Earlier this month, I attended the Christchurch .NET Code Camp 2008. It was a free event with lots of free giveaways. I won a Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 5000 in a prize draw. The mouse is not really useful for me, especially as I have just recently got the greatest mouse ever—the Logitech VX Revolution, but there is always TradeMe.

I expected more people to have turned up but it was a good event nonetheless. There were several topics that I was particularly interested in, spread throughout the day.

We started off with a gentle introduction to WPF and C# 3.0. They were geared for absolute beginners so no one should have felt left out. This was followed by a presentation on cloud computing, and some useful tips for preparing a CV. This couldn’t have come at a better time looking as I’m considering switching jobs at the moment.

After some free Subway for lunch, we were hit by several lightning talks. I learned a few handy tips from these. I also quite enjoyed learning about Microsoft software licensing. Weird, I know. I have been wondering for quite some time what Software Assurance was all about but I think I’ve got it now. I’ve also become very conscious recently about the security issues surrounding pirated software.

Seeing as it was almost beer-o-clock, we took a short break to enjoy a few drinks before the last two presentations of the day—web security, and Windows Powershell. My favourite topics of the day.

Originally, I weren’t sure whether to attend the code camp having never been before and haven’t heard all that much about it. However, I was glad I did as I came away with quite a lot of new information. The presentations didn’t always go into details but you should have sufficient information to dig deeper in your own time. It was also good to meet some of the people that I commonly see on the .NET mailing list. All in all, it was a Saturday well spent.

Useful Links

• Thinking in WPF – Ivan Towlson
• C# 3.0: A Whirlwind Tour – Andy Scrase
• LINQ to SQL – John Rusk
• Cloud Computing – Ben Reid
• jQuery – Gary Payne
• Design with Paper Prototypes – Matt Tester
• Productive SharePoint Development – Matt Smith
• Tour of Business Intelligence Projects and Technology – Del Robinson
• Navision: Development Perspective – Dave Roys
• Overcoming your Web Insecurity – Kirk Jackson