Silverlight Rumblings

Before the MIX conference starts, on Sunday there will be a full day of workshops.  These aren't free, people have to pay extra to attend ($295).  By registering for a pre-conference workshop pass you get to attend two 3-hour workshops (one before lunch and one after).  These workshops are the speaker is able to go deep on a topic and really help you grok new concepts, tools, technologies and disciplines.  Note that these workshops will not be posted online after the conference.

I've been telling folks about a few of the workshops from last year’s MIX conference.  My favorite was Design Fundamentals for Developers by Robby Ingebretsen.  As Jaime Rodriguez explained, folks had to pay extra to attend these workshops.  Because this one was accidentally posted online they decided to leave it up for everyone.  Thank-you!

I noticed that Robbie is presenting the same workshop again this year.  I wasn't sure how similar it would be to what he had done before, but he did clarify that in a recent twitter conversation:

schallerje @ingebretsen Hey Robby, will your "Design Fundamentals for Developers" workshop @MIX10 be the same as last year?

ingebretsen @schallerje yeah, believe it or not, MS asked me NOT to change the workshop content too much this year...but expect some small updates.

schallerje @ingebretsen OK, then I guess I will skip the workshop day this year, but don't get a false impression: You workshop was really great! ;)

Some folks say that developers can’t do design, that they just weren’t born with it.  In my mind that’s a cop-out, and it simply isn’t true.  Having spent a couple years working for different interactive agencies and working very closely with designers I’ve come to realize that we’re actually quite similar.  Robbie's workshop and life experiences validate my thoughts.

I won't be attending Robbie's workshop this year, but will instead be attending John Papa's Silverlight 4 Boot Camp and Arturo Toledo's Design Tools and Techniques (tips and tricks, all about learning how to use Blend).  If you are going to MIX then you definitely should consider attending a few of the workshops.  I'll keep an eye out for you.

I'm attending MIX this year, are you?  If you're unfamiliar with MIX, or maybe you aren't sure who this conference is for, then check out this short 3 minute video from Channel 9 (Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of MIX10).

This year the conference is breaking tradition and will be held at the Mandalay Bay.  Previously, this conference has always been held at the Venetian.  Block out your calendars now for March 15-17.  Try to get there a day early so you can participate in the workshops.  These do cost extra, but they're totally worth it.

If you have any interest in Silverlight then you'll definitely want ot attend MIX this year.  There will be sessions on Silverlight 4, Silverlight for Mobile, Silverlight for MonoTouch, and Silverlight for line-of-business apps.  Judging by the frequency that Microsoft has been pumping out releases, I'd be surprised if Silverlight 4 didn't ship during MIX.  I know that's hoping for a lot, but remember, I'm the guy that hopes for a Zune phone announcement everytime Robbie Bach takes the stage.

This year MIX will be awesome and you'll be remiss if you didn't attend, but don't take my word for it.