As much as I like writing posts about technology, best practices, and my random interpretations of my life experiences, sometimes I just need to tell you about stuff. This post falls in that category.

If you’re not aware, we offer a series of events called MSDN Unleashed each quarter of the year. This quarter, we are going to be covering Internet Explorer 8 and Windows 7. These technologies are going to be the focal point for developers in the coming months and years, and are something you, as a software developer, should at least have a passing knowledge of, if not an in-depth understanding. Here’s what the sessions will cover:

Session 1: Internet Explorer 8 for Developers

The Windows Internet Explorer 8 browser makes it easier to explore and interact with the web. Did you know that there will be a new standards mode by default? While it can easily be turned off, knowing the potential to impact this may have on many sites that have been crafted around various features in past versions is a good idea. Attend this session to learn which current practices you need to change and how the new standards mode affects your development techniques and your existing sites. We review tools that are built into Internet Explorer 8 to help developers debug and create Web pages. We also discuss Web Slices, Accelerators, and Search Suggestion – all of which are key new features in this latest release.

In this session we’ll show you:

• Developer Tools
• Selectors API
• Use and create accelerators
• Use and create web slices
• Use and create search suggestions
• AJAX Navigation enhancements with Virtual Earth demo on history, AJAX Cross Domain Calls
• CSS improvements (printing, counters, new pseudo classes)

Session 2: Developing on Microsoft Windows 7

Building applications that are easy to use, visually appealing, and offer high performance is a challenge that developers face every day. Innovative applications can greatly improve the user experience, empowering companies to differentiate their services and solutions. However, developers are increasingly asked to do more in less time, while also optimizing the power and performance requirements of their applications. The Windows 7 platform makes it easy for developers to create engaging, user-friendly applications by providing familiar tools and rich development features that allow them to take advantage of the latest PC capabilities. In this session we will explore the new Taskbar and Jump Lists, the Scenic Ribbon, file management with Libraries, and Windows Web Services among many other enhancements to the new operating system.

In this session we’ll show you:

• New Features in Windows 7
• Use and create jump lists
• Scenic Ribbon API
• Use and create Libraries
• Windows Web Services API
• Additional enhancements that support development

When and where will these events be?