As I’m preparing myself for attending the TechEd 2012 next week on the Gold Coast, here is the second round of interview questions I had. This time, it’s Michael Kordahi from Microsoft Australia.
Q: To someone who’s never been to a TechEd before, I was always under the impression that TechEd is aimed only for Windows developers (who develop major software and applications on the Windows platform) or IT professionals (who work in a big company with hundreds of employees). Is this true or will someone who does not belong to the 2 groups I mentioned, be able to learn anything from TechEd?
A: TechEd is for everyone. It’s for people who want to keep their investment in Microsoft tools, platforms and technologies current.
Q: With HTML5 gaining popularity, what is the future of Microsoft Silverlight?
A: This is an old debate really. Both HTML5 and Silverlight are important. HTML5 has rapidly come to define the next generation of web apps. And we have great support for it in IE9 and IE10. We also are heavily involved with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in defining its direction. Silverlight is great at doing things that HTML 5 can’t do – i.e. encrypted and adaptive media. Silverlight pioneered the XAML declarative language used in building native Windows 8 apps. My advice is to use the standard, and if what you want to do can’t be done with the standard, seek the help of a plugin.
Q: Some developers have started making apps for Windows 8 ever since you released the Release Preview earlier. Have you had any feedback from the developer community about the new platform?
A: They love it. They love the new opportunity that Windows 8 opens up for them. They love the rapid tooling, they love the commercial opportunity. Combined with the flexibility of monetisation options that the Store provides, Windows 8 represents the single biggest developer opportunity for any platform. Read more at – Making money with your apps through the Windows Store
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About Michael Kordahi
Michael Kordahi (fondly knows as Kordsy) is a delicate genius, whose loves include tech, the web, developing, photography and comedy. MK is a Developer Evangelist with Microsoft Australia, and you can follow him on Twitter at @delic8genius.
