I’m very pleased to announce the C++ event of the first half of 2012: GoingNative 2012, to be held on February 2-3 in Redmond, WA, USA. (C++ and Beyond will also be great, but won’t be till the second half of the year – and there are other C++ conferences/events coming too. I can’t remember a year with this many C++ conferences since, oh, about 1999.)

This is Microsoft’s first native-code-only developer event in years, and it’s not limited to Microsoft products or technologies – it’s about ISO C++ on all platforms. We’re taking the initiative to put on this event because we know that there’s a huge demand for information about the new ISO C++11 standard, but that information is still really hard to come by – the standard was just published last month, none of the major books has been updated yet to reflect it, and high-quality public information is just starting to trickle out (I’m trying to do my part too).

So we decided to try to do our bit to help generate that information and make it available as widely as possible – by inviting many of the world’s top C++ speakers, charging in-person attendees basically just enough to cover costs, and making the whole thing available on the web for free, live and on-demand, for everyone in the world who is interested in ISO C++.

The goal is to promote portable ISO C++ in all its modern C++11 glory – clean, safe, and fast – as clean and safe as code written in any other modern language. As someone famous put it:

“C++11 feels like a new language.” – Bjarne Stroustrup

He’s right, and we’re all still learning it and figuring it out – that includes the world’s top experts, who are busily documenting the modern best practices for this grand new language. We hope this event might help us all take a step forward on that path.

Key points about GoingNative:

It’s focused on ISO C++: Two jam-packed days about C++ on all platforms. There will be material about Microsoft tools too, but also about other technologies with speakers like Andrei Alexandrescu of Facebook, and an overall emphasis on portable C++ code and the power and simplicity of the new ISO C++11 standard just published last month.

Two jam-packed days about C++ on all platforms. There will be material about Microsoft tools too, but also about other technologies with speakers like Andrei Alexandrescu of Facebook, and an overall emphasis on portable C++ code and the power and simplicity of the new ISO C++11 standard just published last month. It’s top quality: Many of the world’s top C++ speakers will be there, starting with Bjarne Stroustrup’s opening keynote.

Many of the world’s top C++ speakers will be there, starting with Bjarne Stroustrup’s opening keynote. It’s affordable: $112 to attend the entire event in person, which has got to make this about the cheapest technical conference anywhere, and free on the web both live and on demand.

$112 to attend the entire event in person, which has got to make this about the cheapest technical conference anywhere, and free on the web both live and on demand. Oh, and there’s a party. That’s included in the $112, not an extra bag-check-style fee.

Here are my personal suggestions for how you might enjoy what we hope will be a trove of accessible C++ information:

Consider coming in person (but register early). If you or your group want to be there in the building, the good news is that they got the biggest room on the Microsoft campus and it can hold about 350 people. The bad news is that it can hold only about 350 people, and at this price and with all of the interest in C++11, I personally expect to see that sell out well before the conference begins.

If you or your group want to be there in the building, the good news is that they got the biggest room on the Microsoft campus and it can hold about 350 people. The bad news is that it can hold only about 350 people, and at this price and with all of the interest in C++11, I personally expect to see that sell out well before the conference begins. Consider making it a party at your own company. Clear your team’s schedule for two days, book your company’s biggest conference room with the biggest projector system (or a nearby hotel meeting room), and watch live over the Internet on the big screen. Bring chips and pop and beer. Cater lunch. This can be your team event. Think of it as your team’s own technical Super Bowl party (and a good warmup for the Super Bowl itself two days later).

Clear your team’s schedule for two days, book your company’s biggest conference room with the biggest projector system (or a nearby hotel meeting room), and watch live over the Internet on the big screen. Bring chips and pop and beer. Cater lunch. This can be your team event. Think of it as your team’s own technical Super Bowl party (and a good warmup for the Super Bowl itself two days later). Consider using the material for a brownbag series. If clearing your team’s schedule for two solid days to watch it live is too hard, just use the fact that we’re making it available for free on demand – get together to watch it one talk at a time over a series of team lunch events in the weeks and months to follow. Make it a C++ Spring. Each event could be anything from a Tuesday brownbag to a Friday afternoon party – together with your colleagues and special party guests like Bjarne.

If clearing your team’s schedule for two solid days to watch it live is too hard, just use the fact that we’re making it available for free on demand – get together to watch it one talk at a time over a series of team lunch events in the weeks and months to follow. Make it a C++ Spring. Each event could be anything from a Tuesday brownbag to a Friday afternoon party – together with your colleagues and special party guests like Bjarne. Or something else. We’re just making the information available; how you use it is up to you. We just hope that lots of people do find it useful.

I hope to see or e-see you there.

Pasting from the announcement: