2010-06-22

Resources for getting started with Windows Azure

My internship at Microsoft Research's Cloud Computing Futures Group is starting next Monday, and I'm trying to get ramped up on high-performance computing with Windows Azure as quickly as possible so I can start developing real code sooner. Here are two of my favorite resources so far:
  • "Windows Azure for Research," a presentation from the same group that I'll be working with over the summer. This is a concise summary of Azure's features and possibilities -- and a great way to get excited about the platform!

  • Programming Windows Azure, a new book from O'Reilly -- by a member of the Azure product group. This is a well-organized and up-to-date guide, and the author's enthusiasm for the subject comes through :)
    (Unfortunately, some of the code samples are poorly formatted in terms of indentation and variable naming. Still readable enough, though.)