Cloud Computing, Windows Azure and .NET

Hi Nikhil, I am downloading the SDKs and getting ready to try the platform. As far as I have read there are some examples of services running in the cloud as for instance Bluehoo (another blue coincidence?) ... but I cannot run it because I use an iphone... I'm looking for samples to follow to start doing my own hello cloud app.

Regards,

Carlos

No idea on pricing, elite access to trial accounts. I'm so freaking frustrated with the usual Microsoft secrecy and stupidity. Release the damn thing, if you run out of space, show a big banner that says out space, until you rig up 1000 more machines and then open it up again. This is the way that it works on the web (i.e. Amazon). They announced SQL Data Services back at Mix and did not give any details on pricing or make it available for outside trial, only by invitation. Here we are almost a year later and nothing yet. WTF, I'm ready to walk off into Amazon's or perhaps AppEngine's fold. Forget Microsoft, let them play with their CTPs and Betas, give me a functioning beta and get out of my way. Until then shut up until you can actually deliver something.

Not to mention that Silverlight's logo is cool-blue as well! :-)

Sounds an interesting new service. I've installed the SDK and the developer tools but It seems I have to get an invitation to use this service. Hope my invite will arrive soon

I also have must say that the SDK contains well explained samples

Dude, when will Microsoft ever be original. Billions of dollars spent on research every year, 70,000 workers, lots of billionaires came out of the company... And it has yet to produce even one original product! All it does is add new features (and to their credit sometimes original) to existing producrts; but nothing from scratch. Am I wrong? Nik, do something! Do I hear open-source calling?

For ASP.NET Developer, dude, stop being a little fussing b-word and just wait. Microsoft is taking its time to make sure their copy of Cloud computing (based on others like Amazon) is great. When its time for folks at your level of the food-chain to start using it, Microsoft will give you the tools you need and will have the ability to suck out the few dollars the bad economy has permitted you to have. Don't worry, don't whine. Chill!

Wow ASP.NET Developer, wtf is your problem? Why don't you go suck a giant D and shut your trap.

Tom:
You are right, I'm not a big fish. I own a small development shop with a team of eight developers, so I'm certainly low in the food chain. However the same frustration is being felt by many other small shops like mine, who are waiting to define their development road map, and need access to make these sorts of decisions, who to go with (Azure, Amazon, AppEngine??) for their cloud strategy.
So while I may be a small fish, collectively we small fish represent the backbone of the Microsoft development network. By the way, only a small percentage of us small fish are able to attend of the Microsoft PDC.

Nikhil:
Thanks for the reply. Good point on pricing, I can live with that. However I cannot believe you, a senior architect, are still waiting for a token!

While most of the other services do have a Beta period, within a few of weeks of beta release of Amazon S3, EC2, EC2-Windows, I was given a beta account, same story for AppEngine. Perfection is not necessary just get it out there and rev it. The same thing the MVC team has done, release early, release often. By the way we have two production apps already written in MVC, and they have already been updated to the latest beta. Yes they broke compatibility a couple times, but that is ok, I can live with that, I rather deal with that than not having the critical access I needed to build my apps.

I corresponded with Scott Guthrie earlier in the year right after mix about the cloud and he mentioned that something was coming towards the end of the year that would provide a great story for ASP.NET developers, in other words, wait for us, we are coming. I waited patiently until the PDC for an early beta I could start playing with – I mean really start playing with in the cloud not some simulated SDK – and so here we are now, again with the same story, wait, maybe in 2009 you'll have something. Do you see how the waiting game starts to get old? It starts casting a shadow on Microsoft’s ability to deliver.