The Smart Client Generation
S. “Soma” Somasegar, Corporate VP, Microsoft Developer Division
Monday, February 7 — 9 a.m.

The performance and richness of a local application with the ease of deployment and administration of a Web application. That’s the simplest way of thinking about smart clients. Listen to Microsoft’s recommendations on when to use thin clients and when to use smart clients; learn about the breadth of Microsoft’s smart client offerings including Windows Forms, Visual Studio Tools for Office, .NET Compact Framework, and InfoPath; and hear about the future of Microsoft’s smart client platform with Avalon.

S. "Soma" Somasegar is Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of the Developer Division, which is primarily responsible for all the developer-related languages, tools, and platforms within Microsoft, including Visual Studio, Web Platform and Tools, .NET Framework, Common Language Runtime (CLR), and other .NET Developer Platform technologies.

Introducing Indigo — The Unified Programming Model for Building Service-Oriented Applications
Eric Rudder, Senior Vice President of Servers and Tools, Microsoft
Tuesday, February 8 — 9 a.m.

Indigo is Microsoft’s unified programming model for building service-oriented applications. It enables developers to build secure, reliable, transacted solutions that integrate across platforms and interoperate with existing investments. Indigo combines and extends the capabilities of existing distributed systems technologies, including Enterprise Services, System.Messaging, .NET Remoting, ASMX, and WSE to deliver a unified development experience spanning distance, topologies, hosting models, protocols, and security models. This keynote will provide an overview of Indigo and show you how Indigo will radically simplify the development of distributed applications.

Eric Rudder currently serves as senior vice president of Servers and Tools at Microsoft, and is also responsible for leading the company’s outreach to the developer community. Rudder and his team focus on coordinating the overall programming model for the client and server, creating the best tools for the .NET platform and fostering synergies between Windows and the Windows Server System offerings. Prior to leading the Developer and Platform Evangelism division, Rudder was vice president of Technical Strategy working directly with Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates on Microsoft’s technical planning processes. He also has worked in several other areas at Microsoft, including networking, operating systems and developer tools, where he previously served as general manager for Visual Studio.

Key Issues in Software Architecture
Steven P. Davis, Vice President of IT, Walt Disney Studios
Tuesday, February 8 — 10:30 a.m.

Come hear the role of software architect defined and learn how it fits into the overall IT puzzle. Find out just how important software architects have become in IT organizations and learn about the skill sets that will be needed to be effective in this position at this Software Architecture Summit lead-off presentation.

Steven P. Davis is Vice President of IT for the Walt Disney Studios and also serves as co-chair of Disney's Architecture Council. Mr. Davis is a systems architect and technology strategist with more than 25 years of experience in both commercial software and in house application development. He is a frequent speaker and thought leader in Enterprise Architecture. In addition to architectural and development responsibilities, Mr. Davis also oversees Disney’s domestic film distribution, music, and entertainment business services groups within the Studio's IT organization..

Bringing the Power of Oracle to Visual Studio .NET
Andy Mendelsohn, Senior Vice President, Oracle Database Development Group
Wednesday, February 9 — 9 a.m.

Oracle has a long tradition of supporting its products on open systems, which is reflected in its decision to join the Microsoft Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP) program and work to integrate its products with Visual Studio .NET. Listen to a discussion of how Oracle brings its technology to Visual Studio .NET and the products and services Oracle provides to support the .NET developer community.

Andy Mendelsohn is the Senior Vice President of Oracle's Database Development group. He most recently led the development of the Oracle Database 10g product. Andy started at Oracle in 1984 as a developer on the Oracle version 5 database.

General Session Panel: Innovation and IP
Wednesday, February 9 — 2 p.m.
Moderator: Jonathan Zuck, President, Association for Competitive Technology (ACT)

Join Jonathan Zuck and a panel of leading IP experts as they explore the role of intellectual property (patents, copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks) in technological innovation. Questions to be debated include: How has the protection of IP contributed to innovation, and has it detracted? Does the success of Open Source Software suggest an alternative to IPR to spur innovation, or merely duplication? As a developer, architect and business owner, how should you be thinking about IP inside your organization?

As a professional software developer and IT executive with more than 15 years of experience, Jonathan Zuck brings an insider's perspective to his role as President of the Association for Competitive Technology. Since assuming leadership of ACT, he has provided analysis, commentary, and background information on a wide range of technology issues to the media, the public and Congress.