My adventures in WPF - Intro to WPF Series

This will be a first post in the series of articles around WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation). I will be using examples of real work in an example format of the challenges I have faced when working with this technology. I feel that a blog series devoted to understanding WPF is needed because it is a very different platform for .NET Developers and when moving to WPF/Silverlight there is a steep learning curve whether people admit it or not. Just because you know Microsoft .NET does not mean that you will be sufficient at WPF/Silverlight which I find so many business people think is true.

I will also be posting reference articles that I feel have helped me along the way to understand this new Microsoft technology. I will admit that WPF is a rewarding technology to use and if used correctly can create amazing applications for businesses and individuals. However, with any new technology there are always critics and skeptics but I am here to blog that its possible to learn this technology and I am going to show you how! Stay tuned for my first post about "diving into databinding".

How to get started with programming - Microsoft Ramp Up Program

If you are new to programming or just getting back into the mix you have to check out Microsoft's Ramp Up program. This new offering from Microsoft offers an abundance of knowledge, training, and video tutorials for beginners, intermediates, and advanced users for free.  I have personally signed up for the offering by creating a Windows Live ID logging into the website. In a short amount of time I have been able to get up-to-speed in several technology areas that I needed help with. The content is straight-forward and simple.

From the initial onset, Microsoft is really trying to help customers get a grasp of their products for free. I highly recommend this for all programmers whether you are a novice or easoned veteran this site offers a great wealth of knowledge. They offer many different types of learning paths and topics. Topics include: Silverlight Development, Share Point Development, Java Developers: Intro to Microsoft .NET, PHP Developers: Intro to ASP.NET.

Take a look at the site here - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/rampup/default.aspx

If this program seems like something that may interest you and you would like to get a more official training approach I would check out http://learnvisualstudio.net  . I have personally used them for my .NET training in the past and it has been the best I have ever found on the internet.