| Microsoft cancels annual embedded conference |
Jan. 14, 2008
 Microsoft has canceled its 2008 Mobile and Embedded Developers Conference (MEDC). Company spokespeople are calling it "only logical" that Microsoft would focus its embedded efforts on "embedded industry conferences and larger Microsoft events," now that mobile and embedded development "is becoming more mainstream."
An email sent to those who attended MEDC 2007 informed them that the event, to have been held this May in Las Vegas, will not be occurring. In the email, the company said, "As the industry continues to change and evolve, so does our focus on events. For 2008, we would like to inform you that we will no longer be hosting MEDC. Instead, we will be focusing our participation on embedded industry conferences and larger Microsoft events."
The decision, which apparently spells the end of international MEDC events as well, has clearly disappointed developers and Microsoft employees alike. For example, Mike Hall, Windows Embedded software architect, posted in his blog that the cancelation is "sad, but true."
And Frank Prengel, embedded evangelist for Microsoft Germany, blogged, "This ... is a bit sad on one hand, since MEDC was a great opportunity to meet people from the community and product groups. On the other hand," he added, "it only makes sense since mobile and embedded development is becoming more mainstream, and thus should be covered at the same events as other important technologies."
According to the email, Microsoft will now focus its efforts on the upcoming Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) West, scheduled for April 14-18 in San Jose, and the Tech-Ed 2008 Developer Conference, scheduled for June 3-6 in Orlando, Florida. "At both events, you'll find a Windows Embedded track with the same high-quality technical content that you've come to expect from MEDC," the message promised.
The 2007 MEDC included a keynote by Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, a transcript of which is available, here. It also offered a demonstration of Microsoft's Robotics Studio via a Sumo robotics competition.
It is unclear at this point whether MEDC will be revived in 2009, but Microsoft will apparently be listening to the opinions of embedded developers. In his blog posting, Prengel writes, "If you want to share your feelings and thoughts around this decision, contact me and let me know. It won't change anything for this year, but it may make you feel better afterwards."
To read Prengel's complete posting, see here. To see Mike Hall's post on the same topic, visit here.
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