Here’s the 9th post in our series of guest posts by Microsoft Most Valued Professionals (MVPs). Since the early 1990s, Microsoft has recognized technology champions around the world with the MVP Award . MVPs freely share their deep knowledge, real-world experience, and impartial and objective feedback to help people enhance the way they use technology . Of more than 100 million users who participate in technology communities, around 4,000 are recognized as Microsoft MVPs. This post is by Akfash Ahamed Abdul Latibu , who is a Windows Expert IT Pro MVP in Brunei. Thanks, Akfash! Windows Intune is a cloud-based PC management solution for small- and medium-sized businesses. As an administrator, whether you’re in an office, a branch office, or at home, you can always manage your client computers...

We’re excited to announce the availability of Working with Microsoft Office 365: Running Your Small Business in the Cloud (ISBN: 9780735658998; 370 pages), by Brett Hill! As Brett makes clear in the book, the benefits of moving your business to the cloud are strong ones in terms of increased productivity and decreased operating costs. But small businesses rarely have on-site system administrators to make the move smooth and trouble-free. If that’s the case with your business, this book is a reference you won’t want to do without. Through extensive walkthroughs, easy-to-follow procedures, and real-world tips, you’ll learn how to implement Office 365 for professionals and small businesses—without having to be an IT expert. You’ll also gain valuable knowledge on configuring, deploying, and maintaining...

We’re pleased to announce the release to manufacturing of the book Windows Phone 7 Development Internals , by Andrew Whitechapel, who is a senior member of the core Windows Phone Application Platform team. This book covers the breadth of application development for the Windows Phone 7 platform (both the major 7.0 and 7.1/7.5 versions and the minor 7.1.1 version). The book shows how you can build compelling and useful applications for Windows Phone, while providing detailed technical insights into the design of the application platform itself, which will help you build applications that are consistent with the strategic vision for Windows Phone. While you can build both XNA and Silverlight applications for the Windows Phone platform, this book focuses on developing Silverlight applications using...

A quick note to let you know that our special-offer period for Charles Petzold’s Programming Windows, Sixth Edition , has begun. From May 17-31, you can order the ebook for $10, and you’ll receive three versions of the ebook as it is developed over time. You can read about the offer and find a link to the purchase page here . Read More...

We’re very pleased to announce that Penelope Coventry, Brett Lonsdale, and Phill Duffy’s book, Microsoft SharePoint 2010: Business Connectivity Services has shipped to the printer! Put your enterprise business data to work with Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Business Connectivity Services—and create valuable business solutions with your team. Led by SharePoint experts Penelope Coventry, Brett Lonsdale, and Phill Duffy, you'll learn how to access external data from several sources and make informed decisions based on what you retrieve. Unlock your enterprise data and increase your productivity, using code and no-code solutions! You’ll discover how to connect to enterprise data with Microsoft SharePoint Designer or Visual Studio; access line-of-business data, data from...

We’re happy to announce the availability of Working with Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint , by Mikael Svenson, Marcus Johansson and Robert Piddocke Although SharePoint has always had search capabilities, those capabilities have been hugely improved by the addition of FAST Search for SharePoint (FS4SP). FS4SP provides a feature-rich alternative to the limited out-of-the-box search experience in SharePoint 2010, and can be extended to meet complex information retrieval requirements. If your organization is looking for a fully configurable and scalable search solution, Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint may be right for you. The book is aimed squarely at SharePoint architects and developers who are either actively implementing search solutions using FS4SP or who simply...

Build Powerful Database Solutions with Access Save 50% – One Week Only Learn the secrets of this powerful database program so you can use your data in creative ways -- from creating product catalogs and publishing information online to producing invoices and reports. Buy from our official distributor, O’Reilly Media. Ebooks from oreilly.com are DRM-free. You get free lifetime access, multiple file formats, free updates.   Deal expires May 17, 2012 at 11:59pm PT and cannot be combined with other offers. Click here to view the promotional page Microsoft Access 2010 Step by Step Was: $22.99 Now: $11.49 (Save 50%) Microsoft Access 2010 Inside Out Was: $43.99 Now: $21.99 (Save 50%) Microsoft Access 2010 VBA Programming Inside Out Was: $39.99 Now: $19.99 (Save 50%) MOS 2010 Study Guide for Microsoft...

Maximize Windows 7 From end users to IT pros, Microsoft Press has the ebooks you need to get the most out of Windows 7. Choose from a wide range of Microsoft Press ebooks on Windows 7 for 50% off the regular price.  Purchase from our official distributor, O’Reilly Media. Ebooks from oreilly.com are DRM-free. You get free lifetime access, multiple file formats, free updates. Deal expires May 9, 2012 at 11:59pm PT and cannot be combined with other offers. Click here to see the full list Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition Was: $47.99 Now: $23.99 (Save 50%) Windows 7 Inside Out Was: $39.99 Now: $19.99 (Save 50%) Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out Was: $31.99 Now: $15.99 (Save 50%) Windows 7 Resource Kit Was: $55.99 Now: $27.99 (Save 50%) The Best of Windows 7: The Official Magazine Was...

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 High-Performance T-SQL Using Window Functions Available Now Inside Windows® Debugging: A Practical Guide to Debugging and Tracing Strategies in Windows® May 2012 (est.)                    Architecting Mobile Solutions for the Enterprise May 2012 (est.)            Working with Microsoft® Office 365: Running Your Small Business in the Cloud May 2012 (est.) Windows® Phone 7 Development Internals June 2012 (est.)         CompTIA Network+ Training Kit June 2012 (est.) Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010: Business Connectivity Services June 2012 (est.) MOS Study Guide for Microsoft® Office 365 June 2012 (est....

We try to provide a recap every once in a while about our free ebooks because they’re some of our most popular posts. Many of our free ebooks are offered in three formats - PDF, Mobi (Kindle) and epub.                     Read More...

Effectively Perform Tasks and Solve Problems in Windows 7 From end users to IT pros, Microsoft Press has the ebooks you need to get the most out of Windows 7. For one week only, choose from a wide range of Microsoft Press ebooks on Windows 7 for 50% off the regular price. Learn to manage windows and folders, sort and filter files, create an efficient Windows working environment, and safely access the Internet. Microsoft Press's Windows 7 books will provide you with the information you need to get the most out of your operating system. O’Reilly Media is the official distributor of Microsoft Press books. Ebooks from oreilly.com are DRM-free. You get free lifetime access, multiple file formats, free updates. Deal expires May 9, 2012 at 11:59pm PT and cannot be combined with other offers...

Greetings. This month the number of downloads of Charles Petzold’s free ebook Programming Windows Phone 7 (including the two earlier draft versions of the ebook we also released) surpassed 600,000. This is the number of actual downloads, folks, not the number of views of the blog posts sharing the ebooks. Congratulations to Charles for reaching so many developers! Read More...

Greetings. To learn more about the Consumer Preview ebook release of Charles Petzold’s Programming Windows, Sixth Edition , click here . The outline for this release is below: Chapter 1: Markup and Code The First Project Graphical Greetings Variations in Text Media As Well The Code Alternatives Images in Code Not Even a Page Chapter 2: XAML Syntax The Gradient Brush in Code Property Element Syntax Content Properties The TextBlock Content Property Sharing Brushes (and Other Resources) Resources Are Shared A Bit of Vector Graphics Styles A Taste of Data Binding Chapter 3: Basic Event Handling The Tapped Event Routed Event Handling Overriding the Handled Setting Input, Alignment, and Backgrounds Size and Orientation Changes Bindings to Run? Timers and Animation Chapter 4: Presentation with Panels...

The culture of work is changing. People want the freedom to work anywhere—at home, in the office, on the road—and they want instant access to everything they would typically have at their office desk. They want to bring their own PCs, slates, and smartphones to work. Not to mention, everyone's more connected than ever with use of social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) at work and for work as well as work-related collaboration using cloud applications like web mail, cloud storage, and web apps. It’s time to give people the freedom to get things done their way. In return, you’ll unleash passion and productivity like never before. REGISTER NOW: http://aka.ms/ConsumerIT Course: “ Embracing the Consumerization of IT Jump Start ” Date/Time: May 15-16, 2012 from 8:00am – 12...

We’re happy to announce the availability of Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 High-Performance T-SQL Using Window Functions (ISBN: 9780735658363; 244 pages), by Itzik Ben-Gan! As Itzik explains, “Window functions are functions applied to sets of rows defined by a clause called OVER. They are used mainly for analytical purposes allowing you to calculate running totals, calculate moving averages, identify gaps and islands in your data, and perform many other computations. These functions are based on an amazingly profound concept in standard SQL (which is both an ISO and ANSI standard)—the concept of windowing . The idea behind this concept is to allow you to apply various calculations to a set, or window , of rows and return a single value. Window functions can help to solve...

Here’s the 8th post in our series of guest posts by Microsoft Most Valued Professionals (MVPs). Since the early 1990s, Microsoft has recognized technology champions around the world with the MVP Award . MVPs freely share their deep knowledge, real-world experience, and impartial and objective feedback to help people enhance the way they use technology . Of more than 100 million users who participate in technology communities, around 4,000 are recognized as Microsoft MVPs. This post is by Eric Boyd , who became a Windows Azure MVP in April 2012. Thanks, Eric! Starting at an early age, I became very entrepreneurial and also quite intrigued by technology. I grew up in a hardworking, blue-collar family. My brother and I were loved very much, our mother worked very hard to provide opportunities...

Just a quick note to say that our post sharing the free Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 ebook has had, as of last night, 100,000 views. This is pretty rare for us. It’s the eighth post out of our 970-odd posts to the blog to reach that milestone. (Sort our posts by “Most Views” on our front page, and you’ll see the rest.) And to reach the milestone in less than six weeks is exciting; it means we provided something you very much appreciate. We’ll try to keep that up! Thanks for your interest, everybody. Read More...

The following interview related to the creation of the recently published Microsoft Manual of Style, Fourth Edition , appears in the April-May 2012 newsletter of the Puget Sound Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) . It is reprinted here with the kind permission of the article’s author, David Kowalsky, who is also a member of the chapter’s Editorial Board. Thanks, David. Interview with Two Members of the MMS Team by David Kowalsky The highly anticipated 4th edition of the Microsoft Manual of Style (MMS) was published in January 2012. This is a substantial update; it has been eight years since the third edition was published in 2004. The MMS provides guidance to not only technical writers and editors, but also content creators, journalists, and everyone else who...

Reimagined for full-screen and touch-optimized apps, Windows 8 provides a platform for reaching new users in new ways. In response, programming legend Charles Petzold is rewriting his classic Programming Windows —one of the most popular programming books of all time—to show developers how to use existing skills and tools to build Windows 8 apps. To celebrate, Microsoft Press will release three versions of the ebook, as both the book and Windows 8 evolve. When you purchase the Programming Windows, Sixth Edition ebook, you will receive the current version of the ebook plus all subsequent versions, including the final, complete ebook. And with special promotional pricing, you can get crucial, early-access content—and all updates—for as little as $10. The “Beta ebook...

Here’s the seventh post in our series of guest posts by Microsoft Most Valued Professionals (MVPs). Since the early 1990s, Microsoft has recognized technology champions around the world with the MVP Award . MVPs freely share their deep knowledge, real-world experience, and impartial and objective feedback to help people enhance the way they use technology . Of more than 100 million users who participate in technology communities, around 4,000 are recognized as Microsoft MVPs. This post is by André Paulovich Gomes and Ivan Paulovich Gomes , who became Microsoft MVPs in April 2012. Thanks, guys! With similar careers, we both have started working together in companies of  Belo Horizonte, a city near the center of Brazil. Today, however, we work in different companies, one with SharePoint...

Save 15% through May 15, 2012 at Amazon.com. Click here and look for the coupon in the book’s detail page. How to Redeem the Coupon: To apply a coupon offer to a qualifying item, add coupon in one of two ways: Click on the coupon offer on the item detail page which will take you to "Your Coupon Book" then click on the applicable coupon, or Click on the coupon provided in "Your Coupon Book". After applying the coupon to the qualifying item, add the item to your Cart via the "Add to Cart" or "1-Click" option button on the respective item detail page or from "Your Coupon Book". The coupon discount will be applied to the qualifying item added to your Cart and will be reflected on the final order checkout page. Read More...

Today we’d like to share a sampler from the recently published Software Change Management: Case Studies and Practical Advice , by Donald J. Reifer . The sampler (2.97 MB) contains two complete chapters—Chapter 6, “Industrial Case: Utility Moving to the Clouds,” and Chapter 9, “Government Case: Introducing New Technology”—and a Table of Contents for the complete 12-chapter book. You can download the sampler here . Donald is one of the leading figures in the field of systems/software engineering and management, with over 40 years of progressive experience. He has built businesses, steered troubled projects, and served in executive positions in industry and government. He specializes in the area of metrics and measurement. Enjoy! Read More...

Here’s the sixth post in our series of guest posts by Microsoft Most Valued Professionals (MVPs). Since the early 1990s, Microsoft has recognized technology champions around the world with the MVP Award . MVPs freely share their deep knowledge, real-world experience, and impartial and objective feedback to help people enhance the way they use technology . Of more than 100 million users who participate in technology communities, around 4,000 are recognized as Microsoft MVPs. This post is by Stephen Oiller, Windows Phone Consumer MVP, who became a Microsoft MVP in April 2012. Thank you, Stephen! My road through community and technology has been a long one. For as long as I can remember, technology has been a massive part of my life. Today I, like many, carry a phone around, have access to a computer...

Greetings! Today we’d like to share a sampler from Windows Internals, Sixth Edition, Part 1 , by Mark Russinovich (@markrussinovich), David Solomon, and Alex Ionescu (@aionescu). The 244-page sampler (9.4 MB) contains two complete chapters—Chapter 5, “Processes, Threads, and Jobs,” and Chapter 6, “Security”—and a complete Table of Contents for both Parts 1 (Chapters 1-7) & 2 (Chapters 8-14). You can download the sampler here . Enjoy. P.S. The authors are hard at work on Part 2. We’re expecting to publish it in summer or fall 2012. We’ll keep you informed of our progress via this blog. Read More...

In the week since Windows Internals, Sixth Edition, Part 1 became available for purchase, customers have been asking what topics will be covered in Part 2, which is scheduled for release this fall. Here are the Contents at a Glance of both books: Windows Internals, Sixth Edition, Part 1 Chapter 1   Concepts and Tools Chapter 2   System Architecture Chapter 3   System Mechanisms Chapter 4   Management Mechanisms Chapter 5   Processes, Threads, and Jobs Chapter 6   Security Chapter 7   Networking Windows Internals, Sixth Edition, Part 2 Chapter 8   I/O System Chapter 9   Storage Management Chapter 10   Memory Management Chapter 11   Cache Manager Chapter 12   File Systems Chapter 13   Startup and Shutdown Chapter 14   Crash...