Service-Oriented Architectures are all the rage. But it's one thing to talk about them, another to design them, and yet another to implement them. What Patterns can you use to design the external interfaces of a Web Service, and keep it service-oriented? How do you avoid the tight-coupling in functionality and time of traditional RPC, and instead achieve the loose-coupling of functionality and response found in a document-centric web service? What Patterns can be used to design the internals of a web service, and keep it light-weight and flexible? In this session we'll analyze a service-oriented document-distribution system to learn what types of patterns you can use and how to take advantage of them. And you'll see a complete implementation in C#, which will demonstrate the versatility of the .NET Framework and the tools used to implement the service.

The Smart Client is a relatively new application development model bringing together the rich, interactive user experience of WinForms and the ease of deployment of ASP.NET applications. We'll look at Smart Client architecture, design, and implementation using the Smart Client Offline Application Block with a bias toward a service-oriented architecture (SOA). I will also briefly review what is on the horizon as new and different for Smart Client applications in Visual Studio 2005 and .NET 2.0.

Many businesses are pursuing migration strategies that will allow them to begin leveraging some of the major benefits of .NET in the short term, such as managed code and Web services, while positioning them to further build on the platform in the future. But developers have several options to choose among, from a 'face lift' to migrating just the user interface tier, to a 'just do it' approach for the entire system, encompassing full design, development, and deployment in .NET. This session will address how to assess the business objectives and then plan migration based on current infrastructure, from the complexity and separation of the code base, to COM objects in use, and the database structure. We will take a look at the benefits that organizations seek in migrating applications from ASP to ASP.NET.

One of the key concepts in ASP is the way Web controls are provided as plain .NET classes. Not much has been said or written about how to use (and extend) this model most efficiently. This session will explain all of that. ASP.NET introduces advanced object-oriented features into the world of Web Development. All ASP pages are based on Web Controls. The initial set of Web Controls is provided by Microsoft as part of the ASP.NET package. However, ASP.NET allows for relatively easy and straightforward extension of the Web Controls model. This session teaches how to build and use Web Controls using Visual Basic.NET and C# code.

You might think you know what an object is, but do you really? Things are not really as they seem in this interesting session that explores the effects of casting, shadowing, overriding, and other OOP mechanisms on objects, and how you can easily be tricked into thinking one plus one does not equal two.

NET and J2EE are two technical visions for the enterprise. While J2EE is a specification, .NET is a product. What are the approaches for integrating these two fundamentally different frameworks? This session will cover different options including Web Services, RMI and/or .NET remoting, and some third-party solutions. The session will also briefly cover some design and architecture patterns that may help us with integration.

Businesses have started to use service-oriented architecture (SOA) to develop high-value and flexible corporate software applications. These applications are typically developed as Web services. Securing these Web services is critical for them to be widely used by businesses and customers. Traditional security protocols are often inadequate for these applications, so the security community has developed the WS-Security specification. Microsoft has developed the WSE 2.0 technology to make using WS-Security much easier. This session will explain how to use Microsoft's WSE 2.0 technology to secure applications based on an SOA or a Web service.

Before digging too deeply into Web services security, it is critical to get a good handle on the key tools in security. Not only will you be able to better understand what you are working with in WSE, but when it comes time for problem solving, you will be in a much better position. Come to this session to learn about certificates, encryption, signing, and other security elements that are the basis of everything that is done in Web services security.

Creating solutions of any size based on Web services requires an understanding of the entire software life cycle. It is no longer acceptable to just hope the final system comes together. Instead, designing for deployment, performance, and security is necessary at the outset. In addition, the system must be closely aligned with business objectives to provide the necessary return on investment. This session looks at the new Microsoft Software Development process, MSF Agile, a context-based software development process for building Web service applications. We will concentrate on practical and concrete techniques that can help you build better-performing, secure, and deployable Web service solutions.

Who says VB.NET programmers can't develop object-oriented applications? This session will show you how you can amaze your friends and co-workers with these techniques. We will start with the basics of OO and move into the more advanced techniques of inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation. Then we will explore how you can use these advanced techniques to create asynchronous Web service calls and provide better application performance.

SPOT is a new Microsoft technology intended to dramatically increase the usefulness of everyday objects by bringing them firmly into the era of high technology. As just one example, MSN Direct is a new service that can wirelessly deliver up-to-the-minute news, weather, and other essential information to Smart Watches. This session will take you on a brief but informative tour of SPOT and what it will do for you and your business.