MIX...CSS & Live.com Gadgets

 I haven't spent much time talking about MIX.06... so let's change that!

MIX.06, set for March 20-22 in Las Vegas, is billed as a 72-hour conversation for web developers and designers. Bill Gates is going to have an unscripted conversation with Tim O'Reilly who coined the term “Web 2.0,” and executives from eBay, Yahoo! and Amazon.com will be presenting at the conference.

Microsoft has stayed in the Web game with products such as Visual Studio 2005 and ASP.NET 2.0, but admittedly the Web hasn’t been the focus of Microsoft's strongest investments in recent years.

Vic Gundotra is the General Manager of the Developer & Platform Evangelism Group at Microsoft... this is the group that I work for... think of Vic as my bosses, bosses, boss. It's fun following these things up the chain... Vic reports to Sanjay who reports to Kevin Johnson who reports to Steve Ballmer who reports to Bill Gates... but I digress.

Vic describes MIX..

“This is our … recommitment back to the Web, with this conference we’re putting a stake in the ground and moving forward to get back in the game.”

The target audience is anyone who has a large customer-facing presence. MIX isn’t just for those who use Microsoft products, either...

“All Web developers and designers, using any type of technology, are invited, we welcome the opportunity to talk to all companies with a Web presence.”

MIX will focus on the latest Microsoft technologies such as Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), ASP.NET and “Atlas” – seen as essential to help developers and designers prepare for Live software. Designers will learn how Microsoft’s technologies enable them to create rich experiences with video, advanced typography, vector graphics, and 3D graphics to differentiate their sites from competitors'.

IE7, which will be released in the second half of this year, will be prominent. Attendees will be able to speak with IE7 project managers and developers, and pick up the latest build at the event.

So you want to fly to Vegas for free?

Are you a designer or a developer?

Designers:

You have until midnight (Pacific Time), March 13th to remix the CSS of the MIX home page... go here to find our more then look at the designs that people have already submitted.

Hey Phil, maybe you can enter?

The top three designs will win:
Free admission to MIX, airfare, and lodging at the Venetian
A custom designed, MIX-inspired remixed Xbox 360
That's a package valued at over $2,000 USD... legals

Developers:

You have until midnight (Pacific Time), March 13th to build a Gadget for Live.com... go here to find our more then look at the gadgets that people have already submitted.

The top gadget judged by both design and functionality will win:
Free admission to MIX, $1000.00 (USD) airfare voucher, and 3 night standard hotel accommodation... legals

So you want to buy a ticket to attend MIX?

We have published the synopsis for a bunch of sessions at MIX.

All that is left to do is register to attend MIX.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.