The Windows 7 roadshow, debuted at the end of October 2008, will continue well into the coming year. This is valid not only for the MSDN Developer Conferences, which will span from 1/13/09 in Chicago to 2/23/09 in San Francisco, but also for MIX09. In this context, Windows 7, but also additional technologies including the Windows Azure Cloud operating system, will take a bite out of an event that is traditionally web-centric. MIX09 is scheduled to take place between March 18-20 in Las Vegas. At the time of this article there was no mention of Internet Explorer among the preview content published under the Workshops and Sessions sections of MIX09. 

“If you’re a designer or developer who builds on the web, MIX09 is the place to learn about products and technologies that help you plan for the future while addressing today’s economic challenges. Hear about advances in technologies like Silverlight, Expression, ASP.NET, Windows 7, and Windows Azure, and discuss topics like design, user experience, web standards, data visualization, workflow, and social networks. Learn how to use technology to increase customer satisfaction and impact the bottom line,” reads a message from Microsoft.

The Redmond company kick-started the Windows 7 roadshow with the Professional Developers Conference 2008 in Los Angeles at the end of October. Windows 7 was also the start of the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference 2008 in early November, and will get its fair share in the spotlight at the MDC events. If PDC 2008 and WinHEC 2008 attendees each got a pre-Beta Milestone 3 release of Windows 7, MDC participants will be offered a fully-fledged Beta version of the next iteration of the Windows client.

Still, even with the Release Candidate of Internet Explorer 8 around the corner, and the imminent availability of the final version of IE7's successor in 2009, MIX09 features no mentions of the browser as of yet. But the Windows 7 focus makes itself felt.

“For the first time, users can directly manipulate their computer environment through touch. This is a fundamental shift in the end user experience and has been compared to the introduction of the mouse. Many customers, both in focus groups and in laboratory tests, have spontaneously reported that they perceive touch features as an evolution toward a more intuitive way of computing. Come learn how touch will make daily PC activities easier, faster, and more convenient,” reads the synopsis of the Optimizing Your Applications with Touch session.