This is one of those link posts which serve as bookmark pages...

I kinda got lost with all the latest "technology preview" bits Microsoft teams keep releasing lately. When you install all December/older CTP bits, there's already at least one January CTP available. And what's the current situation?

• 20.1.2006: WinFX Runtime Components - January CTP:
• 20.1.2006: SDK for WinFX January CTP
• 20.1.2006: VS2005 Extensions for WF Beta 2
• 20.1.2006: WF Beta 2 Hands-on Labs
• 20.1.2006: Microsoft Visual Studio Code Name “Orcas” CTP [Development Tools for WinFX®]
• 23.1.2006: Microsoft Expression Interactive Designer (Sparkle), January CTP
• 20.1.2006: Pre-released WinFX Runtime Components Uninstall Tool
• Latest WPF Hands-On Labs: http://blogs.msdn.com/tims/archive/2006/01/23/516625.aspx

Not bad. Here are some other "preview" links, more or less related to the above:

• Go-Live License for WCF and WF:
• C# LINQ CTP for VS2005 RTM Release
• 101 Samples using LINQ

And some more:

• Visual Studio 2005 Web Deployment Projects (Beta Preview): "Visual Studio 2005 Web Deployment Projects provide additional functionality for building and deploying Web site applications that you create in ASP.NET 2.0 and Visual Studio 2005. This add-in includes a new tool that enables you to merge the assemblies created during ASP.NET 2.0 precompilation, and it provides a comprehensive UI within Visual Studio 2005 for managing build configurations, merging, and pre-build and post-build task using MSBuild."
• Visual Studio 2005 Web Application Project Preview: "The Visual Studio 2005 Web Application Project Model is a new web project option for Visual Studio 2005 that provides the same conceptual web project approach as VS 2003 (a project file based structure where all code in the project is compiled into a single assembly) but with all the new features of VS 2005 (refactoring, class diagrams, test development, generics, etc) and ASP.NET 2.0 (master pages, data controls, membership/login, role management, Web Parts, personalization, site navigation, themes, etc)."

I also looked into these:

• 1/2006: Enterprise Library for .NET Framework 2.0 Yes, this one is a release, not CTP/Beta
• JetBrains Omea Reader, v2.1.1: A new version brings various improvements
• CodeSmith 3.2 RC2: VS2005 IDE integration, RC usually means it's very close to final release  [Update, 30.1.2005 - Release!]
• ViewStateAnalyzer 2:  Useful tool for helping ASP.NET 2.0 developers analyze local ASP.NET pages

Also noted:

• 22.1.2006: VSTO 2005 Redistributable Package
• Office Live

After enjoying more than excellent Pro ADO.NET 2.0 book by Sahil Malik, it's time to move from ADO.NET 2.0 to ASP.NET 2.0. Almost 1200 pages of Professional ASP.NET 2.0 sounds like a lot, and I did find some of the previous Wrox books too lengthy, so I don't know what to expect with this one. But judged on its authors [Bill Evjen, Scott Hanselman, ...], it ought to be good.

And to catch a glimpse of future, there's also the Programming Windows Presentation Foundation [Chris Sells] ready on my bookshelf.

More pictures coming soon...

OK... you know the game. Drop me a line and you get invited into WLM testing circle. 4 invites left.

It's time for yet another IM client upgrade...

Thanks to Erik, who was kind enough to provide me with the invite, necessary to get into WLM Beta program, I am now able to communicate through the next generation of MSN Messaging - Windows Live Messenger. "Sharing Folders" looks cool, although compared to FolderShare, feels somehow limited (sharing one folder is limited to single contact only?). As this is the early Beta, I expect more goodies to come soon...

On a side note: it appears that Erik is the only Slovenian Microsoftie blogger on MSDN blogs. And he writes in Slovenian language. Check it out.