It's that time again! The daffodils are coming up, and after a nice winter break, we're gearing up for Conference Season '99. We thought we'd mention the big event in May, Microsoft Tech·Ed.

    Remember last year's Tech·Ed in New Orleans? We sure do. There was a little incident at a restaurant in the French Quarter that led to the entire contingent from our magazine becoming violently ill from food poisoning. (Except for this editor, who steadfastly refused to "just try" the alligator andouille sausage. You eat reptiles, you get what you pay for.) With record heat for New Orleans, the conference center offered a welcome, air-conditioned respite from the painful conditions of nature. At least it did for the one member of our party who wasn't locked in their hotel room all week, begging to be put out of their agonizing misery.

     This year's Tech·Ed promises to be even better! For one thing, we'll be moving from a town specializing in reptilian food to one that's beef all the way. Woo hoo! Beef! Yes, that's right. Tech·Ed will be hosted in Dallas this year, from May 21-28. You probably have a few questions about this event. Why Dallas? Why eight days this year? What do I wear? What do I bring with me? How do I register? We have your answers!

    Why Dallas? It's a big city and it's got a big conference center. So many people wanted to go to the show last year that even the center in New Orleans couldn't hold everyone. Last year, Microsoft polled 10,000 programmers, asking where they preferred having an event. The results? Dallas 93%, Orlando 2%, Hawaii 2%, San Francisco 1%, all other cities 2%. So it's clear from this poll we just made up that Dallas is the premier American site for a technical conference.

    Why eight days this year? Does seem a bit long, doesn't it? We looked into it, and it seems that Tech·Ed 99 is really two shows in one. The first three days, May 21-23, will feature content especially for IT operations management. With over 75 sessions about deploying, managing, and maintaining BackOffice and Windows NT-based environments, you'll have no problem finding something to sit through.

    But wait! There's five days more! The last five days, May 24-28, have been set aside for developers who are writing applications targeting the Microsoft Windows platform. In other words, Windows DNA. Has Microsoft Internet Developer covered Windows DNA? Yes! You might not realize it, but all the technologies we discuss in this magazine are components of the bigger Windows DNA picture. If you're interested in the story behind Windows DNA, check out the article "Find Recombinant Success with Windows DNA," by Bruce Shankle, in our March 1999 issue.

    What do I wear? Temperatures in late May average about 85 degrees, although last year the lucky residents watched the mercury top off at 101 in the last week of May, and it's gone as high as 107 in the past! We think the conference center requires shirts and shoes, but you should check with them yourselves. Tornado warnings for the area are available online at http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/pub/data/text/wfus1/KFTW.txt. Be reasonable about clothing. No one wants to see you wearing a mesh half shirt, no matter what the temperature is.

    What do I bring with me? If it's really going to be 107 degrees, we suggest salt replacement tablets and lots of bottled water. You might also want to check ahead and see if your hotel will be providing essentials like soap and phone lines. If not, remember the generous two bag limit most airlines give you. But don't forget to measure the bags! Your airline has probably just changed the acceptable dimensions so that you can't carry on anything larger than a bagel in a paper bag.

    How do I register? You can get all the information online at http://www.microsoft.com/events/teched. There's all kinds of stuff there, like hotel and travel information, as well as the latest news about the sessions offered at the conference. We're supposed to tell you that the spots are filling up quickly, but you can probably still sneak in if you know someone, or if you use the Web site. Oh, did we mention that Microsoft Internet Developer and Microsoft Systems Journal will both be there in our full glory? If we see you there reading some other magazine, you're in big trouble