Silverlight Rumblings

Lately I've been trying to figure out how to immerse myself in Silverlight 4.  There's a lot that's new, and to be honest I'm still catching up on Silverlight 3.  I admit that it's tough to learn new technologies when your employer is not eager to adopt them.  I've also noticed that occasionally when I talk about Silverlight some people will quickly become overwhelmed.  A few have mentioned that they feel so far behind in learning Silverlight, they're now worried they may never be able to catch up.  If they only realized that now is the perfect time to start learning Silverlight.

The first thing I recommend is listening to Scott Guthrie's keynote from PDC (skip to 53:30).  This will help you understand how far the Silverlight reach extends (45% as of 11/09), as well as see scenarios where major companies are choosing to go with Silverlight (fyi, it's not just multimedia).

Next I suggest that you download and listen to the Silverlight 4 Podcast Pack with Erik Mork and Tim Heuer.  After you download it you can extract it directly into the MyMusic/Zune folder.  Zune will automatically pick up the new audio files and add them to your music library (see screenshots below).  The average length of each podcast is just over six minutes.  I recommend listening to these today if you haven't already.

I'm a big fan of user groups.  These are great opportunities for networking, finding new leads and opportunities, and learning where you should focus your efforts in order to keep your skills sharp.  Adam Kinney maintains a list of Silverlight User Groups.  If you have to drive 100 miles to attend it once a month, then by all means DO IT!  In my opinion you can't afford not to attend these meetings.  If you don't have a local Silverlight User Group, then search for a local .Net User Group.  Get on their mailing list, find out when the next Silverlight presentation is, and tell them you're willing to help find sponsors if they'll have more meetings centered on Silverlight.  :)  I realize there are some individuals who live where there are no user groups at all.  If you're one of those folks, feel free to ping me and I can share some advice in starting your own user group.

Finally, I recommend attending one of the Silverlight Tour courses.  Let me clarify, I very, very strongly recommend this.  Back in December Agilitrain came to PDX and I made sure to sign up and attend.  I am 100% convinced this is the best way to immerse yourself in Silverlight.  Their coursework now includes Silverlight 4 material, and you get a free copy of Telerik RadControls for Silverlight.  Their instructors are smart, well-trained, and experts with hands-on experience.

Good luck in your efforts, and please fight the urge to continue living in the world of WinForms.  It's so much nicer out here in the light.