The slides and source code for this evening’s "Introduction To Windows Workflow Foundation" in Bristol are now available for download:-

http://www.guysmithferrier.com/downloads/Workflow.pdf

http://www.guysmithferrier.com/downloads/WorkflowSource.zip

In the How To Give Great Presentations article I wrote recently I mentioned the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 and said that it had programmable buttons, one of which could be used to magnify a screen. I also mentioned the Kensington Wireless Presentation Remote and said that it was a combined laser pointer and remote PowerPoint slide controller. Whereas I recommend that you do not use laser pointers and I personally prefer either NLarge or Zoomit for magnification if you like the idea of these two devices you might like to know that Microsoft has released the Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 that combines all of these features into a single mouse.

It is true to say that I have waited for this book for literally years. Since Duncan Mackenzie was first going to write this book and then Duncan joined forces with Brian Noyes and then finally Brian took over the reins himself. It was worth the wait. The title Smart Client Deployment with ClickOnce says exactly what the book is all about. Smart Clients (ignoring the pointless myriad definitions of "Smart Client") are Windows Forms applications and ClickOnce is the deployment technology introduced in the .NET Framework 2.0 and developed further in Orcas to be released later this year (?). I was especially pleased to learn that Brian was writing this book because I have enjoyed his articles, webcasts and live presentations and his clear no-nonsense style and in-depth knowledge of his subjects. This book is another great example of Brian’s style and knowledge. The 8 chapters (and 1 appendix) and 285 pages cover ClickOnce in depth and cover all of the subjects that I am looking for except one. Brian kindly gives a nod to my own .NET Development Series book, .NET Internationalization, where I cover the subject of ClickOnce for internationalized applications in a depth that is only relevant in a book dedicated to internationalization. Clearly you might feel that there is a conflict of interest in me recommending a book that recommends my own book but there is little I can do about this - Smart Client Deployment with ClickOnce is a well written book that covers the subject in depth; it would be difficult not to recommend it. The chapters are:-

1. Introduction to ClickOnce
2. Initial Deployment with ClickOnce
3. Automatic Application Updates
4. On-Demand Updates
5. Application and Data File Management
6. ClickOnce Security
7. Prerequisite Deployment with the Bootstrapper
8. Advanced ClickOnce Topics
Appendix A. ClickOnce Deployment of WPF Applications

An obvious question now that there are two ClickOnce books (the other being Deploying .NET Applications: MSBuild and ClickOnce by Sayed Hashimi and Sayed Hashimi) is which one is best ? I bought the MSBuild/ClickOnce book in May 2006 and was pleased that the book existed because it covered two important subjects (MSBuild and ClickOnce) that had not been covered in a book until that point. However, I was disappointed by the lack of depth. Smart Client Deployment with ClickOnce was released 8 months later and it covers a wider range of subjects in greater depth and subjectively I prefer the writing style. Both books have merit (particularly if you also have an interest in MSBuild) but for ClickOnce I clearly prefer Smart Client Deployment with ClickOnce.

In the last couple of years DDD has helped towards developing speaking talent within the UK by giving anyone in the UK the chance to present at a seminar-style event. DDD levels the playing field and allows anyone to propose a subject regardless of their presence or absence of previous speaking engagements. This attitude inspired me and I wanted to contribute towards this goal so I have written an article How To Give Great Presentations that I hope will help people who are new to presenting to get started. Even if you aren’t new to it I hope you will find some ideas here to make it worth your reading. The ideas are based on the seminars, conferences and user groups that I have spoken at over the last couple of decades and the Train The Trainer courses that I ran for Borland UK.

In addition you can download 4 Chaps From Blighty podcasts on this subject here and here.

If you have any comments or tips and tricks I’d be interested to hear what you have to say. Good luck with your presentations.

Don’t read this, just go and register here. And then come back and read this.

WebDD is a free seminar for web developers and web designers based loosely on the DDD format. It is hosted by Microsoft but organised by the community (including ASP.NET MVPs Phil Winstanley and Dave Sussman). The first (of many, hopefully) is on Saturday 3rd February 2007 at the Microsoft Campus in Reading. And Scott Guthrie is one of the speakers. Though I hate to use such terrible phrases I have to this once: how cool is that ?

The session agenda isn’t finalised yet but the partial speaker list and the partial session list are now available.

See you there.

On Monday 17th March 2007 at 7:00pm I will be presenting an updated version of the "10 Things To Know Before Internationalizing An Application" presentation I gave at TechEd Europe last year. The venue is the Next Generation User Group with those jolly old chaps Rich and Dave.

Here’s the abstract:-

The global market place is creating an ever increasing demand for internationalized Web and Windows applications. The basics of .NET internationalization are easily acquired in a short timeframe. However, the gotchas & best practices of internationalization demand specialised knowledge & experience. This session shows you the top 10 nuggets of .NET internationalization facts & tips for Web & Windows applications that you should know before you start your next internationalized application.

I hope that we will have plenty of time available so if enough people are new to internationalization I’ll start with an overview of how to get up and running with it. You can sign up for it by clicking on the "Login / Register" link on this page.

See you there.