Tomislav Bronzin [RD&MVP]

TechEd Europe has finished, a lot of things to be said...

There are lot of things that needed to be said, but maybe I will touch only my good friend Dobrisa Adamec (ASP.NET MVP) BOF session about Windows Azure Scenarios.

More can be read here: http://live.mscommunity.net/blogs/dadamec/archive/2010/11/14/scenarios-for-windows-azure-teched-bof-session.aspx

Talking about SQL Server Compact Edition @DevReach

I have replaced Darron @DevReach in Sofia, on requst of my very good friend Martin Kulov, RD from Bulgaria.

Originaly, this session has been presented by Danijel Joskovski, MVP form Skopje at http://www.mobilitydays.com, and he was good enough to let me use his presentation and demos.

MobiltyDay 2010 Conference has finished!

This year, Windows Phone 7 has been the main theme of the Conference, but we also introduced Samsung Bada and Symbian v3 sessions,and talked about iPhone and Android.

As usual, we had 3 tracks:

We offered 12 very valuable prizes for attendies, like Windows Phone 7 :-), Samsung LED television, etc.

See you next year!

Visual Studio 2010/ Fx 4.0 & Silverlight 4 Launched!

I am very excited about new tool for developing applications on Microsoft platform as well as its usage in Windows Phone 7!

Congratulation to my Dev Team: we have received Gold Medal at 13th Moscow International Salon of Inventions and Innovation Technologies "ARCHIMEDES - 2010"

If you need more info, read here:

http://eng.archimedes.ru/news.php?Y=10&M=04&D=07

And here in Croatian
http://hgd.mvpei.hr/novosti.aspx?id=55&newsId=5742
http://www.hrt.hr/index.php?id=48&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=68951&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=23&cHash=2fd9bb216c
http://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/gospodarstvo/hrvatski-inovatori-dobili-arhimeda-u-moskvi.html
http://www.novilist.hr/2010/04/12/zlato-lukanovicu-i-vrsalovicu-sr.aspx
http://www.savez-inovatora-zagreba.hr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=125:arhimed-2010-rezultati&catid=43:rezultati

Congratulation to new and renewed CEE MVP's!

I would like to congratulation to new and renewed CEE MVP's in April 2010!

Complete list of new MVP's can be found here: http://blogs.technet.com/alead_msft/archive/2010/04/01/mvp-award-program-april-2010.aspx?CommentPosted=true#commentmessage

My special congratulations (ČESTITAM!) to my countryman: Vjekoslav Babić and Ilija Brajković

Imagine Cup 2010 Worldwide Finals - for the first time in CEE: Warsaw, Poland, July 3-8, 2010

I have always been passionately involved in Imagine Cup student competition for several years now, either as a Mentor or a member of jury.

Why? Because of opportunities that it opens for young enthusiasts in technology and the possibility to meet very bright and motivated people!

This year "theme" is:  “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.” - you can read it more here: http://imaginecup.com/CompetitionsContent/MDG.aspx

 8 United Nations Millennium Development Goals:

- hunger

- universal primary education

- gender equality

- child protection

- maternal health

- combat HIV/AIDS/malaria etc.

- environment

- global partnership for development

Students were invited to be part of the solution by providing suggestions how to solve those problems!

Competition categories are:

- Software Design

- Embedded Development 

- Game Design 

- Digital Media

- IT Challenge 

In addition to Categories, every team can apply for an award.

Awards for which student can compete are (http://imaginecup.com/CompetitionsContent/Competition/awards_at_a_glance.aspx):

- ENVISIONING 2020 AWARD

- INTERNET EXPLORER 8 AWARD

- NEXT GENERATION WEB AWARD

- TOUCH & TABLET ACCESSIBILITY AWARD

- WINDOWS PHONE 7 SERIES "ROCKSTAR" AWARD

I will finish by quote from Bill Gates, because it represents my opinion too:

"I wish there had been an Imagine Cup when I was growing up. It gets people involved in seeing that software is changing the world."

Future of Mobile Development: Silverlight for Symbian S60 Mobile Devices Released

My good friend, Damir Tomicic, Microsoft Regional Director wrote an article in German (http://bit.ly/9HlwVW) when he come back from the MIX10 Conference in Las Vegas.

Simply put, Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform subset of .NET Framework for building media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web on desktop computers and now is available for all Nokia S60 5th Edition devices: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, N97, N97 Mini, and S60 5th Edition SDK v1.0 Emulator.

Developers can use C# and Silverlight 1 and Silverlight 2 (only XAML - no Javascript!).

Please find resources here:

Microsoft® Silverlight™ for Symbian – Beta Developer Tools
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=8ea911cb-951c-47d8-a04b-682c76c42b67

Microsoft® Silverlight™ for Symbian - Beta
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=ce63ec61-2a49-4b4e-8900-ae5cd99d5aee 

Getting Started with Sivlerlight for Symbian Beta
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=185371

Silverlight for Symbian Platform Reference 
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=184637

Perfect 10: 10 years of WinDays Conf, 10 years of me speaking at WinDays, Visual Studio 2010!

I am very, very happy this year! Why?

I will start with personal stuff: my wife and me are expecting new baby (2. son)! He will be born just about the time I will speak at WinDays 2010 Conference for the 10th time!

So, there are many reasons to celebrate and one of them is subject of my session at WinDays Conference: Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4!
Because of all that I wrote my colleagues Vedran Kaldi and co-speaker Dobrisa Adamec MVP will prepare exceptional session with only 1 slide!

Yes, you heard correctly, 1 slide - and all the rest will be one big demo!

We need help form the attendees of former WinDays Conferences (2001-2009):
a) become fun of FaceBook page: http://www.facebook.com/perfect3x10
b) we need you to upload photographs from former WinDays Conferences, describe them and mark people on them
c) bring your laptops with you and participate in live demo (come to session at least 5 min before start)
d) win surprises if we choose your photo or we decide that you are the best expert that helped us with the demo!

Join us at WinDays Conference, Monday April 19, 15:00h, room 7, Rovinj Croatia!

Microsoft MIX10 is Starting Today in Vegas!

Today MIX10 - a 3 day Conference will start - it is not exciting for people that are web designers and developers that build the world's most innovative web sites, but also new Azure/Cloud like applications and Windows Phone 7 Series apps.

Nevertheless, it is premium event where experts from Microsoft, but also from other development companies will present their research, ideas, innovations and technology!

This year, INETA Europe (International .NET Association) will have two representatives: Damir Tomicic and Jose Luis Lattore Millas (who participated at MIX10k competition: http://mix10k.visitmix.com/Entry/Details/261), both of them Silverlight experts! So you can get in touch in Vegas.

Probably you heard the saying: "What happens in Vegas, stay in Vegas" - I hope not, because I would like to hear ASAP what is so new and revolutionary!

Windows Phone 7 Series - is it able to compete with iPhone? (II)

What I (whole world) had chance to see in global speech by Steve Ballmer, I would say yes!

I am more skeptic when it comes the question of timing - because - I (even as Windows Mobile/Phone supporter) am using 3rd generation of iPhone (3GS), second one in a row, and I can see that a lot of companies are developing apps for iPhone, but not for WM, or the are developing it after they developed apps for iPhone (last example is Lufthansa and Miles & More).
Why I am skeptic? Because on Windows Marketplace for Mobile I could not find vendors/applications like Skype!
Do you want more to support this? There is iPhone App for MIX10, which btw, starts today on March 15.

What is cool about this? It was written by using C# and MonoTouch from Novell.

What I am happy about - I can name support by partners - HTC, QUALCOMM ... this will actually give life to WP7S platform, I hope soon!

From the technical point of view, I do not like that Windows Mobile Device Center is not working on 64-bit Windows 7 OS!

What I like about WP7S? Finally (after almost 3 years) it supports Silverlight, as well as XNA. I also like the 3-screen model, as well as support for cloud.
It is funny, that first WP7S public presentation on some big MS event will be at MIX10 :-).

I am a little bit worried about rumors that Microsoft will charge for SDK :-(.
Still remains question of OS updates - this is (almost) number 1 request for WM platform, often justified by the "hardware vendor lock". 

Opposite to the opinion of majority people, I think that Windows Phone 7 Series (WP7S) can be also good for the Enterprise environment - because today people "share" their work and public workspace and they do not want to carry two mobile devices.

More about Windows Phones: http://www.microsoft.com/Windowsmobile/en-us/default.mspx

Windows Mobile Marketplace: http://marketplace.windowsphone.com/Default.aspxAbout

WP7S: http://www.windowsphone7series.com/

2. MSForge Codecamp (March 27) in Belgrade, Serbia

I had the fortune to be one of the opening speakers of the 1. MSForge (INETA Europe User Group in Serbia) Codecamp 2009.
It was pleasure to see about 150 people coming not just from all parts of Serbia, but also from Croatia, Romania ...

Again, this year INETA Europe will support as Gold Sponsor 2. Codecamp (March 27) in Belgrade, Serbia.
There will be 5 session about ASP.NET, SQL Server, C#, jQuery, Web Applications, WPF, Silverlight ...

If you are nearby or you are willing to come (and understand Serbian), register at http://codecamp.msforge.net!

Happy International Women's Day (8 March)!

Traditionaly, International Women's Day (IWD, 8 March) is celebrated globaly for the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

Fight for women's rights actualy started in 1900's and it was specificaly marked in 1908, when 15.000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights and the first National Women's Day were celebrated in USA 1909.
In 1910, at Second International Women's Conference at Copenhagen famous Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) came with the idea of an International Women's Day.
The First International Women's Day was celebrated across the Europe in 1911 and next year will be 100. IWD and Global Centenary 1911-2011.

In many countries IWD is a national holiday and today it is truly celebrated globaly and still marks the fight for the women's rights!

I would like to specificaly draw the attention to all Women in Technology to a WIT one-stop shop Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/emea/women/default.mspx), dedicated to the advancement of women in the technology fields. As a thought leader in the IT industry, Microsoft is committed to the ongoing development of female professionals and encouraging new professionals to join the industry. For this reason, Microsoft has provided this site, specifically designed to support women in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) who work with technology.

Happy International Women's Day (8 March)!

How to migrate MySql to Microsoft SQL Server? Easy use SQL Server Migration Assistant!

Among the whole series of tools for automation of the migration process from Oracle, Sybase, Access and PowerBuilder to SQL Server 2005 & 2008 (including the SQL Azure DB), there is new one: SQL Server Migration Assistant for MySQL.

All of the above mentioned toolkits are designed to simplify the manual process of database migration, and cost and risk associated with migration.
SQL Server Migration Assistant for MySQL will be generally available in the summer of 2010, but you can download Community Technical Preview here: SSMA 2008 for MySQL v1.0 CTP1

Microsoft Innovation Center initiative in Moldova – Face2Face interview with Tomislav Bronzin

I was in Moldova last week (Feb 8-13) to investigate an opportunity to leverage framework and experience from Microsoft Innovation Center’s in Croatia and Slovenia in similar Center of Excellence/Innovation Center in Moldova.

I was stroke by the great enthusiasm of Moldavian people and their willingness to change things and create better life, not just for those people working in IT but to nation as a whole.As an USAID RCI Senior Advisor, I was working with my colleagues in USAID CEED Project and with great support from Microsoft and HP branch office in Moldova to acquire enough data to prepare Feasibility Study and Concept Paper that will be presented at Moldavian ICT Summit Feb 30-31.

My visit was very well accepted by all the institutions and business that I had opportunity to talk with, including representatives from Moldavian Government, donor organizations (beside USAID) like Word Bank, telecom providers like ModTelecom and ModCell, Moldavian ICT Association of private ICT companies, representatives of Academic institutions, Business and Technology incubators as well as with CISCO, as one of the potential private partners (beside Microsoft and HP), etc.

I think that there is enough willingness to be optimistic about this initiative!