I found this press release on the release of Visual Studio(r) 2005 Beta 2, Microsoft (r) .NET Framework 2.0, and SQL Server(TM) 2005 April Community Technology Preview (CTP). If you can't wait to deploy your applications you can apply for a Go-Live license to put you apps in production while the product is still in beta.

If you can't make the Northern Utah .NET User Group or if a couple of hours with the new products isn't enough then we have a treat for you. On May 18^th we will be holding a full day event on Visual Studio .NET 2005 and SQL Server 2005.

Description

Microsoft has been working hard on the next generation of development tools and database technologies. Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 are two of the most anticipated technologies to be released by Microsoft this year. There are many changes in both Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 that promise to make it easier to develop high quality code. Come attend this day long event where we will drill down into some of the new technologies in both Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005. We will have two tracks that will cover the major features of each product.

Location

Date: May 18th 2005 – 8.30 am – 5pm (registration and breakfast starts at 7.30)
Venue: Miller Free Enterprise Center (http://www.slcc.edu/miller/Buildings/Building3.htm)
SLCC-Miller Campus
9750 S 300 W
Sandy, UT 84070

Registration

Please register at the following link http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/eventdetail.aspx?culture=en-US&eventid=1032273553

Visual Studio .NET 2005 Track:

The release of Visual Studio 2005 and the .NET Framework 2.0 will make strides in all dimensions of application development. Visual Studio 2005 will set a new bar for developer productivity by tailoring the software development experience to the needs of the individual developer. This "personalized productivity" will deliver features across the development environment and .NET Framework class libraries to help developers overcome their most pressing challenges in minimal time.

 

We have put together a comprehensive training for free to help our customers understand the power and value of Visual Studio 2005. This session will cover the core features of -

• Web Development Platform - ASP .NET 2.0
• Smart Client Development Platform – Windows Forms, Mobile Development
• Visual Studio Team System

SQL Server 2005 Track:

SQL Server 2005 is the most anticipated database release in Microsoft’s history.  With significant improvements in the areas of infrastructure, development, and business intelligence SQL Server 2005 represents a huge leap forward for a wide variety of applications.

 

As we get closer to the launch of SQL Server 2005, we want you to have a full appreciation for what this powerful platform can do for your database projects.  As such, we’ve put together a free in-depth developer training event and invite you to take advantage of this opportunity.

• SQL Server Developer Platform – SQLCLR, TSQL Enhancements
• Business Intelligence Platform – Reporting Services, Analysis Services, Data Warehousing
• Infrastructure Platform – Availability, Management, Database Mirroring

 

I will be speaking at the innagural meeting of the Northern Utah .NET User Group on Tuesday, May 3. It will be at Eagle Gate College starting at 6:00. I will be speaking on the new features of .NET. I can only cover so much in a couple of hours but am planning on hitting the highlights of the new technology. If you are planning on coming please go to their web site at http://www.nunug.org and complete the survey to let them know you are planning on coming. They really need the headcount to make sure they have enough pizza. Also you might think about volunteering to help out in the user group. I know that having good leadership can make all the difference in how sucessful a user group is.

Scott and Rory have created the 4th (and sadly last) video in their series on TechEd. I have enjoyed the videos. I am planning on being there and hope to see Scott, Rory, and you there too.

OK, before you rush to comment and tell me that there is no such date as March 46th I know that. What I was referring to is a comment made at VS Live! in San Francisco that the next betas for Visual Studio and SQL Server would ship in March even if it was March 32 or March 45. Well by my math today would be March 46 and I just checked the MSDN downloads site. There are entries for Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2. Be prepared to download for a while and possibly incur the wrath of your ISP. The ISO image for a DVD of Visual Studio 2005 Standard Beta 2 is 2.85 GB. The estimated download over a T1 is 4 hours and 22 minutes. It looks like there will be a lot of people very busy this weekend downloading and installing the latest bits.

[16 April 2005]

I didn't see the betas for SQL Server 2005 last night but I assumed that they would be posted and up tonight. I checked and not only are they not there, the Visual Studio 2005 betas are not showing up either. I am now wondering what happened to the downloads?

Scott Hanselman and Rory Blyth have produced another funny video about going to TechEd this year. I was laughing as I watched it. Now I am just wondering what they will have for snacks. If they start passing out red KoolAid I think I will have to hunt around for the bottled water.

I also couldn't help thinking (must be the parent in me) that they must have left a red stain on some carpet wherever they filmed this one. I will have to try to remember to ask Scott the next time I see him.