It seems there is quite a bit of anticipation surrounding the imminent release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. I've read the speculation about what it will actually include, or not include, and if this release really means anything in the larger scheme of things.
The release will coincide with the Mobile World Congress. What I find interesting is that the same week, thousands of Microsoft MVP awardees will descend on Bellevue, Washington (close to the campus in Redmond) for the Global MVP Summit. I know as a Silverlight MVP I am very interested in what I will learn that week — unfortunately it is often NDA so I'm not always able to share. I'll be keeping a close eye on the MWC and the release of the Windows 8 preview.
If you are in Seattle next week, why not drop by our Wintellect tweetup? Use the link to register. I'll be there along with the debugging master John "Bugslayer" Robbins, CLR expert Jeffrey Richter, and fellow MVP Steve Porter. We'll be discusing several topics ranging from Windows 8 to the new look for Visual Studio 11.
My book Designing Silverlight Business Applications is very close to final release. You can pre-order for 42% off at Amazon as of the date of this blog post. I am working on my second book about Windows 8 Metro Applications and am learning more and more how the fundamental skills and concepts we learned for Silverlight apply in this new environment. As I read the buzz about the new version coming out, I wonder how many people are actually hands-on with the Developer Preview bits and what your expectations are for the Consumer Preview that is right around the corner. What are your thoughts? What do you think Microsoft needs to demonstrate with this release? What do you see as the major hurdles they will need to overcome in order to successfully gain a foothold in the consumer market? What is your general feedback from using the current version? Please use the comments below to share your thoughts as this important conversation gains momentum moving into next week.
