Programming the Task Bar in Windows 7 with WPF 4 Article Series

Last week we published an article by VB MVP Alessandro Del Sole on how to utilize a cool Windows 7 Task Bar feature from WPF. Well this week we published another one on Jump Lists and Ale has promised to deliver even more! So yesterday we added a dedicated page to the Visual Basic Developer Center that has a list of articles, samples and resources for programming in WPF and Windows 7.

Programming Windows 7 with WPF 4

Right now we have these articles for you to read, but check this page for more coming soon.

Programming the Task Bar in Windows 7 with WPF 4, Part One – Thumbnail Buttons
Learn how to create interactive thumbnail buttons for your applications that appear on the Windows 7 taskbar using Windows Presentation Foundation.

Programming the Task Bar in Windows 7 with WPF 4, Part Two – Jump Lists
Learn how to program the the Windows 7 Jump List which provides an enhanced user experience offering easy access to common tasks, recent files and custom items related to your applications.

Recap: TechEd 2010 in New Orleans – We’re Jazzed Ya’ll Were Here!

Wow! What a week! I remember the first time I saw a TechEd backpack was back in 2003, where the words “New Orleans” caught my eye. And after 7 years of waiting, my career-long dream came true of attending a Microsoft conference back home.

Earlier this month, TechEd returned to New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, bringing 10,500 attendees to the area. And now considering the oil disaster in the gulf (I must admit I agree with The Daily Show that something is trying to kill N.O.), there was no better time for an economic boost for the city. TechEd even caught the attention of the major local newspaper (The Times-Picayune), describing cloud computing and the technical in-depth training TechEd provided. But Visual Studio 201? Opps! =D

The best part of TechEd for me was being a local among the locals. I’ve said for years that “Community is walking among the people”, but having this sense of Community^2 was incredible. I felt like I’ve known local attendees all my life, and for non-locals, I found myself with every conversation playing tour guide, making sure they had the most enjoyable TechEd experience possible. Fortunately, a local told me about http://www.nomenu.com/ which was a lifesaver in giving people French Quarter restaurant recommendations.

Highlights

• In my opinion, the unsung hero of TechEd was Tiffany Ingargiola, an IT Pro at New Horizons in New Orleans. She was the go-to local person for so many of us trying to organize events, but needed a contact on the ground. And she’s awesome to follow on twitter.
• Instead of purchasing a center-stage booth, DevExpress decided to purchase the smallest booth possible and donate the rest to build a house
• GeekGive.org ran its first successful event by participating in a Habitat for Humanity build the Friday before TechEd, where I got to work side-by-side with my local area MVP Peter Kellner.
• I successfully nominated my undergrad professor from Miss State, Associated Dean of Engineering Dr. Donna Reese, to speak at the Women in Tech luncheon about how to retain women in CS programs. Over 400 women attended the event.
• The attendee party hosted *the* Zydeco band of New Orleans Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr, and the Zydeco Twisters. I don’t think the attendees realized how much of a treat it was to have the band that plays during the Lundi Gras cerebration every year, where a United States Coast Guard ship delivers The King of Rex to the Riverwalk stage for the Mayor of New Orleans to hand over control of the city to for Mardi Gras Day. Afterwards, I got a chance to shake his hand and let him know what an honor it was to meet him.

Lowlights

• N.O. was under a heat wave advisory for that week. Heat index was between 110-115(!) most days.
• On Tuesday, there was a city-wide Internet outage for nearly 30 minutes. I never heard what caused outage.
• The convention center food wasn’t quite Cajun. “Cajun meatloaf” just isn’t right. But, I said it was to encourage folks to support local merchants by eating at local shops across the street. =D
• The effects of the Oil Spill were readily apparent. Just a few blocks away from TechEd was the annual Oyster Festival, where locals held a jazz funeral. Additionally, on that Thursday, a 134-year old Oyster bar closed .

GeekGive.org Habitat build

Last year at TechEd, MVP Steve Andrews, MVP Mark Rosenberg, INETA members and I chatted about what we could do to help New Orleans. We came up with a concept similar to GiveCamp, but instead of donating code, we’ll donate volunteer hours. Driven by Steve Andrews, he created GeekGive.org for conference attendees to volunteer their time at a local charity before the conference starts.