A Day At The Visual Studio 2008 Launch Event

So this last Tuesday I was able to go the local incarnation of the Visual Studio/Windows Server/SQL Server 2008 product launch. It was moderately fun and free. The training in the Dev track was pretty basic, so I didn't learn much except in the session on developing Office Business Applications with Visual Studio. I didn't know anything about that, so I learned some new stuff there. However, I don't ever do that kind of development (and don't really want to), so I'm not sure I'll be able to use much of what I learned. I should have taken a non-developer track. I probably would have learned more.

The greatest thing about going was the free software. I got a free copy of Visual Studio 2008, Windows Server 2008, a voucher for a copy of SQL Server 2008 (not finished yet), and a copy of Vista with SP1 integrated. Getting the first three was the main reason I signed up. The last I didn't know about, so it was a pleasant surprise. Of course, at this point I don't have any hardware that will run it, so I need to find the cash to buy a new computer...

I think there are still some launch events happening around the country. So if you need the software, I recommend finding one near you if you can.