MSDN Flash - Volume 20, Number 8: April 18, 2016
Top News Worldwide
Microsoft SQL Server Developer Edition is now free
What’s new in Visual Studio 2015 Update 2 for Universal Windows Platform developers
Developers react to Build 2016
Your Featured Content
The Maker Show: Driving Your Stepper Motor with an Arduino
Stepper motors are one of the unsung heroes of the age: Hard drives, CNC mills, 3D printers and more just wouldn't exist without them. Bret Stateham de-mystifies the topic and shows you how easy it is to get started.
A world without passwords: Windows Hello in Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge is the first browser to natively support Windows Hello as a more personal, seamless, and secure way to authenticate on the web. Try out this Test Drive demo in Microsoft Edge to experience Windows Hello on the web today.
Bot Framework made better with Azure, by Jeff Hollan
In just one weekend I was able to make a bot that leveraged workflows (Logic Apps), APIs (Web Apps), security (Azure AD), on-premises systems (Hybrid Connections), and Machine Learning (luis.ai) to create a bot that improved my work productivity. Read more for the details.
Create, ideate, and collaborate: Build apps powered by Windows Ink
Since the release of the first tablet PC, digital pen and inking have been a target for investment at Microsoft, and the Surface Products are one of the results. For Windows 10, we built an inking experience that complements hardware from Microsoft and our partners.
Introducing Global CSS Property Usage on Microsoft Edge Dev
We’re excited to introduce Global CSS Property Usage, one of the new tools on our recently-introduced Platform Data page. Get the details.
Scott Hanselman on Installing Fish Shell on Ubuntu on Windows 10
You’ve heard that you can run Bash via Ubuntu on Windows...and not in a VM. You can run the Bash Shell and real ELF Linux Binaries (this is not emulation) on Windows 10. Watch this 30-minute video with developers from the project.
Writing UWP Apps for the Internet of Things
For developers used to writing code, creating the actual “things” for the Internet of Things might be intimidating. This article aims to make Makers out of coders, building a Raspberry Pi 2-based device running UWP apps on Windows 10 IoT Core.
Pushing Notifications to Mobile Apps
Dino Esposito explains what it takes to add a notification layer on top of mobile applications, regardless of the mobile operating system itself. He also reviews the services of the Azure Notification Hub platform.
Enable DevOps Practices with Parts Unlimited Apps
Get step-by-step examples of how to enable DevOps practices using Microsoft Azure and Visual Studio Team Services with content built around two new Parts Unlimited sample applications.
Registration open for VC++ 2015 Migration Virtual Development Laboratory
The Visual C++ Team is pleased to announce the VC++ 2015 Migration Virtual Development Laboratory (Virtual DevLab), which will run through September 30, 2016. Get free remote assistance, where Microsoft’s Visual C++ Team will help you with questions and code inspection.
How to leverage PubMatic’s Windows SDK to scale monetization across devices and formats
When developers and publishers work with SDKs, they typically think of mobile-specific applications. However, since Windows 10 apps are device-agnostic, PubMatic built a Windows SDK that can incorporate ads into Windows apps across devices, helping developers and publishers scale monetization of their app inventory.
Data Processing and Machine Learning on Spark
The open source Apache Spark framework is the current leader in the Big Data processing and analytics space. This article shows how to deploy Spark on Azure and use it to solve machine learning (ML) problems.
Logging with .NET Core
Why on earth would you need a new logging framework? Because there are already so many available, and the new Microsoft.Extensions.Logging API lets you take advantage of them without having to write a wrapper of your own.
White paper: Microsoft Platform and Tools for Mobile Application Development
Gain an overview of the end-to-end platform and tools for planning and developing mobile enterprise apps for Android, iOS, and Windows connected to back-end services (cloud and on-premises), plus the core decision factors to consider in an app’s lifecycle.
DevOps Basics: Intro to Docker Commands, Concepts
Learn the basic commands and key concepts to properly enable the use of Docker.
Getting Started with the Internet of Things (IoT)
Learn how to develop for cross-platform IoT devices, plus how to use Azure IoT Hub and Stream Analytics to establish two-way communication between IoT and the cloud. You’ll get lots of code demos and practical tips, as well as links to open-source code projects.
Events
Microsoft Cloud Roadshow – build your cloud skills
Through May 23, 2016, worldwide
At this free technical training event, learn best practices and gain insight directly from the experts who build and run cloud services across Office 365, Microsoft Azure, Windows 10, and more. You’ll learn something new and walk away ready to apply your new skills.
Student News
Visual Studio just got more open-source friendly
Working on a cool project using PHP? Now you can build it in Visual Studio. The new tools provide smart code completion, syntax error checking and more. Get PHP Tools for Visual Studio now.
Resources
Free offers from Microsoft partners
Downloads and tools for Windows 10
Get started with app development
Try Microsoft Azure for 1 month free
Microsoft Virtual Academy – new training
Testing tools for web developers
Get the latest information from Channel 9
Free software and training for startups from Microsoft BizSpark
Code editing tools for building and debugging modern web and cloud applications
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