It's been quiet here, and I apologize for being so quiet. I've been quite busy here - getting ready for the Toughest Developer Puzzle Ever launch, working on Cleveland Tech Events, working with the non-profit behind Cleveland Day of .NET, counting down the days until Columbus GiveCamp, looking over my IronPython presentations for PyOhio, and getting ready for my presentation at devLink in August. I've also taken some time off to enjoy Independence Day with my husband and our friends.


On July 1st, I joined the freshmen class of Microsoft MVPs. I've held off on announcing this until I could get my MVP Profile listed. So now, the Cleveland area has a new Microsoft MVP in Visual C#, joining the other MVPs that I know of in the area - including Brendan Enrick (ASP.NET), Nate Kohari, Michael Letterle (Visual C#), Deepak Puri (SQL), Steve Smith (ASP.NET), and Allen White (SQL). Congrats to the leader of the 2008 Cleveland Day of .NET - John Stockton - on getting recognized as a MVP in Silverlight.

I want to thank all who've given me the opportunity to get involved, exchange knowledge, and put my love for technology to work. It's been a lot of fun getting involved with the various developer communities out there. From the quiet girl at one .NET user group to an introduction to the .NET community and a gentle push in the right direction, it's been an interesting journey. Thanks to Jeff Blankenburg for that initial push. Special thanks to my husband Kevin for being so supportive of me in my various endeavors. Even if he isn't at an event with me, he still knows what I'm up to and texts/emails/calls me to wish me luck. I wouldn't be so active in the community if I didn't have his support. I look forward to continuing my activities within the community and hope to see you at some of the events.

Speaking of upcoming events... here's what's coming up:

• Columbus GiveCamp / Ann Arbor GiveCamp - July 17 - 19 : I will be at the Columbus site, but I have to get the word out about Ann Arbor as well, as they were a fun crew to work with last summer.
• PyOhio - July 25-26
• Lansing Day of .NET - August 1: Although I have other commitments, I want to get the word out about this, as the Lansing crew is known for having a great event. If you have the time and are willing to travel, I'd recommend you check it out.
• devLink - August 13-15

Check out their sites, and sign up for an event today! Hope to see you in the community!

Labels: Ann Arbor Give Camp, Columbus Give Camp, devLink, lansing day of .net, mvp, PyOhio

It's summer, a time for hanging out with family and friends, a time to relax, right? As much as I wanted to take a break and relax, my schedule is keeping me busy, with at least 4 talks planned. So... what's going on?

• Cleveland C#/VB.NET SIG
  Python 101 for the .NET Developer
  
  The first part of this meeting will cover the basics of Python - its history, how its data structures compare to those we're familiar with in the primary .NET languages, its strong and weak points, who's using it, and why you as a developer - both generally speaking and as a .NET developer - should care about Python. The second part of this talk will get into the demos - starting with some basic Python scripts and getting into IronPython scripts, if time allows. By the end of this talk, you'll have an idea of what Python is, why you should know it as a developer and specifically as a .NET developer, and how to get setup and write a basic app in both Python and IronPython.
  


• PyOhio 2009
  
  Pumping Iron into Python: Intro to FePy
  As python grows in popularity, IronPython has started making more waves. What is IronPython and why should regular python programmers be familiar with it? This session will introduce the open source .NET implementation of python known as IronPython without using Windows. Come see FePy (IronPython community edition) in action via Mono -- a cross-platform open source implementation of the .NET framework.
  
  Show & Tell: IronPython Edition
  In this session, you will hear about IronPython and what is needed to work with this .NET implementation of the python language. This session will show the power of IronPython in a Windows environment. There will be many demos of how IronPython can be used - including some WPF, XNA, Silverlight, COM Interop, database interaction, and other neat features.
  


• devLink
  
  Going Cross-Platform with C#
  Running Windows forms apps in a non-Windows environment? As absurd as it sounds, it can be done. This session will show how to work with Mono and MonoDevelop to get your Windows apps to be cross-platform.
  

Hope to see you at one of my talks this summer!

Labels: C#/VB.NET SIG, devLink, presentation, PyOhio

'Tis the season of local and regional events for both the Cleveland tech community and the Microsoft Heartland region. I've already posted what I'm looking forward to in the next couple months, but wait... there's more! Some events have already announced their summer dates - so save the dates on your calendars and check these out!

CodeStock (June 26-27, 2009)

Michael Neel and his team down in Knoxville, TN are putting together CodeStock once again. This year, they're opening the event even more for the community - they're having their attendees vote on what talks they want to hear. They've received around 185 submissions and need the help in deciding who to bring in. They've also added more rooms for Open Spaces sessions.

For $25, you get conference content, the chance to networking with a great group of developers (and DBAs and sysadmins and whoever else shows up), lunch, and a T-shirt. Although that doesn't cover hotel or transportation, that's still a lot cheaper than a lot of conferences that have this material. If you register before May 15th, you too can vote on the sessions. But register today, because after June 1, that CodeStock clown will get ugly and up the price to $45. (And I heard rumors that if you sign up after June 27th that they're charging $250... but that might be another conference's deal.)

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it down there, but I hope to catch up with the TN crew at devLink later this summer.

For more information about CodeStock, check out their site at http://www.codestock.org/

PyOhio (July 25-26, 2009)

After experiencing the gathering of the Python community at PyCon 09, I've agreed to help out with planning this year's PyOhio. Expect to hear about it more as we get closer to the date, as I'm in charge of publicity this year.

This year, they've changed their venue from Columbus Metropolitan Library to Ohio State University. There will be planned talks, lightning talks, poster sessions, and Open Spaces all related to the Python community - including all implementations of Python.

Stay tuned to the PyOhio website at http://www.pyohio.org/ or follow us on Twitter as @pyohio.

devLink (August 13-15, 2009)

This is one of the least expensive conferences with of its size in this area. For $75, you get 3 days of content - covering a wide span of topics related to or concerning developers. You get keynotes, planned talks, and Open Spaces. You get a chance to network with some of the region's most talented developers.

A friend had recommended that I attend devLink, and last year was my first year. I met an amazing amount of people - some from nearby and some from Arkansas, Alabama, and even further away. I enjoyed the planned talks, but my favorite parts hands down were the Open Spaces on Microsoft and Open Source (with Sara Ford's funny drawings on the notes) and on Creating Community (with so many active people in their local communities and regional communities).

I will be debuting my "Going Cross-Platform with C#" talk this year at devLink. I'm a C# developer by day, and I tinker with the .NET cross-platform awesomeness known as Mono after work. I tend to talk about Mono more in my IronPython talks, but this time around I'll be using my day language to show how to take advantage of Mono for cross-platform support. I also plan on showing MonoDevelop, which allows you to develop in C# from a non-Windows platform.

devLink is being held in Nashville, TN this year. For more details, check out their site at: http://www.devlink.net/

Conclusion

There are a lot of events going on, and it's hard to pick and choose among all of them. If you get a chance to learn more and network with a community, I'd highly recommend it. I will be attending a few of them, and I hope to see you out there!

Labels: Cleveland tech events, CodeStock, devLink, events, PyOhio

As I'm finishing up my slides and looking at my "Search:pyohio" column on TweetDeck, I'm reminded of the many things I hope to accomplish while at PyCon.

Goal #1: Present at PyCon.

On Sunday, I will be giving my talk on IronPython. My timeline is slightly skewed from what I had anticipated, but that's because I've got more slides and a better VM to work with. I had a couple questions come up that I've included this time around. So if you're at PyCon and want to hear what I have to say on IronPython, I'm speaking in Ballroom D at 10:00am (Chicago time, that's 11:00am EDT).

Goal #2: Meet some of the IronPython people.

While we're all spread throughout the world, there are other IronPython people out there that will be at PyCon. I've followed them on Twitter for awhile, and I'm hoping I get to finally meet them while at the event. If you see me there, feel free to yell "Hey, sadukie!" and I'll most likely respond.

Goal #3: Meet with the PyOhio team.

PyCon is the national event, but PyOhio is the statewide python mini-conference. It's held usually at the end of July down in Columbus. I want to meet them and help where I can, and it'll be good to carry the IronPython torch for them as well. It does seem a little odd, though, that we have to leave our state to meet, but hey, whatever works!

Goal #4: Check out the Stackless python presentation by CCP.

Of all the presentations out there, I really want to see this one, as I've been an EVE Online player for awhile now. I'm typically mining or building things, and I've also had the joys of rooting for my alliance (Manifest Destiny) in the alliance tournaments. But having experienced the update as user is one thing - I'm very curious to see what this will be like from a developer's standpoint.

I'm leaving later this week, and I look forward to arriving in time for the talks on Friday. Hope to see some of you there!

Labels: EVE Online, IronPython, PyCon, PyOhio, sadukie

Last night, I was out at the Greater Cleveland PC Users Group C#/VB.NET SIG, talking with Sam Nasr about the events that are coming up. It looks like we have a busy summer ahead. Here's what we're looking forward to:

• July 11th-13th: Ann Arbor Give Camp (Ann Arbor, MI)


• July 26th: PyOhio (Columbus, OH)


• August: SQL Saturday (Cleveland, OH)


• August 9th: CodeStock (Knoxville, TN)


• August 15th-17th: eRubycon (Columbus, OH)


• August 22nd-23rd: devLink (Murfreesboro, TN)


• September 5th-7th: Agile Summer Camp (Brighton, MI)


• September 12th-14th: Simple Design and Testing Conference (Downers Grove, IL)

Ann Arbor Give Camp

Ann Arbor Give Camp is a weekend for developers, DBAs, architects, and designers to come together and donate their time and talent to non-profit organizations that have projects that need to be addressed. Throughout the weekend, we work on the projects, and at the end of the weekend, we turn over our code to the non-profits to maintain and to use. For more information, check out their site at: http://www.annarborgivecamp.org. If you are in the Cleveland area and want to get together to caravan or possibly work remotely from here, please drop me an email at sarah at codinggeekette dot com so that I can get you the information.

PyOhio

Calling all Python devs! Whether you're just dabbling with Python or are a hardcore Python programmer, PyOhio is for you. For more information on their planning and event, check out their site at http://www.pyohio.org.

SQL Saturday

SQL Saturday is supposedly coming to Cleveland in one of the early weekends in August. Allen White, SQL MVP, is leading the way on planning this event. Stay tuned for more details, as I'll post them as I get them.

CodeStock

If you're looking to have your mind blown,CodeStock is claiming that they can do it. Some of the things they'll cover include MVC, ASP.NET, Soft Skillz, XNA, LINQ, TDD, WPF, SQL Server, and WCF. There's a little something for everyone, so register today and check out CodeStock at: http://www.codestock.org.

eRubycon

Calling all Ruby devs! EdgeCase is putting on a conference that covers all things Ruby at the Microsoft Polaris office in the middle of August. You can find out more by checking out their site at: http://erubycon.com.

devLink

The devLink Technical Conference is happening August 22nd and 23rd in Murfreesboro, TN. Take the concept of a weeklong conference and squeeze it into two days, and you've got devLink. From speakers to exhibits to networking with fellow developers, devLink has opportunities for all. For more information, check out their website at: http://www.devlink.net/. (Thanks to Jeff Blankenburg for recommending this.)

Agile Summer Camp

What happens when you put a bunch of geeks together to talk tech while being in a low tech area? You get Agile Summer Camp! Spend a weekend camping in Brighton, MI and enjoy talking software development while in the great outdoors. They have a couple cabins set aside, but you can also bring your own tent/RV/camping unit. For more information, check out their website at: http://www.agilesummercamp.com/.

Simple Design and Testing Conference

Geared for agile practitioners, this Open Spaces conference will cover all aspects of design and testing practices, principles, theories, and the like. For more information, check out their website at: http://www.sdtconf.com/. (Thanks to Corey Haines for recommending this!)

As you can see, we have a lot going on this summer. I hope to see some of you at some of these events!

Labels: Agile Summer Camp, Ann Arbor Give Camp, CodeStock, devLink, erubycon, PyOhio, SQL Saturday, what's happening

While working on my IronPython presentation, I came across the announcement for PyOhio. They are now calling for proposals and accepting submissions until June 1. It's good to see a familiar name to contact with proposal questions. Mat Kovach is a Cleveland-based developer who is involved with Northeast Ohio Open Source Society. He runs with my friend Martin, and he was also a presenter at Ohio LinuxFest 2007. He's definitely someone to be familiar with, especially if you're in the developer crowd in Cleveland.

If you're interested in Python, definitely check out the PyOhio website. It's taking place on July 26th in Columbus. As I hear more information about the PyOhio event, I will blog about it here!

Labels: IronPython, Mat Kovach, NOOSS, PyOhio, python