Having spent over three decades with Microsoft technologies, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience numerous high-profile events, including the then-prestigious Microsoft TechEd events in the USA. I have spoken in quite a few of Microsoft Tech Ed’s that happened in India and Sri Lanka. It’s humbling to remember how I found myself as an attendee back in sunny Orlando, Florida, during the exciting turn of the millennium in 2000.
The spectacle of seeing thousands of computers, from desktops to servers, all glowing with the then-latest beta versions of Windows, Windows Server, Visual Studio, and COM+ Server was quite the sight. It was a playground of discovery, with hands-on virtual labs available to everyone, providing a sneak peek into the future of tech. Even more exciting, perhaps, were the high-powered machines and internet speeds that, at the time, seemed like a peek into a future that’s now our present.
Interesting thing – back then, spotting Indian Americans, let alone attendees from India, at a North American tech conference was quite the rarity. Fast forward to today, and it’s heartening to see how much the landscape has changed. Nowadays you can’t swing a USB cable in these tech conferences without hitting a tech whizz from India! A testament, really, to the rising talent from the subcontinent.
Now, I’ve had my trip down memory lane – how about yours? Do you recall your first tech conference in the USA?
Footnote: My first tech conference in the USA was in 1998 and that was an internal conference in Seattle for Microsoft Regional Directors & MVPs.
Microsoft TechEd 2000 in Orlando, FL, USA
(from left) Venkatarangan sitting in front of Microsoft’s Company Store in Redmond (WA), the other 3 pictures are taken in downtown Seattle in 2000
I travelled to the USA via KL, Malaysia. Seen top left is Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 2000
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