Newsletter Archives

• Welcome to the Build conference

  Posted on May 19, 2020 at 07:58 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft’s latest developers’ conference is due to kick off at 8 am Pacific Time. Build used to be very expensive. This year, it’s free – and online only.

  At last.

  To see the conference, you need to register.

  Then, starting at 8 am Pacific, you can see the keynote (Seth Juarez and Dona Sarkar as warmup, then Satya Nadella, Scott Hanselman and many more), followed by a plethora of specialized sessions.

  Windows doesn’t seem to be a featured course – more like a tiny side dish. As befits its new status in the Microsoft Pantheon.

  If you see anything that perks your ears, by all means, post it here!

  Other Build 2020

• C’mon, Microsoft. Cancel the Build conference sooner rather than later.

  Posted on March 3, 2020 at 10:34 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft has cancelled the MVP Summit, slated for the week-after-next in Seattle.

  Now we’re looking at the next big MS conference, Build, on May 19 in Seattle. Sorry, but there’s no way on our big blue planet that it’ll be safe to have a large conference in Seattle in May.

  Microsoft’s official Build page now says:

  In light of the global health concerns due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Microsoft is monitoring public health guidance in relation to in-person events. At this time, global health authorities have not issued guidance to avoid travel to this location. We are looking carefully at our event calendar as well as our presence at industry events in the coming months. We are not taking decisions lightly, but the health and well-being of our employees, partners, customers and other guests remain our ultimate priority.

  We will continue to monitor and make any necessary changes as the situation evolves.

  March 2, 2020

  Which sure sounds like a CYA to me.

  Why can’t Microsoft, of all organizations, just shift to online conferences? Why make people wait and wonder if they’re going to need (or cancel) plane reservations, hotels, meeting plans? And in the future, why have conferences at all? Sure they make Microsoft a lot of money – but it’s only a roundoff error in the corporate income statement.

  We’re better than this. Microsoft should’ve led the way years ago with online conferences.

  Microsoft News Build 2020, COVID-19