Hello.

Day 2 of DevWeek was packed with insightful sessions. Niels Berglund's talk on ADO.NET v.Next and the Entity Framework highlighted the potential for simplifying database interactions by mapping database models to programmer-friendly models. Kelvin Henney's lecture on streamlined object-oriented analysis emphasized the importance of modeling the current system before designing solutions, using UML and Use Cases. Ingo Rammer's presentations on scalability and performance, and Windows Workflow integration, offered practical advice and cleared up some misunderstandings. I also had a chance to visit vendor booths, with Infragistics' XAML components and Dev Express's slick presentations standing out. Overall, the quality of the lectures has been excellent, but the vendor presence could be improved.

DevWeek Conference Day 1: Jeff Prosise's keynote covered the history of web programming, from CGI to ASP.NET AJAX and WPF/E. While I enjoyed his talk, I would've preferred more focus on the future. The "Attack and Defense" session was disappointing, lacking depth compared to available online resources. David Wheeler's "Practical Patterns" was a highlight, with clear explanations and code examples of design patterns. The vendor presence was smaller than expected. Infragistics showcased promising XAML controls, while TechExcel impressed with their enthusiasm and software demo. Other vendors, like NAG and the Enterprise Architect distributors, could have been more engaging.