Jesse Liberty

I just returned from a trip to Redmond, where I had a chance to sit down with (literally) a dozen people whom I've talked with, and exchanged email with but not previously met face to face. It was great.

(I also spent 1/2 hour with Scott Guthrie, and let me tell you, he is a blast. This is not sucking-up [I'm too old for that] he is just a gas to spend time with- he is on top of what is going on and that is because he insists on coding in every technology he is responsible for. He is also a clear believer in giving the people who work for him a lot of room and a lot of rope and seeing if they make a hammock or a noose)

The first question I was asked, by nearly everyone was (essentially): "and what is it you actually do?"  Here is how I've come to sum it up: "Many people want to figure out whether or not to use Silverlight vs. some other development technology (for example, to pick something at random, Flash, or Flex). There are a lot of folks at Microsoft who are terrific at helping them figure that out… but not me. 

Once a developer decides they do want to develop with Silverlight, that is where I come in. It is my job and commitment to create a community on Silverlight.net where developers can get the information they need to learn Silverlight, to integrate Silverlight into their development work flow, to get their questions answered and, generally to find whatever they need to be productive.

Code, Teach, Write

Before joining Microsoft, I spent the past 15 years dividing my time among three activities: programming, teaching and writing; and that is just how I intend to spend my time now: "teaching" through videos, tutorials and at events such as Mix, Tech-Ed, etc.; writing (watch for Programming Silverlight from O'Reilly Media Summer of 08), and Coding (initially example programs, but eventually considerably more than that). But now, I get to do so from the inside, looking out; it is like being a kid in a candy store at night.

One difference between me on the one hand and the Technical Evangelists and Development Evangelists on the other hand is that I work in ScottGu's  group — that is in the Developer Division and  as part of the Silverlight development team; and that (to me) makes a big difference. My hope is that this will play itself out more clearly as we move into Silverlight 2.0.

Please do not misunderstand, I have a world of respect for Tim Sneath and the folks who work for him (no joke, he is one of the brightest guys I've met) but his folks and I have somewhat non-overlapping jobs, and that is what makes this all work. Basically; I don't evangelize (at least, not on purpose)

Let The Geek Talk To The Press

A funny thing happened along the way (and, apparently this is pretty unusual). Someone decided that I should talk with the press (which, for a geek new to the company is almost weird. If you've worked for a large company you'll know that one is usually told to direct press inquiries to people who do that for a living.)  I recently sat down with the folks who make such decisions and they asked if I wouldn't mind talking with the press quite a bit more, actually. Better, they encouraged me to be open, honest and direct and (their words) never dilute my "developer credibility" by saying anything I didn't believe (not that I would, but it was nice to hear).

So, you may see me quoted in some obscure journal or other, but if I begin to sound like I'm selling Silverlight please slap me silly (preferably here in my blog) so that I knock it off.

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Let me say it just once more and then I'll stop: my job is to help you program in Silverlight or get the help you need; it is not to convince you to choose Silverlight (or any other Microsoft product for that matter). As I used to say about my books:  I don't like Microsoft products because I write about them, I write about them because I like them. It is fair to say that I don't like Silverlight because I work for Microsoft, but that I literally joined Microsoft because of my enthusiasm about Silverlight and the Silverlight development team. I honestly believe it is the most important new technology in at least a decade, but that is a personal assessment; not one I wish to shove down your throat.

I'll stop going on about this (I'm afraid this may not be my first post on the matter) but it did seem worth repeating as I found there was some confusion even within Microsoft about what the heck it is I do.

Now, it is time I go do it.

Today Scott Guthrie (affectionately known as ScottGu) made a series of announcements about the evolution of Silverlight. 

This blog entry won't repeat those points but will build on them to discuss the support that I will be lucky enough to be able to provide between now and RTM.

First, the one thing that I've heard at every presentation is that the community needs to know two things: when is Silverlight 1.0+ coming and what will be in it. Today we were able to give pretty strong answers:  There will be a beta with a go-live in the first quarter of 2008 and it will include a lot of great stuff (see Scott's blog entry for the complete list). These features will be supported by updates to a free Visual Studio 2008 tools update that will work with VS Pro/Standard and Express.

The new Silverlight is a significant enough step that we've renamed it Silverlight 2.0.

When we release, we will also provide a series of "How Do I" videos so that you can get up and running immediately with each new release.

In addition, Scott will be starting a blog tutorial series in a few weeks on building 2.0 applications. He has agreed to bring me into that process so that I can support these tutorials (within the limits of what we are saying publicly) and so that, over time, I can continue the tutorials moving forward. (From a personal perspective, it just doesn't get any cooler than that!)

More very soon…

On November 29, 2007 Microsoft will be hosting Silverlight 1.0 Fire Starter on the Redmond, Washington campus.

This daylong event is free to anyone who wants to learn about designing and developing with Microsoft Silverlight 1.0.

This event will be filmed, and made available on the Internet for those of you who cannot be there.

Seating was limited, but we've moved to a larger venue so it is not too late to Register 

Microsoft Redmond Campus
1 Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA
Building 33, Kodiak Room
** Please have a photo ID with you to register onsite and park

A developer wrote to me directly, and has given me permission to quote his email and my response. Since this is an issue I'm asked about every day, I will do so without editing, except (at his request) to mask his identity:

First, thank you much for all your work to help developers learn how to program Silverlight.  Thanks in advance for all that is yet to come.

My unedited response follows…

I think you are completely correct. And I think we are very much aware that no matter how powerful 1.0 is, the community is anxiously awaiting the next version of Silverlight, for many good reasons, including the inclusion of the CLR, the ability to use managed code, tighter integration with Visual Studio, the availability of many drag and drop controls and so forth.

We know that it is imperative that we provide a list of what to expect and when to expect it, and we know that it is imperative that we get it right (the only thing worse than not telling folks when it is coming is to get it wrong).

I've recently received a number of requests for copies of my Silverlight presentations. Here's a confession: every time I give a presentation, I start out with something like these, but I change them because Silverlight is evolving as is my understanding of what folks are interested in.

That said, you are welcome to this snapshot of my slides if they may be of benefit to you, and you may use them, change them, and otherwise spindle them under the general limitations that apply to all Microsoft slide presentations (see legal wording on final slides in each presentation)

Each of the demos referred to in the slides is documented in one of our videos which of course you are free to download along with the example code.

I hope you find this useful.

Thank you.

Jesse Standard Presentations.zip

The excitement about Silverlight continues in Barcelona, as shown in this short interview about Silverlight 1.0 and what comes next.

I've also talked with reporters from Italy and France and can tell you that the overall international excitement about building Rich Internet Applications with Silverlight is extremely intense.

The key  is providing a clear statement of how ready and powerful 1.0 is today, and, as soon as we can, a roadmap as to where we are going in the future.  There remains some confusion about both points, and I will be working hard in my blog and videos, on these issues — especially on showing how much developers can get done right now with Silverlight 1.0