Open Source Role Call for Windows Azure

In order to test out the Windows Azure platform to it’s full extent I am looking for a few  developers that program in the open source realm to develop a few simple web applications in Java, Python, or Ruby to be hosted on Windows Azure. These applications don’t need to be anything too extravagant, however, I would prefer if the application was to use the Windows Azure Storage API.

You can download the respective storage APIs here: Java, Python, Ruby, and PHP.

If you are an Open Source Developer and would like to try out the Windows Azure Platform contact me for a Windows Azure Token. Once you have deployed your application into the cloud, I will create a blog account  for you on the Canadian Azure Experience Cloud Blog [that I installed using Azure BlogEngine.Net] for you to post your experience with Windows Azure.

All this sounds great, but what’s in it for you? I am not a Microsoft Employee, so I won’t be able to offer up much, but this is a great starting point for the Elance Windows Azure Contest. Plus I will offer up a post about you and your application on my blog for all the world to see [Hey, You found this didn’t you?].

Here are a few resources to get you going with Windows Azure:

• Windows Azure Community Forums
• Windows Azure Platform Interoperability SDK & Tools
• Developing Windows Azure Applications for PHP, Ruby and Java using Eclipse
• Using Windows Azure Blob storage with PHP
• Consuming Windows Azure Blog Storage from Ruby
• Windows Azure SDK for Java
• Python Has Wrapped Itself Around Windows Azure

Latest Windows Azure Project Conversion…

While Guelph Coffee and Code was participating in the Technology Focus Panel on Windows Azure, I attempted to upload the BlogEngine.Net sample from Code Plex during my demo on how to deploy to the Windows Azure Platform.

During the Publishing Step there were a number of Errors while it was trying to compile the project. These errors are due to a namespace change that you can read about in my blog post Moving from the ‘ServiceHosting’ to ‘WindowsAzure’ Namespace and a follow up post entitled Windows Azure Guest Book – Refactored. [I will be writing a post shortly on the Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Diagnostics namespace which replaced the RoleManager.WriteToLog()].

I will be deploying the BlogEngine.Net application to Windows Azure and am looking for Developers that have been deploying Projects into the Cloud to post their experiences on the blog.  If you would like to guest write on the Canadian Windows Azure Experience Blog please contact me with a link to your Windows Azure application and I will create an account for you.

If you would like to host your blog in the cloud, here are the updated files for the Azure  BlogEngine.Net application for Windows Azure. Feel free to download the project and use it for your own blog in the cloud.

A little ditty about Guelph Coffee and Code

It’s an amazing how one simple concept can grow an amazing community. It all started with  one simple question What’s Brewing Here? Joey deVilla, Developer Evangelist, Microsoft Canada, took to the streets to work one day a week in a coffee shop in order to connect with local Developers.  I wasn’t able to attend the first Coffee and Code, but I thought the idea was brilliant. I decided that it was something that was simple enough to do that I would start my own Coffee and Code group, thus Guelph Coffee and Code was born, the Tuesday following the first [Toronto] Coffee and Code.

Tonight we wrapped up the 41st meeting of Guelph Coffee and Code, and it’s come a long way from me sitting by myself at a local Coffee shop.  We have recently moved into a new venue ‘Synnema’ a screening room for a local media production company Synn Studios.  This new location will give us the ability to do presentations, and collaborate as an entire team as opposed to micro teams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have started to plan for the Anniversary of Guelph Coffee and Code, which would officially land on February 24th, but will be held on March 4th. My Plan is to bring Educators, Publishers and Software Vendors into Coffee and Code to give our community a chance to learn about what is out there for them to Advance their skills, or increase productivity with third party tools.

If you would like to attend, or sponsor the event [Door Prize, or Funding] please contact me through either the Contact Form or by snapping my Microsoft Tag.

Cloud9: Deploying your First Windows Azure App.

For some this may be your first visit to my blog, for others you may have been here before.  With any luck the reason you are here reading is that you are looking forward to launching an application into the Windows Azure Cloud.  During the course of the Guelph Coffee and Code Technology Focus Panel on Windows Azure, I had noticed that some of the attendees had a hard time following the screen cast that I did in my post Floating up into the Windows Azure Cloud.

When getting started at something new it’s tempting to download the Tools & SDK and hit the road running. This is a technique that I can say I’ve used on several occasions, not always turning out for the best [if you followed my Tweets under #cdnazure, you’d notice it took 13 hours to launch my first Windows Azure Application].  Wait! don’t run off just yet. I know that 13 hours seems scary, but I purposely skipped watching and reading the training to try to learn all that I could on my own.  Once I got stuck, I returned to the getting started section of the Windows Azure site and reviewed the training materials.

This video below describing how to deploy the myTodo application from the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit was definitely the best resource for learning how to configure all the pieces of the Windows Azure Platform.

Believe me when I say that 13 minutes of your life will seem like an instant over the 13 hours you could spend debugging something that is brand new to you.

I hope your deployments to Windows Azure go smoothly. Until next time, Happy Coding!

Polymorphic Podcast Shouts out JTweetr

As you may recall I got my first shout out on Polymorphic Podcast a few weeks ago. Well shortly after my shout out I asked Craig Shoemaker if he was planning on converting his 57 archived shows into fast feeds, as they were very friendly to listen to while you are working away at your workstation or cubical. Sadly, due to the time commitment Craig didn’t think he’d be able to do it. I loved them so much that I asked if I could convert them for him.

Craig plans to release 2 of the converted Polymorphic podcast fast feed archives each week from his first show until he catches up to the current show as a sort of a ‘Blast From the Past!’.  If you are a .NET programmer and would like to learn more about Best Practices, and Useful Development Tools be sure to check out The Polymorphic Podcast in either Fast Feed or Regular Speed.

I hope to possibly one day appear on The Polymorphic Podcast show.  Possibly giving a quick chat about developing on Windows Azure. Regardless of the topic, it would be quite the honor.

Thanks for the shout-outs and the continued support Craig!