Partner Otaku

I thought I would post this link of Scott Guthrie announcing the WebsiteSpark Program and the Web Platform Installer V2. Check out the video to get a good summary.

The initial response from the community has been outstanding.  If you have any questions or would like to get an invitation code please send me an email at wesy@microsoft.com.

Link to Scott Guthrie Interview

I attended Cal Evans – “Five Things I Wished They Told Me” at Codeworks SF today.  I liked the presentation because it gave me insight about the PHP community. There were 22 people attending the session and I would speculate that the room included inexperienced and experienced PHP developers. The session certainly provided the framework (small “f”) to better understand the PHP community. I like the format and I can easily see how this can be carried over to other languages/frameworks. I’ve pasted an edited version of my notes below, so if I have made omissions or errors they are the fault of the author not Cal .

Frameworks

• Learn a Framework
• Frameworks exist for a reason
• Prototype however you want, but build production systems on a framework
• Frameworks are just tools – use one that works for you.

Frameworks – The Big 3

• Zend Framework
• Symfony
• CakePHP

Frameworks – The Second Tier

• Solar
• CodeIgniter (issue: it’s based on PHP 4 and 5. Code  forked as Kohana which is migrating purely to PHP 5)
• Agavi – starting to get traction in the community

Frameworks with Benefits

• Content Management
  • Drupal
  • Joomal
  • WordPress
• E-Commerce
  • Magneto
  • OSCommerce
• Qualities to Look for in Frameworks:
  • Community (Zend, Cake and Symfony have ery large communities) – active IRC, mailing lists, twitter etc.
  • Completeness – does it provide all the tools that are needed
  • Documentation (ie. Zend framework)
  • Unit Test Coverage 
  • IP Ownership (who owns it? Be aware of IP and ask the question – are you comfortable with it)
• Choose the Best Tool for the Job
  • Ex. If you are Symfony programmer – and a customer says "I need a blog" should I code one or implement WordPress?
  • Ex. WordPress is a framework with benefits – lots of hooks to the api’s or plug-ins etc.
• PHP is not <language x>
  • PHP is not Java
    • No Compiler
    • Both object and procedure based
    • No main()
    • No application server
  • PHP is not perl
    • PHP started as a series of scripts in perl
    • PHP is loosely typed
    • PHP is easier to read
  • PHP is not C#
    • PHP is cross platform
    • PHP works with multiple web servers
    • Not built for a specific framework (ie. ASP.NET)
  • PHP is not <insert favorite language>
    • PHP is no better or worse than any of these languages
    • PHP is the only language developed to solve web based problems
  • PHP is not <insert favorite language>
    • PHP is easy
    • PHP is complex
    • Great tool because you can start with the easy and get complex
  • Learn where to get help
    • Conferences
      • Php|tek (beg – adv.)
      • Dutch PHP Conference (very advanced )
      • ZendCon (targeted at directors, team leads, player coaches) Business Oriented
    • Value of conference is building relationships
  • Infrastructure & Support
    • Understanding is needed at levels of the stack (NOS, Web Server, etc.)
    • Support Choices and Comfort Levels
      • Vendor/Enterprise Support
      • Community Support
      • Updates

It was a great weekend spent at WordCamPDX in Portland’s a great town.  

I like Portland more than Seattle.  It’s got a very cool food cart culture…Jason Mauer the local Microsoft Developer Evangelist introduced me to Wiffies Fried Pies. Wiffies offers a wide range of pies, from BBQ Brisket to Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip. I had some really good Belgian Fries too.  I certainly had my fried food quota for the month!

Matt Mullenweg during the Q&A session

Picture of the group at the beginning of Saturday’s sessions

Jason Mauer’s Talk Like A Pirate – Windows Live Writer Demo

Wiffie’s BBQ Brisket…

Belgian Fries!

The Worldwide Partner Conference will be in New Orleans from   July 13-16.  The WPC is great opportunity to learn and network with Microsoft’s leadership and your peers.  Here’s the link for more information and registration details

1. Competitive Advantage: We’ll share our product roadmaps so you can align your business plans and leverage our marketing dollars. Additionally you’ll hear from Microsoft Executives
2. Get in-depth, hands-on information, with demos of Microsoft’s new product lineup including Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Office 2010, Mobile 6.5, Silverlight 3, SQL Server 2008, and Azure Services Platform. There are more than a half dozen Microsoft product launches or releases coming over the next 18 months, all of which will be featured at WPC09 as key revenue generators!
3. Hear from Microsoft executives from across the business, as they outline what you can expect from Microsoft now and in the future, and offer insights for partners that you may not hear anywhere else:
   • Steve Ballmer CEO
   • Chris Capossela, SVP IW
   • Stephen Elop, President, Microsoft Business Division
   • Steven Guggenheimer, CVP, OEM
   • Bob Kelly, CVP Infrastructure Server Marketing
   • Bob Muglia, President, Server and Tools Business
   • Kevin Turner, COO
   • Bill Veghte, SVP for Windows
   • Allison Watson, CVP, Worldwide Partner Group
   • Robert Youngjohns, President, CVP for North America Sales and Marketing
4. See guest speaker, Jack Welch on Wednesday, July 15!
5. Worth the Time and Money Investment. Take advantage of four days’ worth of valuable information, interactive breakout sessions, hands-on business planning, and opportunities to connect with other partners and with Microsoft.
6. Accelerate the development and execution of your business plans. 25+ sessions designed to help partners align to Microsoft U.S. marketing investments
7. Schedule meetings with over 500 Microsoft U.S. leaders and their teams from all aspects of the business. including Enterprise, Small and Midsize, Government and Education, Communications Sector, as well as our East, Central, and West Region geographies, are attending the Conference to connect with partners
8. Connect and collaborate with complementary partners to develop joint solutions for customers. Thousands of companies attend WPC, offering U.S. partners the opportunity to build new and deepen existing
9. The great hotel rates in New Orleans expire June 15, so we encourage partners to register before then for the best price.
10. Learn How to Navigate and Maximize Your Relationship with Microsoft – Join the WPC09 U.S. Partner Community on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/WPC09-US-Partner-Community/106017791350), to meet both Microsoft U.S. team members and other U.S. partners attending the Conference.
11. Get a first look at how the Microsoft Partner Program is changing to better serve partner needs.
12. Have a Little Fun—It’s New Orleans! On Thursday night, join us for the WPC Jazzfest Celebration and take in the great local music and cuisine!

A good opportunity to get your questions answered from the IE team. Please join in the Expert Zone this Thursday, April 23 at 10:00 AM PST.