I can hardly believe that in only four weeks until the inaugural Ignite NZ conference in Auckland. The conference marks our 20th year of delivering NZ’s largest technology training event and this year is opened by some truly inspiring keynote speakers. This event is our opportunity locally to demonstrate the “New Microsoft” and share stories that show transformation in technology, trends and our worldview. Under Satya Nadella it is clear that things are changing and the company is focusing its strategy and ambitions on three key priorities:
Reinvent productivity and business processes.
Building the intelligent cloud platform.
Creating more personal computing.
In DX we are aligning to these priorities as well and I’m happy to share with you some changes and new faces in the local team as we adapt to the changing landscape. As a father of two young girls I have been a vocal advocate for teaching our kids about technology from a young age and creating pathways for students to become work ready to fill the roles available in our growing tech ecosystem. To that end we have developed the Microsoft Student Accelerator programme and I’m proud to announce that we have hired Vishesh Oberoi as our new Technical Evangelist focused on supporting Kiwi developers. Vishesh has built and delivered a lot of the technical training on Azure inside of the MSA programme and bridges the gap between the next generation and current generation of pro devs. Vishesh is replacing Thiago who has recently moved to an exciting role at the mothership. I’d also like to welcome Matt Bostwick to the team. Matt has joined from his role managing the Tertiary Education Sector in NZ. Matt is joining DX to manage relationships with some of our top software partners, focusing on supporting their success through go-to-market partnerships, application development support, and joint product innovation. This is a new role and I’m really excited about how we can continue to make kiwi companies shine on the world stage like we have done recently with the likes of vMob, PageProof and Wipster. Gabriela Spindler is leaving our team at the end of the month after 15 years at Microsoft. She will be sorely missed. I am actively recruiting for a new Audience Evangelism Manager to continue to lead our technical communities.
Nigel Parker Director Developer Experience Microsoft New Zealand
Are you FIT to be a Dev/IT Pro? The best Devs are always learning. This week you have the chance to win one of five FitBit Flexs or fifty snazzy Microsoft Virtual Academy tees. Answer this week's question from @MSDevNZ and stay tuned for Monday morning to answer the next question to be in to win! Each week will be a new chance to win until they're all gone!
Develop with Windows 10Windows 10 will empower you to build a single universal app experience that can reach every device running Windows 10 — every phone, tablet, PC, and soon Xbox. Take a look at building Windows 10 Universal Apps. And if you haven't already, make sure you check out the //build/ videos for announcements, sessions, and demos to learn more about advances across all Microsoft platforms, including Windows 10 and the Universal Windows Platform.
Azure Lunchtime Meetup13 August (Wellington)18 (Auckland) Join the Wellington Azure Lunchtime Meetup with Amjid Qureshi, Technical Team Lead at Provoke Solutions, who will be sharing his experiences with API’s in Azure. Amjid will walk you through a working example of API management and go over simple subscription validation and oAuth to validate users against your own domain. Stay tuned into Meetup for details on the upcoming Azure Lunchtime in Auckland. Startup Weekend Hawke's Bay14 - 16 August (Hawke's Bay) Startup weekends are 54-hour events where developers, designers, marketers, product managers and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and launch startups! Wellington .NET User Group19 August (Wellington) This talk will discuss the tools required to reverse .NET applications. You'll see the ease in which an attacker can create objects, call methods and even steal source code by taking you through the process of attacking the early access game, Reign of Kings. Reign of Kings has been built on the Unity engine but this approach can be applied to anything developed using .NET. Ignite NZ1-4 September (Auckland) The Kick-Off event begins with the keynote lineup featuring four Titans of Tech: Joe Belfiore, Laura Butler, James Staten and Chris Ford. Attendees are then invited to a fully themed entertainment and networking event with refreshments and live music. This is just where it begins. The 140+ technical sessions which make up the meaty filling of Ignite NZ are here! Check out the sessions and if you have a ticket start building your schedule! AgileNZ Conference 20151-2 September (Wellington) The focus for AgileNZ Conference 2015 is transformation. Lean|Agile approaches are not only continuing to transform software delivery, they're being adopted outside of software to transform entire businesses. The event will explore the latest thinking in Agile, the development of the 'Agile Enterprise' and what might be learnt from New Zealand's digital transformation. NZ Game Developers Conference10 - 11 September (Auckland) New Zealand’s community of professional and indie game developers will again come together at an action-packed NZGDC to share, learn and inspire. NZGDC Conference features more than 20 hours of hand-picked sessions across 4 different topic streams, international speakers, and over 300 of your fellow game developers. . Canterbury Software Summit 20151 October (Christchurch) The annual Software Summit is the preeminent industry event of the year for the tech sector. The conference hosts national and international speakers and a tradeshow. The Software Summit offers inspirational and educational content, allowing attendees to learn about new technology developments, hear success stories, and explore new business opportunities. LEAN 155 - 7 October (Wellington) An immersive 3 day event in Wellington, LEAN 15 will unite attendees through powerful yet practical programming with world renowned speakers, collaborative workshops, interactive discussions, and a dynamic collective experience. Whether you are building a high-growth tech startup, a mobile app, a piece of hardware, working in a non-profit, or in a multinational organization, adopting Lean Startup methodology can help you overcome obstacles and set up effective systems.
Planning your summer camping is a good way to get through the rest of Winter! Check out WikiCamps for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 phones, tablets and PCs. For the rainier days that are still upon us, browse the new products from top retailers in the TradeMe Mall app. Browsing other things like the news is made easier with the Weave News Reader app for Windows Phone - that now also saves full articles to OneNote.
Have a Windows project on the side? Show it off! Share it with the rest of the community in the Kiwi Windows Apps Facebook Group or send us an email at msdnnz@microsoft.com.
Skill Up With Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) and Channel9
Exploring Microservices in Docker and Microsoft Azure Enjoy updating monolithic applications? Probably not! Take an in-depth look at a different way to architect that can help you update your site in milliseconds. A Developer's Guide to Windows 10 Want an in-depth look at the Universal Windows Platform (UWP)? Engaging experts Jerry Nixon and Andy Wigley, of the Developer’s Guide to Windows 10 Preview, return to show you how Windows capabilities and social integration can help you create amazing experiences on devices running Windows 10. Developing Websites Using Python and Django Do you have Python experience and want to get into web development? Or maybe you are experienced in web development and curious about other platforms. Either way, this course has answers, demos, and practical tips for you, as you add another tool to your technology tool belt.
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