PDC 2003
The Professional Developers Conference of 2003 (PDC 2003) was an event hosted by Microsoft at the Los Angeles Convention Center on October 26 through October 30 in 2003. PDC 2003 was the stage for Windows "Longhorn" and was called the "Longhorn" PDC by Bill Gates during his keynote.
According to Microsoft, demand for the event was unprecedented. The conference is widely regarded as one of the most grandiose and promising conferences ever held by the company.
Schedule
The schedule of the conference can be found on the archived Microsoft PDC 2003 Agenda and Sessions web page.
The keynotes
Bill Gates' keynote
Red vs. Blue
Before Bill Gates went on the stage, a humorous Red vs. Blue Halo video was demonstrated to attendees. The video is still available for download from the Microsoft Download Center - Red vs. Blue PDC Video.
Summary
Gates discussed key catalysts in software development, pointing to a variety of trends driving the next wave, including Web services interoperability, proliferation of smart clients and software and hardware innovation. He highlighted key characteristics of the next wave: developers building connected systems using Web services that reflect the dynamic nature of the real world; software making oceans of digital information more meaningful and actionable; and new breakthrough user experiences, improving interactions between people, groups and organizations.
Gates detailed several waves of Microsoft platform software to facilitate application development, including the Visual Studio® "Whidbey" development tools, Microsoft SQL Server TM "Yukon," smart device software and Windows "Longhorn." Gates highlighted how Microsoft's integrated platform approach, with support from a broad developer ecosystem, provides a strong foundation for developers to pursue the next wave of software opportunities.
"It's an exciting time to be a software developer," Gates said. "Continuing hardware advances, powerful tools and the potential of anything on the Internet to become a building block all make it a great time to do pioneering work. Microsoft is investing heavily to make Windows the optimal platform for developers who want to build on this next wave of innovation."
Jim Allchin's keynote
Amazon.com demo
Main article: Amazon.com demo (PDC 2003)
Windows "Longhorn" at PDC 2003
Three pillars of Windows "Longhorn": Avalon, Indigo, WinFS
Hillel Cooperman's demo
Get users to fall in love with your software
Main article: AERO: the new Windows "Longhorn" User Experience (Get users to fall in love with your software)
PDC Goodies: "Longhorn" build 4051
External Links
- Microsoft PressPass - Professional Developers Conference 2003 Virtual Pressroom
- Bill Gates Speech Transcript - Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2003
- Speech Transcript - Jim Allchin, Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2003
- Microsoft Details Next Wave of Software Innovation to Developers at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2003
- Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Windows Longhorn: Live from PDC 2003! - photo and video materials from PDC 2003 by Paul Thurrott