Patrick’s Bytes

It was fun and happy to see so many people turned out for the business launch of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010. I presenting 2 session at the developer break out track session.

1. Lights up Windows 7 (with Windows 7 API Code Pack) – Me and Walter Wong demoed features like the enhances taskbar, jump list, Multi Touch as well as Sensor API capabilities.
2. Lap around ASP.NET 4.0 and Silverlight 3 – I ended the last session of the day with a preview on Silverlight 4.0 showing cool stuff like right click context menu, file drag and drop as well as the webcam capabilities.

It was the best audience I never had so far. Many thanks to you guys for making it so much fun!

As per promised you can download my slides here.

By the way, if you are a SharePoint developer or IT Pro, check out the coming SharePoint User Group’s Information Work Community Day for IT pro and dev here

Windows 7 introduces several new shortcut keys to take advantage of design improvements. These shortcut keys will help save time and improve productivity while using Windows 7.  To perform shortcut key strokes, press and hold the keys while performing the task. For example, hold the   key and press the arrow to maximize the selected window.

Table of Shortcuts 

Unless you are in PDC, this is the closest you can get to the next version of Windows called Windows 7. Good fellas at Microsoft uploaded this yesterday (or today, depends where is your time zone) to Flickr.

Three key innovations I love most

1. A new taskbar design, to me its a cleaner taskbar

2. Lightweight Media Player

 
3. Peek technology - whenever you move your mouse to the lower left corner all windows will be ‘transpalented’ as shown above. Good while your boss walk into your room when you are ‘facebooking’.

Check out the rest of Windows 7 from blogs like engadget and osnews.

Just finish watching CSI New York tonight. Tonight’s episode (titled You one die once) featured a team of robbers with high tech James Bond gears like a self healing + laser cutter sport cars and tuxedoes wired with wireless connection to steal data from nearby digital devices. But the CSI NY squad themselves are also armed with some high tech stuff (I think CSI NY is the most geeky one among 3 with showcase of gadgets suited for si-fi) like a touch UI based laptop that works like iPhone of the recently showcased Windows 7. It is pretty cool seeing Mac Taylor carry one around his office and information is just at the touch of his finger tips.

Mac Taylor holding a Touch UI laptop

[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqDQ0wUcSPQ]
YouTube - Windows 7 seven First Official Video

Watch Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer talked about Windows 7. If you don’t know what is Windows 7, just FYI, XP is Windows 5.1 and Vista is Windows 6 then you will get the picture.

I believe Windows 7 is years away because this demo is still using Windows Vista look and feel with multi touch technology inside. Interesting part of this demo would be:

1. The multi touch demo is done using existing Tablet PC in the market, which I don’t see additional hardware mounted on it.

2. Multi touch is done on some WPF applications, especially the familiar piano, this could mean that WPF with all their bells and whistles will also get multi touch enabled which make it more fun and cool !!

3. Multi touch capability demos and clients are still important and they will continue to evolved. There wouldn’t just a SaaS world with client OS being just cheap commodity.

Check out the videos here.

http://d6.allthingsd.com/20080527/gates-ballmer-video-part-1/

http://d6.allthingsd.com/20080527/video-bill-gates-and-steve-ballmer-highlight-reel-part-two/

http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/27/microsoft-shows-off-snippet-of-windows-7-at-d6-reveals-multi/