John Alexander's Blog

UX @ Mix : Lou Will Give Ya a Clue!!

John Alexander — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:09:15 GMT

If you are going to Mix (If not, then why not? -- It's still not to late to register) and are interested at all in honing your User eXperience mad skills then you need to be at this session by "Clued In: How to Keep Customers Coming Back Again and Again" author Lou Carbone.

Come chew with Lou on Wednesday, March 5th at 1:30 PM.

PDC08 Announced Today!!!!!!

John Alexander — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:02:02 GMT

October 27–30, 2008
Pre-conference October 26, 2008
Los Angeles, California

The next Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC) has been announced!!! It's October 27–30, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Mark your calendars and save the date.

We'll see ya there!!!!!!

More information to follow....

http://msdn.microsoft.com/pdc2008

I am now a Microsoft MVP for Team System...

John Alexander — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:58:58 GMT

I've just been informed that I am now an MVP for Team System! I'm very honored with this award and pumped because the TFS VSTS team has great stuff coming out continuously (blog posts, power tools, etc) and are VERY hard chargers. They are a pleasure to work with and I'm excited to continue to spread the goodness of all that is Team System!!!

Need a SharePoint VPC to play with?

John Alexander — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 19:46:51 GMT

If you're like me you love to try out different technologies but you may not want to disrupt your box in the process. That's when a virtual PC can come in very handy.

The Microsoft VHD Test Drive Program provides customers with an enhanced server-based software evaluation experience that’s faster, better supported and more flexible. You can now access the entire catalog of pre-configured Microsoft and partner products and solutions in the VHD format and start evaluating and testing today from www.microsoft.com/vhd.

Microsoft has released a vpc as part of this for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. Its good for thirty days. Click here to go...

Professional SharePoint 2007 Development sells out at TechEd!!!

John Alexander — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:46:28 GMT

Our book, Professional SharePoint 2007 Development just released this week and was one of the top 3 sellers at the TechEd bookstore, selling out completely! Wow!

Visual Studio Team System Chat – TODAY - Two Chances!!!

John Alexander — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:14:29 GMT

From the Team System Product Team... Two different times to accomodate more Time Zones!!!!

Visual Studio Team System Chat – This Friday

Join members of the Visual Studio Team System product group to discuss features available in Visual Studio Team Foundation Server, Team Editions for Architects, Developers, Database Pros, and Testers. In addition, discuss what's new in the in the Visual Studio code name “Orcas” Beta 1 releases for Team Suite and Team Foundation Server.

Join the first chat session on Friday, April 27th, 2007 from 10:00am - 11:00am Pacific Time.

Add to Calendar

Additional Time Zones

Join the second chat session on Friday, April 27th, 2007 from 4:00pm - 5:00pm Pacific Time.

Add to Calendar

Additional Time Zones

GeeksWithBlogs.NET V2 now up!

John Alexander — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:19:53 GMT

It's 1:20 am. We are finally back up!!! Jeff, Dru and I have moved GeeksWithBlogs to SubText!!! Hurray!!!!! Good Night all....

If you find any issues, please email support@geekswithblogs.com.

Free ETraining! New Code!!! Get Yours Now!

John Alexander — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:26:00 GMT

Steve Loethen has updated the code for you to get 4 classes of Microsoft eTraining for free. The original code ran out of capacity but the new one should be sufficent... Get it here.. Its good!!! Real good!

My 5 things tag...believe it or not!

John Alexander — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 03:20:00 GMT

I was tagged earlier last week by Jeff Julian. So here goes...

1. I'm co-owner and co-admin of Geekswithblogs.net. I'm also a horrible blogger. AND I PROMISE TO BLOG MORE...

2. My distant cousin, Charlie Duke, landed on the moon!! That fueled my love of science fiction and science fact!

3. I was in a radio class in college with Mancow. I wanted to be in talk radio (in fact started out in college) but it just didn't work out (long story)... So I'm able to satisify that craving with podcasting...

4. I have cerebral palsy. I worked hard on physical therapy to the point that most people don't realize that I have no fine control on my right side. Because of this, I can do cool things like pivot on my right foot until its completely backwards.

5. I was fired, like Jeff, for this community! (And I'd do it again...)

Tagging Rich Hundhausen, Carl Franklin, Dan Fox, Michele Leroux Bustamante, and Phil Vischer!

Interested in a FREE copy Of Microsoft Office Professional 2007?? Then check this out!

John Alexander — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:06:00 GMT

From the This just in department...

Receive your FREE copy of Microsoft Office Professional 2007 and Microsoft Office Groove 2007* when you attend a Windows Vista, 2007 Microsoft Office system, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 launch event near you!

At a launch event you’ll be able to:

• Attend breakout sessions for IT professionals and developers
• Test drive the products and evaluate their functionality
• Network with peers and local technology partners
• Ask the experts
• Receive valuable resources to help you take full advantage of this new software

Learn how the new Microsoft software can help you streamline deployment and management, increase security, control, and reliability, improve user experience and support, and enable and support mobile users.

*Offer good only to event attendees in the United States through March 1, 2007 while supplies last. This offer is non-transferable. Limit one item per person. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. Must be present to receive the product.

My Superhero Results

John Alexander — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 02:01:00 GMT

Your results:
You are Batman

Batman		70%
Robin		70%
Spider-Man		65%
Superman		60%
Hulk		60%
Iron Man		50%
Green Lantern		45%
Supergirl		40%
Wonder Woman		35%
The Flash		35%
Catwoman		15%

You are dark, love gadgets
and have vowed to help the innocent
not suffer the pain you have endured.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
Your results:
You are Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor		57%
Dr. Doom		54%
Mr. Freeze		50%
Venom		48%
Magneto		48%
Green Goblin		48%
Apocalypse		47%
Riddler		40%
Mystique		36%
The Joker		35%
Kingpin		35%
Catwoman		30%
Two-Face		24%
Juggernaut		12%
Dark Phoenix		11%
Poison Ivy		8%

A brilliant businessman on a quest for world domination and the self-proclaimed greatest criminal mind of our time!

Click here to take the Supervillain Personality Quiz

From the Just Getting Through Last weeks Stuff Dept: Microsoft / Novell Deal : IT wins due to InterOp!!!!! YAY!

John Alexander — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 22:39:00 GMT

Wow. I get buried for a week and get transported into a parallel universe. Microsoft and Novell make an historic agreement. And while some folks in the open source community aren't happy, it seems most (including me) think this is a pretty good deal for building software in general... I mean, being able to just these three things:

"...Microsoft and Novell will jointly develop a compelling virtualization offering for Linux and Windows..."

- Right on!

"...make it easier for customers to federate Microsoft Active Directory with Novell eDirectory"

- This has been a pain...

"...will take steps to make translators available to improve interoperability between Open XML and OpenDocument formats"

Nice! Guys, in the words of the great philosopher and sage, Rodney King "Can't we all just get along?"... I think that this agreement moves all of us who build software one step closer to doing just that.

Game Design Challenge Endgame: There can be only one!!!

John Alexander — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 16:06:00 GMT

Midnight Tonight CST is the deadline for the GeeksWithBlogs Game Design Challenge. Who will win?? Time is ticking... CONTESTANTS: Make sure if you haven't already done so, send an email to gamecontest@geekswithblogs.net so we can get you a ftp site to upload your entries! Good luck to all!!!!!!!

New Team System Process Guidance Customization technical articles

John Alexander — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 15:41:00 GMT

Visual Studio Team System User Education has put out some new tech articles on Process Template Customization... If you've played with Team System you know that the Process Template is your key to making this tool really work for your shop... Check em out here

Wondering whats going on at TechEd? Check out TechEdBloggers!!!

John Alexander — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 14:22:00 GMT

Interested in TechEd? Wondering what the scoop is? Check out TechEdBloggers!! Jeff and I are the aggregating editors and are charged with the mission of keeping the feed as “noise free” as possible. Check it out here. It changes quite often and I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised!