XAML Wonderland

As many of my friends know I have been working on a new course for 2009.  This week the announcements are out, and I can finally talk about my latest project.  Starting in April I will be teaching a combined Microsoft Surface and Windows Presentation Framework course.  I’m excited about this class, as I think the Surface is an amazing example of multi-touch done right.

I’ve been collaborating with Wintellect and the Microsoft Surface team for several months to make this course happen.  Last week we finalized the details for the first offering.  April 20th in Dallas is the first time this course will be presented to the public.

Learn about the Microsoft Surface

Obviously any class about the Microsoft Surface needs to discuss the Surface hardware and the Surface API.

When you choose to write software for the Microsoft Surface™ you need to learn two major components. First, you have to understand the Microsoft Surface™ unit itself. Microsoft Surface™ features a 30-inch tabletop display, which contains a unique vision system, and features a well-designed multi-touch UI.

During the course you will work frequently with the physical Microsoft Surface™ units. You’ll learn how the hardware works, learn how to calibrate the unit and setup your developer environment. You will also learn how to gather input from the user via the touch system and see how to function in an environment without a mouse or keyboard. We explain how to configure and customize the existing Microsoft Surface™ Application Suite, and show how to configure and deploy your Microsoft Surface™ application. During the week we take many opportunities to discuss UI design and the challenges of creating a functional application that makes sense in a 360 degree, multi-touch environment.

Learn WPF during the Microsoft Surface course

When it comes time to write a Surface application you have to choose a platform.  Surface applications can be written in WPF or XNA. 

Second, you need to learn a suitable UI programming platform. Windows Microsoft Surface™ applications can be written in Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) or XNA. … WPF is a superb framework for building rich client applications and it partners perfectly with the Microsoft Surface™. In addition to all the Microsoft Surface™ specific training offered during the week, this course also includes the content from our Mastering Windows Presentation Framework class.

So you get a complete course in WPF (with the course tailored to the WPF pieces that are most important for Surface applications) and a course in the Surface combined into an intense 50 hour week. 

When are the classes?

So far we’ve only announced the first class.

April 20 – 24th

Dallas Texas

There will be one class a month for the rest of 2009.  I’ll be teaching it again in Seattle in May and on the east coast in June.  We haven’t pinned down the exact dates yet, I’ll post as soon as I know more details.

Learn more about the class.

Sign up for the class.

Do I need to own a Surface unit?

No.

Any one can attend the class.  If you are yearning to learn more about the Surface I encourage you to attend.  You’ll also learn WPF during the week. 

If you want your own Surface unit  or your company is planning on buying units however you have to talk to the Surface team and become part of their Microsoft Surface partner program.

Mastering Microsoft Surface™ Development with WPF is a multi-faceted course that delivers loads of content in an instructor-led format. You get lots of lab time and thousands of lines of sample code to take back to work with you. Best of all we bundle the Microsoft Surface™ and WPF content into to one convenient package, so you can learn everything you need in one information packed week.