Mikael Sand - Trying to be different

I could do a really lame joke like “Azure, are you sure”, but I won’t.

So I have studied this technology from Microsoft on and off for about a week now and I can see the blue light shining. I understand what it might bring and how I can implement it. Do you want to as well? I thought so. I have compiled a list (there I go with the lists again) of what I think is the bare minimum. What you as a developer and/or a technology specialist need to read and do to understand what it is.

So here it is:

1. Watch this clip from PDC08. John Shewchuk and Dennis Pilarinos presents a “Lap around the Azure Services Platform”. Very basic and highly informative. It is also 72 minutes long (!) but the last quarter or so are just Q and A.
2. Read this document by David Chapell. It outlines Azure and its different services in a way that answers the inevitable question “What is it good for and why should we use it?”. Note that the document is from October 2008, but news since then are mostly add-ons.
3. Download and install the July 2009 CTP tools for visual studio and ditto Azure SDK.
4. Run through this walkthrough to get familiar with the tools.
5. Unpack the samples. Information about the samples can be found here.
6. Run through this walkthrough to really start using the different services.
7. Start looking at the other samples. (Optional)

Now those of you that are already familiar with Azure and it’s different services might point out that I do not have “Register for an account” in my list. Well, you would be right, but you do not need an account to run the samples nor to understand Azure as a concept and technology. If you really want to, visit the Azure homepage at www.azure.com and register. This is also a very good resource for information of course.

Lastly there is the question of price and some time ago Microsoft published this. I have no take on it but you might.

Now my wonderful WCF-book has arrived. Really looking forward to cracking it open.