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Winners
Best of Tech·Ed 2008

Developers Awards


Breakthrough Product
The winner of the Breakthrough Product category is CodeRush for Visual Studio .NET. There were dozens of products on display at Tech Ed 2008 Developers, but CodeRush impressed our judges the most. Developing quality code always takes lots of hard work, and CodeRush helps developers optimize their most valuable asset: their time. CodeRush allows developers to create, reuse, and insert complex chunks of code in seconds. It can complete identifiers as you type, expand and contract selections, and insert selected code inside custom wrappers, regions, and Try/Catch blocks. It also integrates tightly with Visual Studio .NET. Most importantly, it helps developers program faster and more efficiently, two features that any programmer will love.

Database Development
The winner of the Database Development category is ComponentOne Studio for WinForms. Building applications is always easier with a good selection of tools, and ComponentOne Studio for WinForms includes dozens of ready-made .NET components for developers, ranging from ribbons, calendars, menus, and tabs to toolbars, inputs, and more. I liked the healthy number of wizards and designers provided to help streamline use of the components, and ComponentOne’s wide array of support options ensure that help is only a forum visit, phone call, or email away. With an impressive combination of excellent support and a robust feature set of products features, Studio for WinForms should be on the short list of any developer looking for .NET components.

Developer Tools
The winner of the Developer Tools category is AVIcode for Intercept Studio 4. Intercept Studio 4 provides full application troubleshooting and health monitoring without requiring any application code changes. AVICode is an essential tool for troubleshooting and monitoring critical .NET applications. It captures system activity levels prior to any application errors as well as all the current system counters, code and object values, and user parameters. One feature I really like was the product’s real-time monitoring and the ability to trace a problem from exception down the underlying source code. AVICode Intercept Studio 4 can provide vital information for operations, developers and Q & A personnel.

SharePoint Development
In the SharePoint Development category, our winner is K2 blackpearl. Enterprise adoption of Microsoft SharePoint has exploded over the last few years, leading to a host of new products for SharePoint developers. K2 blackpearl is a prime example of a new breed of applications that helps developers get the most out of their SharePoint investment. Using a collection of easy to use tools and features, K2 blackpearl allows developers to quickly create applications that pull together disparate systems, information, and business processes. K2 blackpearl can leverage your existing infrastructure investment—including SharePoint, but also BizTalk and Forms Server—to surface the application mashups you create.

Software Components & Middleware
In the Software and Components category the winner is /n Software for their Red Carpet subscription. /n Software provides communication controls for both .NET and Java developers. /n Software is the established leader in communications software and their Red Carpet subscriptions include both their industry leading IPWorks set of TCP/IP communications controls as well as controls for Internet Business funcations like PayPal, Credit Card, FedEx and USPS integration. It also includes Enterprise Adapters for BizTalk and SQL Server Integration Services. One forward looking feature that I really liked was the set of PowerShell cmdlets that enable you to easily script network management tasks. /n Software’s Red Carpet subscription would benefit any company needing networking, communications, or Internet business integration.