I feel as if there is a calm on the .NET waters at the moment and it's a rare and somewhat uneasy sensation. Most of the developers I know are playing with Blend and Silverlight and all the cool WPF stuff, even if their specialty is back-end database work. We all know there is another wave coming and it will probably be a big one, so you better get the exploring out of your system now while you can. The summer is also a time when most businesses and development shops rest and recoup, though our network and storage admin friends use this time to do major projects that are unthinkable near year end.

The next wave will be a big one. It will have Orcas, now officially Visual Studio 2008, as well as Windows 2008 Server. It will bring lots of surprises I am sure, but it will not change the cycle we early adopters must brace for. We have to grok the technology changes of the last phase or risk falling behind when this next wave comes crashing.
It's a blessing because our industry never gets boring. It's a curse because our industry never stops moving. If you want to be at the top of the game, pick a spot, dig in deep, and make sure you pick your battles well. Enjoy our article on LINQ (part 1) and understand what it means to you. This will let you know where to look in the ever-increasing giant piece of software that is Visual Studio.

I am looking forward to the next wave, but nevertheless I am swimming as fast as I can between now and when it hits.