Highlights Include the Relaunch of Dr. Dobb's Journal and Microsoft's Visual Studio Professional Edition Induction into the Jolt Award Hall of Fame SAN FRANCISCO, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CMP Media's 19th annual Software Development Conference & Expo West (SD West 2006) closed Friday with more than a 20 percent increase in both attendees and exhibitors. Running March 13-17 at Santa Clara's Convention Center, the industry's foremost experts and visionaries joined executives and members of the press for Silicon Valley's must-attend forum for software developers. Conference-goers attended five days of classes, tutorials, panels and keynote presentations showcasing the latest languages, tools and trends in the software developer industry. SD West's impressive range of classes and special events served as a gathering place for the major players in the software development community. The conference featured more than 200 educational sessions in 12 technical tracks and special events including the 16th annual Software Development Jolt Awards. Other highlights included Microsoft's Visual Studio Professional Edition induction into the Software Development Jolt Award Hall of Fame and CMP Media's launch of the new Dr. Dobb's Journal. The globally-recognized print magazine will feature expanded editorial coverage and contributions from the industry's elite on cross-platform software development processes, technologies, tools and management techniques. The packed exhibit floor, sponsored by IBM, Microsoft and Progress Software, featured 55 of the industry's leading vendors and their latest products and announcements, while companies like BuildForge and Seapine Software hosted technical sessions on some of the most talked about topics in the software industry. For a complete list of SD West exhibitors, visit: https://www.cmpevents.com/SDw6/a.asp?option=H "Now in its 19th year, we are continuing to see software development taken to the next level of ingenuity and innovation here at SD West," said Stan Barnes, SD Event Group Director. "This year, we saw a surge in attendance coming to check out the latest innovations from industry heavyweights like IBM, Microsoft, Aladdin Knowledge Systems and AccuRev, hear keynotes from software development visionaries, and experience technical training from the biggest slate of classes and tutorials we have ever offered." Throughout the week 150 of the industry's top experts, including well-known technology leaders and gurus from all corners of the development world, convened to speak on the hot topics in software development industry. Speakers included: Bjarne Stroustrup, founder of the C++ programming language, Herb Sutter, principal architect of the C++/CLI language extensions to C++ for .NET programming, and Agile Modeling guru, Scott Ambler. Keynote presentations were made by Steve McConnell, software development expert and award winning author, and Bruce Schneier, internationally renowned security expert and author of eight best-selling books. The comprehensive range of conference offerings focused on core technologies such as Java, XML, .NET and C++ as well as the latest in "next- generation" technologies like AJAX, Ruby on Rails, SOA and Agile Modeling. New this year to SD West, the Business of Software track successfully kicked off discussing financial resources, legal issues and other need-to-know information for entrepreneurs starting their own software companies. About CMP Media's Software Development Group The SD Events Group is dedicated to the design and production of world-class events that focus on the education, training and support of software development teams working toward the successful deployment of software applications and services. For the past 19 years, the SD Events Group has provided the forum where the best and brightest gather to learn about the next big thing. Whether it was C++, Object Oriented Programming, Java, COM, UML, XML or Web services, SD was there first, providing professional software development teams' high-quality content, delivered by the industry's leading experts. The curriculum combines the best of traditional and next-generation development in a language neutral, platform neutral environment. About CMP Media (http://www.cmp.com/) Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in the technology, healthcare and entertainment industries, CMP Media has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Media is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion. Contact: Julia Konstantinovsky Atomic Public Relations for CMP Media 415-402-0230 DATASOURCE: CMP Media CONTACT: Julia Konstantinovsky of Atomic Public Relations, +1-415-402-0230, or , for CMP Media Web site: http://www.cmp.com/

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