Backtalk: A Continuing Dialog on the Developer Network

James Van Eaton

Many of you have written us asking what happened to Backtalk. These inquiries have been much more heartwarming than the mail we received when I first took the column over from MSDN veteran Melinda Hohlbein, wherein readers begged for her revival. Don’t worry, I didn’t take it personally—I know she is more charismatic! Well, here we are, back with more of your letters and information on how we at MSDN are working hard to meet the needs of you, the professional developer.

Packaging

Remember back in the good old days when the Microsoft Development Platform was eight CDs shipped in two quad-packs? As the MSDN program has grown, so has the number of CDs, along with the challenge of packaging them. The latest package in a series of solutions is the cool “release valise” with a pair of 2-ring binders inside to hold the sleeves in which the CDs arrive. Now that the total count for a Universal International subscription is hovering right around the 100-CD level, you’ll see the size (or depth, rather) of these valises grow to accommodate an additional 10 CDs, bringing the total to near the recommended capacity. All Enterprise and Universal subscribers will receive two release valises in which to store their year’s worth of CDs. Because the number of CDs will likely grow between now and the time digital video disk (DVD) technology is commonplace, we’ll keep looking at packaging solutions. I doubt we’ll use Sean Adams of New Haven, CT’s idea to ship the CDs in a “cool denim backpack with the MSDN logo,” but keep those ideas coming in . . . you never know.

Educational Pricing

Lou Wadin, a student at the University of Wisconsin, writes, “I can barely afford to eat pizza, let alone subscribe to MSDN. Is there something you can do to help?” Well, Lou, short of selling you the pizza off our plates, I will feed you this morsel: Attractively priced MSDN subscriptions are available through all authorized Microsoft academic resellers. Try asking your local university bookstore, library, or computer science department about how you can qualify to use this kind of subscription. To find a local academic reseller, please call (800) 426-9400, or visit the following URL: http://www.microsoft.com/referral/.

Rain or Shine . . .

You’ve been asking for it, and now we’re bringing it to you: up-to-the-minute MSDN information delivered straight to your doorstep—um, I mean Inbox. Starting January 1997, not only will the DevWire list server bring you—via e-mail—the latest headlines for developer-related news, events, and information from Microsoft, as well as occasional Flash messages on time-sensitive topics, it will contain MSDN-specific information as well, such as:

• Announcements about when MSDN will ship each quarterly release

• Interim release notifications with their contents

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