Here are some links to help you get started with the Microsoft Parallel Extensions to the .Net Framework (PFX).

 

 

Starting Out

PFX CTP – Here are the latest CTP bits from June 2008.  They come with a whole lot of good examples and good documentation to get you started.

MSDN Parallel Computing Dev Center – Plenty of white papers, videos, podcasts, and articles to get you started.

Channel 9 Back to Basics Series (RSS) – This series is just getting started but looks very promising as a resource for developers new to parallel and concurrent programming.  It plans to cover Race Conditions, Deadlocks, Task Granularity,  Load Balancing, and Data Locality. 

 

Blogs

Joe Duffy (RSS) – Joe is one of the lead developers for the Parallel Computing Platform, and also just got done writing “The” book for concurrent programming in Windows and .Net.  There is a lot of great information here.

Herb Sutter (RSS) – One of the great names in concurrent programming, a little more for the C++ crowd.

PFX Team Blog (RSS) – News and information straight from the horse’s mouth.

 

Books

Concurrent Programming on Windows, Joe Duffy – This is supposed to be “The” book about programming concurrently in Windows.  I have personally bought the “Rough Cut” from Safari and can safely recommend it to anybody trying to learn about concurrent and parallel programming.  It is divided into 4 section:  Concepts, Mechanisms, Algorithms, and Systems, so there is fun for the whole family.

 

Videos/Screencasts

Channel 9 Parallel Extensions (RSS) – Great collection for learning all about the Parallel Extensions in and out.

Channel 9 Parallel Computing (RSS) – Focuses more on the whole of the Parallel Computing Platform movement.

 

I hope these resources can get you started into the world of Parallel/Concurrent programming.

-- Alex