Changing the default...

As the umbraco team heads home we consider what MIX means for umbraco - and its all good.  MIX is a fantastically exciting event for web developers and especially for those of us who have based our solutions on the Microsoft stack.  A great collection of smart and talented web professionals attend MIX and we were thrilled to be part of it.  Many MIX attendees also head home in possession of a shiny new umbraco logo sticker - these were found in a variety of surprising locations throughout the MIX venue.  Look for them to appear on the laptop lids of umbraco users soon, sort of the new hotness for the cool umbraco kids - at least that's what we told folks at MIX!

The Team

I, Paul Sterling, had the pleasure of attending MIX in the company of Per Ploug Hansen from Umbraco, Alex Nordcliffe from Xeed, Peter Miller from Condé Nast Digital, and Benjamin Howarth from Code Gecko.  Our days were packed full of meetings with current and potential partners and very interesting sessions covering a broad range of topics from Silverlight to Windows Phone 7 Series to MVC v2.0 and more.  We had scant time for a break, but we did manage to see the sun once or twice all the same.

Day 1

Umbraco's success in the Microsoft Web App Gallery was prominently featured in the Day 1 keynote.  Umbraco has been downloaded more than 100,000 times from the Web App Gallery and the total number of downloads is more than 10 million - all of this in the last 12 months.

Day 2

The Day 2 Keynote was not without its umbraco tie-in as well.  Microsoft launched its oData protocol and related technologies all presented on the odata.org site - which is powered by umbraco and built by the talented folks at Vizioz.

Its no secret that more than a couple of current and future Microsoft sites are built using umbraco.  To further the great relationship umbraco and Microsoft share we are developing a deeper partnership in 2010.  Much of the results from this partnership will not be seen in the immediate future but rest assured we are working hard together to ensure the growth and stability of the umbraco installed base.  If you've been waiting for the time when Microsoft recognized the unique and valuable combination of umbraco's technology and community - that time is now.

The Dinner

On Tuesday evening umbraco hosted a dinner for 35 MIX attendees.  The response was overwhelming and we were forced to use a highly complex and proprietary algorithm to select the lucky dinner invitees. 

In addition to a host of interesting and hungry people, a number of virtual celebrities joined us and participated in the lively discussion.  Among the attendees were Scott Hanselman, Sara Chipps, Pete Brown, Chris Woodruff, Jon Galloway, and Jim Minatel. 

The End

Talking with current umbraco users and partners is a huge rush but meeting people curious about umbraco is even more exciting.  Of all the people we spoke with at MIX we were most impressed with the open-mindedness and willingness to consider an approach like umbraco - one that is open-source, friendly, and maybe a little bit of an underdog.

We've just opened registration for the first round of official Umbraco courses (both level 1 and level 2) held in Antwerp, Belgium.

Level 1 is running on 3rd & 4th May 2010
Level 2 is running on 5th & 6th May 2010

Both courses will be be taught by umbraco HQ team member Tim Geyssens who brings more then 3 years Umbraco experience to the dojo.

These are the same courses taught throughout Europe and North America, the training will give you everything you need to know to attain your Umbraco Certification at either level 1 or level 2.

Secure your seat here.