Michael Eaton
Michael Eaton is the founder of Validus Solutions, a custom software development and coaching company that specializes in leveraging client-based technologies. Validus has been developing solutions using Microsoft tools and technologies since 2001 and serves clients throughout the mid-west. Michael speaks throughout the United States at various regional events, user groups and conferences sharing his love of client development to other developers. He also spends time coaching and mentoring other developers. His focus over the past few years has been on XAML-based technologies like WPF and Silverlight. Michael runs the Kalamazoo X Conference and is a C# MVP. When not working on projects or spending time with his family, he treats his World of Warcraft addiction with ample doses of…World of Warcraft.
Michael Eaton's Blog
Abstracts
| Topic: | XAML Styles and Templates: Make your apps shine! |
| Description: | You're a developer, not a designer, but with no designer on the team, it's your job to make your WPF or Silverlight application look good. With a little effort and an understanding of styles and templates, you can impress your users with a compelling, easy-to-use application. You'll learn the ins and outs of styles, understand when and where to use templates and much more from a developer experienced in not only writing WPF and Silverlight apps, but in making them look good too! |
| Topic: | Simplify your WPF / Silverlight Applications with Caliburn.Micro |
| Description: | You're an application developer, not a plumber (or carpenter), so why are you writing your own MVVM framework? Worse yet, maybe you're jamming all sorts of code in the code-behind! Put down the pipe wrench (or hammer) and pick up one of the best MVVM frameworks for WPF/Silverlight/WP7. Caliburn.Micro makes it extremely simple to create solid, testable applications, while also reducing the amount of code you have to write. |
| Topic: | Working Effectively as a Team of One |
| Description: | Whether you work in a cube or the comfort of your home office, there are many challenges facing the lone developer. Everything, from estimation to project management to coding, changes when you are a single developer instead of a team. What are some things you can do to make life easier as a lone(ly) developer? In this session, I will discuss many of the lessons learned and practices I've developed working almost exclusively as a single developer for the past ten years. |
| Topic: | Vim for Visual Studio Developers |
| Description: | While Visual Studio is an amazing IDE, it clearly lacks the power of the world's best text editor! Whether as a stand-alone editor or as a plugin to your favorite IDE (Visual Studio included), learning how to use Vim will change how you work. You'll learn how to install, configure and use this amazing text editor. You'll understand the difference between Insert, Ex and Command modes and how to stop the incessant beeping you're sure to encounter when you first try this amazing editor. :wq |
| Topic: | Going Independent 101
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| Description: | Lessons learned from a decade of independence Breaking free from the confines of the cubicle farm and going out on your own can be one of the most satisfying things you do for your career. It can also be one of the most terrifying. This session will answer the most common questions I've been asked over the years such as "How do I get started?", "Where do I find clients?", "How much do I charge?" and many others. Come find out if the grass really is greener on the other side. |