It’s been an interesting year of innuendo and rumor, but if you’re looking for evidence that Microsoft’s next-generation platforms—Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and so on—are exciting developers, look no further than this: On Wednesday, the firm announced its BUILD 2012 developer conference. And it sold out in less than an hour.
In a rare move, BUILD 2012 will be held at the software giant’s corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
“BUILD 2012 sold out in less than an hour,” Microsoft General Manager Tim O’Brien confirmed. “BUILD 2012 will be unlike anything we've held on our corporate campus in a long time. For those unable to attend, there will be a world-class online experience and local developer events throughout the world.”
Of course, you might still be able to get in. The BUILD website notes that although “we’re full,” developers eager to experience the wonders of BUILD 2012 should “keep calm and join the wait list.”
It’s unclear how many developers are being allowed to physically attend BUILD 2012. But 2011’s blockbuster event in the Los Angeles area was used as the launch pad for Windows 8. And this year’s show is expected to jumpstart a new generation of “Metro”-styled software and services across a variety of platforms.
BUILD 2012 will be held October 30 to November 2, 2012. Increasingly typical of Microsoft, there's precious little pertinent information about the show—such as the actual agenda—although the site says that it will be a developer showcase for Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows Azure, Internet Explorer (IE), Office 365, Bing, Xbox, and Visual Studio. So, in this way, BUILD has evolved into a combination of previous developer shows such as PDC, WinHEC, and MIX.
I’ll be attending BUILD 2012 and will participate in another BUILD Blogger Bash with fellow Microsoft-oriented bloggers and reporters. We’re trying to settle on a day and location, so I’ll have more information about that event soon.