May 2017
Volume 32 Number 5
[Editor's Note]
Build Quality
By Michael Desmond | May 2017
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The Microsoft Build 2017 conference kicks off on May 10 in Seattle, where more than 5,000 developers will gather to learn about Microsoft’s plans to advance its development strategy and platforms. From frameworks like the .NET Framework, Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and ASP.NET Core to programming languages such as C#, the event offers a glimpse at the direction Microsoft will take over the year to come.
We’ve seen big things unveiled and promoted at Build over the years, from Windows 8 in 2011 to the release of the Microsoft Bot Framework at Build 2016. I don’t expect this year to be any different. Microsoft is famously tight-lipped about its intentions ahead of each Build show—in fact, session schedules sometimes aren’t released until the day before the event—but here’s what I’m told to expect from this year’s Build conference.
First, Microsoft will keep pushing productivity enhancements for developers working with Azure, Visual Studio, Xamarin and Windows. This is something that was big at the Connect(); event in New York City in November last year, as Microsoft pitched its tooling as a one-stop shop for devs coding not just for Windows and related platforms, but for Android, iOS and macOS.
In terms of overarching themes for Build 2017, areas of focus will include streamlining the creation of app experiences that immediately engage users with beautiful UIs and natural inputs, and delivering those experiences to users in a safe and reliable way. Team collaboration and connectedness will also be top of mind, leveraging the UWP to streamline and improve the dev experience. Finally, Microsoft will focus on connecting screens and experiences, leveraging a common service layer and code base to remove barriers.
You can expect plenty of guidance for key Microsoft platforms, including .NET Core and ASP.NET Core, Cognitive Services and Azure Machine Learning. And keep an eye out for the Bot Framework, which was launched at Build 2016. It’s not unusual for Microsoft to follow up a Build reveal by using the subsequent Build event as a platform to refine, reinforce and reinvigorate the product launch. This is something we saw with Windows 8 in 2011 and 2012, for example, and we could see it with the Bot Framework this month.
This month’s issue of MSDN Magazine focuses on many of the platforms and technologies that will be getting attention at Build 2017. Alessandro Del Sole’s lead feature, “Cross-Platform Code Generation with Roslyn and .NET Core,” explores the powerful .NET Compiler Platform and its ability to transform cross-platform programming. Victor Mushkatin and Sergey Kanzhelev dive into the App Insights telemetry tool, while Maarten Van De Bospoort orchestrates a content-filtering solution employing the Bot Framework, Cognitive Services and Azure Machine Learning. And look for Dino Esposito’s Cutting Edge column, which kicks off a multi-part exploration of ASP.NET Core.
By this time next month, we’ll all know a lot more about Microsoft’s plans for software development. Even if you’re not among the fortunate 5,000 invited to Build 2017, you can still take part. Attend the daily keynote and technical sessions online at aka.ms/build-2017-msdn, and tune in to see the latest news and announcements from the event.
Michael Desmond is the Editor-in-Chief of MSDN Magazine.