Mike Amundsen's INETA Talks and Travels: Presentation Topics

The Web 2.0 Formula

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:52:40 GMT

(XHTML+CSS2) * JS
------------------ = Web 2.0
XML+XSLT+RDBMS

In February of 2005 Jesse James Garret of Adaptive Path wrote an interesting article on the convergence of a number of existing technologies and how they could affect the future of programming for the Web. Now, a year later, this article is recognized as the first in a series of definitive works on what has come to be known as "Web 2.0." Based on concepts covered in that article, this talk presents a set of "principles and practices" that make up a "Web 2.0 formula" for building successful leading-edge Web-based solutions like the ones featured as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Live.

Topics covered include the use of compliant XHTML for page markup; Cascading Stylesheets for layout and design; and Javascript to power the client-side experience. In addition, the use of Relational databases as repositories; XML as a data transport format; and XSL technologies such as XSLT, XSL-FO, XPath, XInclude, and XQuery to transform and modify XML data is explored. The talk also includes several live code examples and references to valuable libraries and resources available to jumpstart your Web 2.0 applications.

Whether you are just exploring the idea of Web 2.0 or are already committed to rolling out Web 2.0-compliant solutions, this talk will help you learn more about the theory, practice, and effects of Web 2.0 on Internet-based applications.

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Adding Response and Reliability to Your Solutions with MSMQ Triggers

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 03:41:02 GMT

One of the best ways to increase the perceived response and reliability of your .NET solutions is to incorporate MSMQ services into your implementation. In this talk you’ll learn how to create useful MSMQ-based services that use triggers to fire off custom workflows based on the message placed in the queue. The talk covers the basics of MSMQ and MSMQ Triggers; shows you how you can identify opportunities in your application to add MSMQ services; and how to manage and monitor MSMQ services during the lifetime of your application.

The talk includes a number of code samples and additional resources for leveraging MSMQ services on Windows XP, NT, and Server 2003 platforms.

Building Scalable Applications with Message-Oriented Architecture (MOA)

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 03:40:31 GMT

Updated for .NET 2.0 and SQL Server 2005

Updated for .NET 2.0, this talk shows you how you can implement highly scalable and flexible applications using the Message-Oriented Architecture (MOA) model. A blending of object-oriented and service-oriented models, MOA takes advantage of well-known patterns and practices in software implementation and leverages several important features of the Windows application environment including .NET serialization, XML services from SQL Server; and XML-base Web Services.

The talk includes a quick overview of the history of MOA along with a number of examples. Updated examples include using XML support in SQL 2005 and client-side web access using Asynchronous Javascript and XML (AJAX) in web browsers.

Creating User-Customizable Interfaces with CSS 2.0

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 03:39:48 GMT

Users of Web-based interfaces continue to demand more and more flexibility and personalization. Studies have shown that a more personalized interface attracts and retains users. Many approaches to offering customization result in overly complex and expensive development efforts that are difficult to maintain. In this presentation you will learn how you can implement a simple and effective user-selectable interface layer using CSS 2.0 that works in most common browsers. Examples include designing your Web pages to account for user customization; implementing a standardized preference model to allow users to safely customize their interfaces; and several examples of completed user-customizable interfaces.

If you are responsible for designing, implementing, or supporting Web sites that need to offer some level of user customization, this talk will give you practical examples on how to reach your goal.

AJAX for Everyone

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 03:39:11 GMT

Preparing for Web 2.0

The last year has seen a rapid increase in “Web 2.0” and the use of Asynchronous Javascript and XML (AJAX) in web-based interfaces. Google and Yahoo are both touting their increased use of this client-side technology to make their offerings more responsive, more portable, and more user-friendly.

This talk covers a brief history of AJAX , the basic theory behind the model, and a review of the most wide-spread AJAX library to date: PROTOTYPE.JS. The talk includes several examples that work across a wide range of browsers and shows you how you can quickly leverage the Web Service and XML features of .NET to create powerful web-based applications.

Whether you are preparing to add AJAX support to your web-based solutions or if you are just curious about what AJAX is all about, this talk will give you a head start in the race to bring Web 2.0 to life.

Using XSL-FO and .NET to Produce Data-Driven PDF Output

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 03:38:24 GMT

Many solutions today require the exacting standards of PDF as an output format. This talk covers the basics of XSL-FO; how to produce XS-FO using XML and XSL in .NET; and how to use existing external component libraries to product dynamic data-driven PDF output. Numerous examples that work with both .NET 1.1 and .NET 2.0 are provided as well as a review of several third-party XSL-FO components available for the .NET platform.

Whether you are building a desktop solution or web-based application, this presentation will show you how you can use the XML and XSL services of .NET to easily produce data-driven PDF documents.

Implementation Misfortunes

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 03:36:31 GMT

Five Reasons Well-Designed Applications Fail

We’ve all seen it. A team of talented individuals dedicates months of time and energy to design and document an important mission-critical application only to see it turn into a nightmare upon implementation. Unlike talks that focus on problems designing and documenting software systems, this one focuses on failures in the implementation phase. Based loosely on the book “Military Misfortunes” by Cohen and Gooch, this presentation outlines five common reasons well-designed software solutions eventually fail and shows you how identify and avoid them within your own project work.

Whether you are a front-line developer, software architect or project manager, this talk will give you clear strategies for improving the quality and speed of your software implementations.