for a living...

Well, I am in the IT business for 12,5 years now. I started as a Visual Foxpro developer and switched to the Microsoft .NET platform as soon as the first Beta 1 was out. From that point on, I participated in lot’s of .NET projects in both a developer and software architect role. Early 2005 I started experimenting with Domain Specific Languages and Guidance Automation and got so fascinated by the potential power of these technologies for improving the software development process that I decided to focus on Software Factories and Application Lifecycle Management from then. I recently switched jobs and now work as a Microsoft Software Architect for a Dutch System Integrator called Inter Access. Together with a small team I am developing and implementing the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) / Software Factory strategy for Inter Access which basically means we are constantly optimizing the software development process for Inter Access and its customers.

Being an MVP: what does it mean to you?

For me, the best things of being an MVP is the access to a passionate group of people, resources and Microsoft Product teams to help me further improve myself, enable me to help other community members and even influence the direction Microsoft is heading to.

Which were the most important successes you achieved from a community perspective?

Last year, I co-hosted a session (with Jezz Santos, Microsoft) “Build your own Software Factory” at TechEd 2007 USA. A little later, we were asked to also deliver this same session at TechEd 2007 Japan. The fact that being an MVP enables you to meet and help people with a completely different culture who are living in a country that I do not interact with on a regular basis was a great experience for me. Another “success” was our series on Building Software Factories that was published on our blogs and MSDN. We had some great feedback from community members telling us these articles really helped them better understand the potential power of Software Factories. That is great, after all that is what we are doing it for.

What is the drive that incite you helping a lot of people solving their technical issues?

My drive is definitely my enthusiasm and passion about these topics. Enthusiastic people tend to feel the “need” to spread the word and share their ideas, thoughts but also concerns about the topics they “love”. Another very important reason for me to interact with community members is that it helps me understand the topic better myself. To answer a specific question I very often have to dig in the technology, experiment and walk paths that I haven’t walked myself. So, basically a question triggers me to learn!

What kind of suggestions would you give to the ones who want to deepen their knowledge on Application Lifecycle Management and Software Factories?

My first suggestion would definitely be to use the MSDN forums. We have MSDN forums for almost every Microsoft technology and in general the responses you get are very good. Another thing that I find helpful is to read blogs from other people that are interested in the same topic. For those of you who are interested in Software Factories and Domain Specific Languages you might want to check a “software factory community portal” that is currently starting up. This site aggregates all related blogs, provides links to community members, articles, etc. so should be a good starting point.

What do you do when you’re not online?

When I am not online I am trying to spend as much time as possible with my wife, daughter and family. I still enjoy having a few drinks with my friends so that also consumes a lot of time. Last, I have this boring hobby (at least that is what others tell me) which is keeping KOI (Japanese colored carp). I have this big pond in my garden and I find it quit relaxing to sit and watch them gracefully swim in the crystal clear water :)

Last but not least, where can we find you (online and/or offline)?

The best way to contact me would probably be to send me a mail via my blog (www.edwardbakker.nl) or ping me on MSN (ef_bakker@msn.com). Further, I try to attend as much events as possible, both in the Netherlands and abroad. Expect to see me at events like TechEd and PDC. Please feel free to contact me, I would love to discuss Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), Software Factory and Domain Specific Language oriented topics with any community member!

Credits to the person who executed the idea well before me and excited me in doing the same, my fellow lead Alessandro from Italy, Thanks Ale!

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Mark Russinovich Windows Vista SP1 Roundtable

2008-04-01T10:19:00.001+02:00

Technorati Tags: Community,vista,MVP,Microsoft

Microsoft Technical Fellow and IT guru Mark Russinovich hosts a panel of top independent industry experts to drive an open discussion around Windows Vista adoption and deployment, and demystify known issues. The panel will feature leading third-party Windows Vista adoption subject-matter experts including Mark Minasi , author of Administering Windows Vista Security: The Big Surprises; Tony Bradley, foremost security expert and Microsoft Enterprise Security MVP; and Jerry Honeycutt, author, speaker and Deployment Forum MVP, as well as IT Pros from customer organizations that have tackled Windows Vista adoption and deployment-all discussing the challenges, workarounds, and tips and tricks that they have learned along the way and the benefits of adoption. Members of the Windows product team will also be on hand to help answer questions and speak to specific Vista hot topics.

Visit TechNet Spotlight: www.microsoft.com/technetspotlight

Video on Demand, Video Downloads, PowerPoint Presentations, Audio and more

Springboard Series- Still Undecided About Windows Vista?

Event Page: http://www.microsoft.com/emea/spotlight/event.aspx?id=91

Links to Session Video: http://www.microsoft.com/emea/spotlight/sessionh.aspx?videoid=815

Windows Vista SP1 Roundtable discussion: Join Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich and a panel of IT industry experts:

Ø Jerry Honeycutt, Author, technical writer, and head of independent Deployment Forum

Ø Tony Bradley, Security Consultant with BT INS in Houston, Director of Security (Evangelyze), Microsoft Security MVP

Ø Mark Minasi, Technology Writer and Speaker and Microsoft Directory Services MVP

Ø Sumeeth Evans, IT Director, Collegiate Housing Services

Ø Lars Norman Søndergaard, Consultant, Globeteam

Ø Gary R. Wilhelm, Sr., Business and Financial Systems Manager, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center

Ø Jeremy Chapman, Senior Product Manager, Windows Vista Deployment

Ø David Zipkin, Senior Product Manager, Windows Vista SP1

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So this is what it's really like at Microsoft

2008-03-27T09:28:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: microsoft,viewmyworld,employees

www.viewmyworld.com is a web site devoted to showing employees from Microsoft and let them share their opinions with you.

When you click to forward the URL it will draft the following piece of text in an email for you.

Hi - I saw this site and thought you'd want to check it out. It's about what it's like to be a dev, tester or a program manager at Microsoft. There's a lot of videos, links to blogs and some RSS feeds. I thought you'd like this page in particular:

http://www.viewmyworld.com/index.asp?section=home&subsection=&content=

Let me know what you think!

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Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 Community launch Netherlands

2008-03-14T12:46:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: sdn,vbcentral,dotned,sqlpass,community,launch,visual Studio 2008,SQL Server 2008,netherlands,Most valuable professional,MVP

The SDN, VBcentral, DotNed and SQLPass netherlands are hosting a community launch for Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008.

A specific track for the launch contains the following sessions and people presenting, most if them are MVP!

Visual Basic 2008 - What's new - André Obelink (MVP)
What’s new in SQL Server 2008 - Peter ter Braake (VP SQLPass NL)
LINQ to SQL - Anko Duizer (Regional Director)
IIS 7 voor Ontwikkelaars - Sander Gerz (MVP)
Quality Tools in VS2008 - Dennis Vroegop (MVP)

Detail for the whole event can be found here, Community Launch (dutch alert). where more MVPs will be speaking and informing you on the best and the latest.

Will I see you there?
Do you know of another community launch event?

let me know!

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In plain English, Twitter.

2008-03-10T10:44:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: plain english,twitter,community,online

Brilliant movie again explaining Twitter this time from the people who also brought us RSS in plain English.

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Dutch Devdays 2008 (dutch alert!)

2008-03-05T16:38:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: Devdays,microsoft,community,netherlands,2008

Apologies for the Dutch language.

De DevDays Geek Night staat dit jaar voor het eerst op het programma van DevDays. Deze speciale avond is op donderdag 22 mei, van 18:00 tot 22:00 uur. Die avond kunt u onder het genot van een hapje en een drankje even bijkomen van alle ervaringen die u tijdens DevDays hebt opgedaan. Op deze avond staat plezier voorop. U kunt ondermeer presentaties van het Microsoft Coding4Fun-team bijwonen. De developer communities houden open huis en u kunt diverse ongewone sessies volgen die de volgende dag op DevDays het gespreksonderwerp zullen zijn. Mis het niet. U kunt zich apart inschrijven voor het avondprogramma van DevDays.

http://www.devdays.nl/GeekNight/Default.aspx

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.NET User Group Brugge ACCB.net

2008-02-27T09:28:00.001+01:00

Technorati Tags: usergroup,community,belgium,brugge,microsoft

Great enthusiasm and many splendid topics! go check out the web site from the Belgium .NET user Group located in the wonderful city of Brugge. (Dutch language alert)

The user group meets every Wednesday evening at 20:30 (local Belgium time) until people are done for the evening.

Some upcoming topics, (Dutch alert once again)

woensdag 5 maart 2008

Thema: Office Addins met Visual Studio 2008 (VSTO)
Discussie en napraten

woensdag 12 maart 2008

Praktijk bijeenkomst (neem jullie portable mee!!)

woensdag 2 april 2008

Thema: LINQ
Discussie en napraten

woensdag 9 april 2008

Praktijk bijeenkomst (neem jullie portable mee!!)

Communities and thouGhts from Gerver's Desk.

Build your skills : Exchange 2010

Scottgu video’s available from the3 DotNed meeting on Friday 25th of September 2009.

Showcasting Windows PowerShell

Lasts posts from the MVP Award program blog

Belgium MVPs on TechNet stage (virtual stage that is :) )

A long time ago….

New MVPS Announced – July 2009

"How Do I?" Videos for the Azure Services Platform

#DevDay2009 day 2

#Devdays2009, day 1

Community Day Belgium, 25th of June 2009 – FREE EVENT, DO NOT MISS IT (awesome!)

Mix essentials Europe, May 28 & 29

Microsoft Devdays 2009 Wildcard session list

Fix-it, SBS community Award and DeepZoomPix!

Free Microsoft Press E-book co-authored by an MVP.

Microsoft video, Software + Services

April 2009 MVP Award , Congratulations!

“Word if Mouth Marketing”, a book that includes a chapter on the Microsoft MVP Award Program.

IE8 FireStarter – Live Meeting

[Devdays09] are coming!

Messenger product group interviewed MVPs during MVP09 summit.

MVP Award Program Global Summit 2009 - Twitter

One World Developer Community, A virtual event happening on April 1st2009!

Download a free e-book from the MVP Award Program Blog

Springboard Virtual Roundtable w/ Mark Russinovich - Windows 7 Beta

MicrosoftBelgium Techdays09.. awesome list of speakers although I say so myself :)

Enhancing the SharePoint Developer Experience

Databinding in Windows Presentation Foundation: from the beginning to the end

Take a look! http://www.microsoft.com/belux/techdays/agenda.aspx

phpBB hacked.. :(

History of The Internet in 8 minutes

www.MSCOMMUNITY.be

January award cycle, new MVP’s!

http://blogs.msdn.com/mvpawardprogram

{You shape} your knowledge – Techdays.be

Infoworld on MVPs

Free Expression Web training – team blog

ZoomIt! always wondered how they did it :)

Seadragon and Ajax? Deepzoom embedded

Anatomy of a Hack 2008 (Jesper Johansson)

ITForum Barcelona – Last day

ITForum Barcelona – Day 3 and 4

ITForum Barcelona – Day 2

ITForum Barcelona continued – Day 1

Teched ITforum Barcelona 2008 - Day1

Windows 7 @ TechNet Edge

Introducing Windows Azure - Channel9

Celebrating 25 Years, Microsoft Press Books!

Microsoft Security E-mail Spoofs with Malware

VORT-EX 08.. A virtual event..

Pull Down The Shaded

Pull Down The Shades: A Color Sidebar Gadget

New Version of Pro Photo Tools released

Fake pop-ups..

Best Windows Vista website

BlogMS – Consumer & Hardware solution, 8-14 Sept.

New Family - Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates (Long Version)

Hug a developer :)

Countdown to PDC, brainteasers

Official Microsoft Team Blogs - BlogMS

User Group TV for ITPro’s debuts

Microsoft Office Labs

Photosynth.net

In my inbox, 2nd Dutch Codecamp (dutch alert)

Virtual Facebook :)

In the spirit of the Olympics

I can haz Deepzoom ;-)

Technical Rollup Mails – August 2008

Mentioned by an MVP, IE8 beta testers wanted

Wanted: IE8 Beta Testers

Toby Richards: Community and MVP Program Roadmap

Windows “Mojave”..

Free 3d Download from Microsoft

Microsoftcommunities.com

In Plain English, “LinkedIn”

Ronald Beekelaar on Hyper-V

Newly awarded MVPs, July 2008.

In my Inbox, “Hyper-V communit” (dutch alert)

Community Devcasts (Dutch Alert).

Name and Surname: Jani Järvinen (Mr.)
Award in: Visual C#