Larry Smithmier: C# For You (with a side of SQL)

Microsoft is a huge company, employing more than 70,000 people worldwide. It is hard, if not impossible, to keep up with the offerings they have for businesses of any size. Here are three things that specifically aid small software development companies:

First and foremost, if you are going to be developing software targeting Microsoft Windows, you should look at the Microsoft Empowerment Program as a relatively inexpensive way to provide development tools for your company. Think of it as the gateway drug. For $375/year (two year max) you get 5 MSDN Premium seats, 5 internal use licenses for most OSs, and 10 advisory hours. If you can’t get your product to market with 5 people in two years, you aren’t doing something right.

Next is Project Glidepath which helps MicroISVs and other startup type companies leverage WPF and other new Vista APIs to create engaging products. It does this by providing screencasts, plugins, factories, and guidance packages that focus on the new technologies available in Vista. There is also an associated blog that covers many timely topics.

Last, but not least, there is the Microsoft Startup Zone that is aimed at providing insight in how you can leverage Microsoft products and people to help build your business into a success. The emerging business team is directly available to you and has contacts in the VC world and are willing, nay, even eager, to make introductions. They can be the key to everything from getting in contact with the developers of the products you are using in your solution to being acquired by Microsoft for a big pile of cash.

So I am finally getting around to picking back up my Blogs after the move to Austin. I am now a Software Architect with Dell. I am spending a lot of time envisioning and planning and very little time coding, so I will be using this as a forum for my twitch coding. Almost up to speed so I should begin posting again next week.