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Topic: Software

Microsoft: If we 'Build' a new developers conference, will they come?

Summary: Microsoft execs told developers earlier this year that there would be a new developers conference happening in mid-September 2011. But until this evening, details about this until-now-unnamed event were relatively few.

Mary Jo Foley

By for All About Microsoft |

Microsoft execs told developers earlier this year that there would be a new developers conference happening in mid-September 2011. But until this evening, details about this until-now-unnamed event were relatively few.

On June 1, in conjunction with Windows President Steven Sinofsky's Windows 8 demo at the AllThingsD conference, Microsoft shared the new name of the conference -- "Build/Windows." (I'm guessing the name could be inspired by the Maker Faire brand.)

Microsoft's hope is to convince Windows, Windows Azure, Windows Phone and Web developers to attend the September 13 to 16 Build show in Anaheim to learn what's going on across all of Microsoft's platforms. (Microsoft also is postponing and relocating its annual Financial Analyst Meeting from its typical late July in Redmond venue to September 14 to Anaheim, Calif., this year.)

Build supersedes the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC), Microsoft's near-annual gathering of developers interested in the company's developer tools and platform futures. Like other Microsoft watchers, I'm expecting Microsoft to deliver a test build of Windows 8, as well as a possible test build of Visual Studio 2012, in conjunction with the conference. And maybe Microsoft will finally raise the curtain on "Jupiter," its new XAML-based app model for Windows 8 there, too....

Microsoft is opening registration for the Build conference on June 1.

Topics: Software, Microsoft, Operating Systems, Software Development, Windows

About

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

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  • RE: Microsoft: If we 'Build' a new developers conference, will they come?

    I liked what I saw so far... As I mentioned in another post, Journalist love to hammer on Microsoft that they're sleeping. But this again shows that MS is not an Apple follower, but carves its own view of he future. And it looks very promising. Windows 8 builds on successes and misses of Windows 7, Windows Phone 7, Zune and XBOX. These guys know what their doing and must have been silently laughing at all these ridiculous posts about them not being relevant anymore.
    vhaakmat
    Reply Vote

    • A post about nothing

      What shows they're a technology leader? Or indeed anything promising?

      A press release about a new developers conference? Perhaps having to put off their analysts meeting for a few months until they have something to show?

      Another press release, next week an example of a real developers conference begins. Not MS press releases.
      Richard Flude
      Reply Vote

    • Sorry to dissapoint you...

      @vhaakmat : although the demo looks great, the fact that they are leaning towards an HTML5/JavaScript environment doesn't speak well of them.

      That is, with all the effort that has gone into creating a Silverlight/XNA community for Windows Phone 7, to now say that it's HTML5 all the way *OR* Win32 (if you want to be a retrograde) is just shooting yourself on the foot.

      Trust me. One of the only reasons developers were interested on the WP7 'flop' was for preparation for Windows 8 development. Now those dreams are over.
      cosuna
      Reply Vote

  • A new yet familiar approach

    What Microsoft presented this evening at D9 looks good, its a new approach. It would be interesting if they actually make this interface also able to use a mouse point and click in addition to Touch. The key thing is, Microsoft finally gets Touch right in Windows, I just hope the rest of Microsoft product teams are on board too, Microsoft Office, Windows Live and other app teams.

    Microsoft has a lot of work ahead to get third party devs to also adhere to this new approach to using Windows.
    Mr. Dee
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Microsoft: If we 'Build' a new developers conference, will they come?

      @Mr. Dee
      They did... check this link that Microsoft just posted: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p92QfWOw88I
      vhaakmat
      Reply Vote

  • Lots of talk about HTML5/JS, not much XAML

    Why would Microsoft chose to make HTML5/JS the first class citizen of the new ui? From the talk about Jupiter I was really looking forward to building full-screen immersive apps in something like Silverlight/WPF. As a UI developer, I would rather do animation in XAML storyboards than a canvas tag any day of the week. September is a really long time to wait for details now that this information is out. I understand that Silverlight apps will continue to run both in and out of the browser, but I've got to wonder why the development story we're being sold isn't a lot closer to that of Windows Phone. Given the (somewhat)recent debacle with Mr. Muglia's comments on HTML5 vs Silverlight (and I can only assume that this Win8 news is what he was referring to) it would be nice if someone from Redmond could clear this up in < 14 weeks.
    mpellegrin
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Microsoft: If we 'Build' a new developers conference, will they come?

      @mpellegrin I think the core tiles, animation and overall UX of Windows 8 is not really based on JS/HTML, I think behind all that is XAML, tons of managed code and C++, I'm sure, if they are smart, will enable the same thing for Silverlight/WPF experiences and better
      keoz
      Reply Vote

    • They are taking the iPhone 1 route...

      @mpellegrin : I think that we can't rule out Silverlight development for Windows 8 nor XNA nor WPF4 (of course that last one will work, it's the fabric of .NET 4).

      The real reason they are not commiting to this environment is twofold:

      1) They don't have the APIs in place, nor the IDE nor the testing systems. Everybody can download IE10 and in a September they will have it on first "Community Technology Preview".

      2) They don't have the Marketplace set up and don't want to confuse developers with an immature dual device strategy.

      If you go check their page at this moment, you'll gonna find a "Windows SDK" for Win32 and .net managed code.

      So indeed, they have a complex roadmap ahead. That's the reason that, to avoid confusion, they are touting HTML5 at this moment.

      Just check the original announcement of the iPhone 1.

      http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/01/09iphone.html

      They had apps in mind (else why put the YouTube app and other apps, they had to create an API somewhere), just weren't ready to discuss about them.
      cosuna
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Microsoft: If we 'Build' a new developers conference, will they come?

    I guess all eyes are now on Scott Guthrie, the father of Silverlight. With his recent promotion I think he has even more influence on the future of Silverlight. Just like Bill didn't want VB to die, I think Silverlight is also safe from a cold death
    vhaakmat
    Reply Vote

  • Ever since the Vista reset and the ribbon bar

    The Win8 demo video on YouTube looks great! Really nice so far. Was the ribbon in Office developed with touch tablets in mind? The Win8 Windows Explorer certainly was. I personally don't like the ribbon on my desktop, but on a tablet it'll be great.

    And keep in mind that Microsoft has been working on streamlining Windows internally ever since the "Vista reset" and projects like MinWin. Now today we have Windows Embedded versions too. Looks like Win8 will benefit from this to make it work well (enough) on tablets and SoC devices.

    IE9/10 is hardware accelerated, but graphics cards are also being designed with hardware acceleration as a main feature, e.g., check out nVidia's quad-core Kal-El demo (and picture Win8+IE10 running on it):

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386037,00.asp
    YukioCowboy
    Reply Vote

  • Being to a few dev conferences

    They are only good for getting free stuff. But over all, they are a complete waste of time. Nothing but a giant live ads with little (if any) technical value.
    wackoae
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Microsoft: If we 'Build' a new developers conference, will they come?

    Interesting that this is the same exact week as Intel's Developer Forum, up in San Francisco. Hints of a separation from their previously powerful partner?
    dstapley
    Reply Vote

  • if they want to come!

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    snwo
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  • Technology lover

    Conferences in 2012 and I wonder if you will? You know a lot of conferences that make sense. Very impressed with last year's conference. I think the next konferansada necessarily participate. Technology lover! <a href="http://www.sagliklikiloalma.com/" title="kilo alma">kilo alma</a> <a href="http://www.burclarfal.com" title="bur?lar">burclar</a> <a href="http://www.sacbakimi.gen.tr" title="sa? bak?m?">sac bak?m?</a>
    snwo
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