The Microsoft Developer World Is ChangingThe Microsoft Developer World Is ChangingAs Microsoft developers you will know that Microsoft is readying .NET 2.0, which will first appear as Visual Studio 2005. After that Windows Vista will build upon .NET 2.0 and managed code API’s will be used for many core OS services.
.NET 2.0 is more than an incremental update. It introduces “generic” types into the core runtime engine, and these generics will appear throughout new Framework API’s. Both the VB.NET and C# languages are being extended to support generics. C# is also being enhanced with anonymous delegates, partial classes, iterator generation, and nullable types.
These changes are likely to have a significant impact on product development. To use generics effectively requires changing your programming mindset. Regardless of whether you can see a use for generics in your own products, you will find sooner or later that you will need to interface with them due to their increasing use throughout the Framework and OS API’s. Other new features in C# add power, but only if used appropriately and these features can produce unexpected behaviour.
Under the TechNet Expert Access Program New Zealand companies with turnovers less than NZ$50M/yr can obtain one-to-one consultancy with an expert on technical issues that they face. The issue must be specific to that company, such as how new technology will impact their product development, and is for a maximum amount equivalent to around 1-2 days. This consultancy is paid for by the Government, and is only available once per technical issue.
Dr Nigel Perry is a New Zealand computer scientist who has worked with Microsoft USA under non-disclosure over the last six years during the development of .NET. Today he is on a number of advisory groups at Microsoft, on the ECMA/ISO Standards Committees for the CLI (.NET) and C#(for which he is convenor), and has active research projects related to future .NET developments.[1]
From his collaboration with Microsoft, combined with over 20 years in programming language research, Dr Perry is in a unique position in New Zealand to advise on the programming-level impact the changes in .NET 2.0 will bring and how they might effect your product development. Also from his contacts with Microsoft Dr Perry can provide some insight at a more strategic level into companies’ business plans.
Through the TechNet scheme, Dr Perry has already been able to work with a number of companies to advise them of the impact these technology changes will have on their product development. If your company faces technical issues specific to your business and would like to arrange to consult Dr Perry, please contact him via email. He can discuss the issue with you and advise whether you are covered under TechNet (the requirements are not stringent and no company has failed to qualify yet).