RDU

Alt.bug Is Dead

Dugald Wilson — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:46:20 GMT

Alt.bug has been a lot of fun, gathering .Net developers via Twitter and blogs for beer and good discussion. But, in getting beers after the last Raleigh.rb meetup, I realized there are many developers out there who exist in totally different ecosystems, but who have great insights, and an appreciation for beer.

I think in changing the name, we can alter the focus, and make Developer Beers a chance for software development professionals to gather, outside of platform, and exchange ideas on software development.

Also, in changing the name, and the focus, I'd like to also change the locale, and have Developer Beers at the great bars, breweries, and taphouses in the RDU area. Ideally, we have it on a rotating schedule, rotating through great bars in all of the Triangle cities.

Hopefully you will join us - details are on the linked page or HERE.

RDU Code Camp Thanks

Dugald Wilson — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:16:10 GMT

RDU Code Camp was yesterday (Nov 15). It was just an awesome time. From what folks say, it went very well. I'd like to thank all of the folks who made this possible:

Chris Love - Chris was the original driver for doing another Code Camp this year. He took the lead on getting the speakers and sessions together, and stepped up to handle the emceeing on the event.
Rob Zelt - Rob secured all the swag for the event, resulting in some very happy folks when they left yesterday afternoon.
Chuck Scheier & Srinu Tulluri - Chuck and Srinu handled the food, which surpassed all expectations.
Greg Pugh - Greg handled the promotion for Code Camp, and the excellent turnout we had is a result of his work.
Glen Alfredson - Glen handled all the financial dealings of working with our sponsors and vendors.
Jeremy Brown - Jeremy, and his wife Julie, took on the responsibility of creating the t-shirts for Code Camp. Julie came up with many designs, and Jeremy stayed on us to actually DECIDE and get it done. They turned out great, and I couldn't be more appreciative of their efforts.
Anita Luthra- Anita came in and volunteered, and helped make our registration process run smoother than I've ever seen it.
Josh Carlisle - Josh helped deliver swag, sodas, and maps. He was an invaluable fixer.
John Anderson - John volunteered for us and single-handedly turned room 201 from a classroom for 40 to a conference room for 120.
James Avery - James volunteered to run Open Spaces, which was a huge hit, and will hopefully be a part of our future Code Camps. He then helped craft the idea of our sponsorship being limited, which raised visibility for sponsors, and reduced the number of sponsors we had to handle. He then helped land us Red Gate software as a sponsor.
Brian Hitney - Brian is our Microsoft DE, so I think there is some part of his job description that has him help us out on these things. Brian helped sponsor us and provide swag, but more importantly was an invaluable resource for how to run the Code Camp, and I couldn't have done my part without his counsel.
Derik Whittaker - Derik was instrumental in securing Allscripts as a sponsor, without which we would have had a much more limited Code Camp.
Todd Phelps & ECPI - ECPI has been a wonderful host for our Code Camps, giving us complete access to their building. Todd came in on his own time Sat to open and close the building for us.
All our speakers - We wouldn't have had an event without our amazing speakers. Thank you all for traveling out of your way, and helping us have one of our best Code Camps ever!
Our sponsors - big thanks to Allscripts, Inkscribe Designs, Microsoft, Red Gate, SoftPro, and Tek Systems

If anyone has been overlooked, it is no reflection on your contribution, but rather the oversight of my still-weary brain.

RDU Code Camp

Dugald Wilson — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:04:42 GMT

RDU Code Camp is this Saturday, Nov 15, from 8:15am to 5pm. Door open at 7:30am.

It promises to be a great day full of developer-oriented content. In addition, there will be an Open Spaces, and an XBox 360 for playing Rock Band! Lunch will be provided, and there are prizes at the end - hope to see you there!

RDU CodeCamp is Looking for Speakers

Dugald Wilson — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:44:34 GMT

RDU CodeCamp is coming!

Nov 15, 2008 at ECPI in Raleigh we will be having the RDU CodeCamp. Registration will be coming soon.

Currently, we are actively seeking speakers! If you are interested in speaking at RDU CodeCamp please drop us a line at http://www.codecamp.org/Speakers.aspx - We would love to hear from you.

TriNUG August 2008 - Jeffrey Palermo - TDD, DI, and SoC with ASP.NET MVC

Dugald Wilson — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:33:50 GMT

On Wednesday, Aug 13, Jeffrey Palermo will be talking about separation of concerns, dependency injection, and test driven development with ASP.Net MVC. This should be an excellent discussion on some of the benefits in using the new MVC framework for ASP.Net.

There are some important points to underline about this meeting:

It will be awesome.
Registration is required to manage headcount, especially for our dinner arrangements. To attend, you must register on the site.
This meeting is not at RTI. The August 13 meeting will be held at ECPI.

This should be a great meeting. Hope to see you there!

BarCampRDU 2008

Dugald Wilson — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:21:56 GMT

BarCampRDU is almost here, and I cannot wait! I attended my first BarCampRDU a year ago. I volunteered, and got to meet many great folks, and the sessions I sat in on were just great - full of smart people eager to share their ideas and experiences.

The last BarCamp I attended I knew no one. I think that was really a great way to come in. I could focus on the sessions, and what really appealed to me, versus finding my friends and trying to stick with them. It will be interesting to see if knowing a dozen or more folks at this one changes things.

At the last BarCamp, I did my part by volunteering. I didn't feel like I had an area of expertise to speak in, so I didn't offer up a session. After attending, I now know you don't need to be an expert to lead a topic - often the best topics are discussions that bring together lots of folks contributing their ideas. So in that spirit, I have a few ideas that might make for good discussions:

What's the deal with airline food Twitter?

I want to start a business that isn't headed for an IPO or acquisition. Is there a place for me in RTP?

TriNUG July 2008 - Bob Galen - Agile Development with .Net

Dugald Wilson — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:29:02 GMT

Wednesday, Bob Galen gave a talk on Agile development for our user group. It was a really great discussion - from the beginning, Bob moved into the center of the room, versus the dais in front, and gave his talk as a discussion rather than presentation. The result was a very engaging talk on Agile principles and execution. If you have a chance to hear Bob talk on Agile, I heartily recommend going : not only does he know his stuff, he does a great job communicating that knowledge.

TriNUG June 2008 - Community Launch Event

Dugald Wilson — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:21:55 GMT

Join us for a rapid fire evening full of new VS2008 features presented by our local TRINUG members!

Here's some of the topics you can expect:

  - Chris: XML Literals
  - Diane: LINQ to SQL Performance
  - Glen: VS Tools for Office
  - Greg: Extension Methods
  - Josh: Office Automation
  - Srinu: ASP.NET Dynamic Data

(Disclaimer: This post is a shameless cut and paste, with no original content whatsoever.)

TriNUG May 2008 - James Avery - 10 Open Source .NET Tools You Should be Using

Dugald Wilson — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:34:39 GMT

This Wednesday, at 5pm at Dreyfus Auditorium at RTI, come watch James Avery struggle against his 90-minute time limit as he presents "10 Open Source .NET Tools You Should be Using"! James has been working hard on this presentation for a while, if his tweets are any indication, and I have no doubt it will be great. Come out and join us, meet your fellow .Net devs, and enjoy some pizza, too!

Updated: You can find James' notes from his presentation here.

User Group Meeting Tips from Raleigh.rb

Dugald Wilson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:44:26 GMT

I attended the Raleigh.rb meeting last night. My interest was twofold, for while I am getting into Ruby, as the president of TriNUG I was interested in seeing what these guys were doing right in terms of running their meetings, since apparently the group is growing like crazy.

I had a good time, and came away with a few things I liked:

Pizza Doesn't Define the Group
Raleigh.rb meets at 7pm, and food is not provided. This worked for me, as I didn't have to choose between the meeting and having dinner with my family. I got to put my daughter to bed, and go to the meeting. Win win win.

No Fluff, Just Stuff
The meeting started promptly on time, quickly went through a quick spiel on Hack Night and the upcoming Ruby Hoedown, and then the speaker started speaking. This meeting was about 99% content.

Respect Your Members' Time
Start-to-finish, the meeting lasts an hour. Folks linger and hang out and talk afterwards, but it was nice to attend the meeting, see some friends, and still make it home at a decent hour.

This said, I think the TriNUG main meeting is a different beast, and I'm not recommending TriNUG abandon food and sponsorship, but if I was starting a new user group, I might take a page from these guys.