Ever wanted to test Microsoft software in a sandbox environment? What about being able to test new applications immediately, without having to set up a test environment of your own? Now you can, with MSDN and TechNet Virtual Labs.

Virtual Labs are guided, hands-on lab modules hosted by Microsoft that can be completed in 90 minutes. Try out Microsoft products and test your programming skills through our library of hands-on tools. There is no software to download to your local PC, and Virtual Labs are free! Check out the TechNet and MSDN Virtual Labs now.

Tune into .NET Unwrapped, the webcast series focused on real-world developer solutions for the financial services industry. Hear from the Microsoft financial services team, as well as experts who have deployed technologies and systems at some of the largest financial institutions. Topics include: migrating from COM and WinDNA to .NET, best practices for J2 and .NET interop, and integrating messaging systems, Windows Mobile, patterns and anti-patterns for SOA, and much, much more. Check out this huge selection of on-demand webcast content here.

Check out our online forums that deal specifically with architectural topics. This is an excellent place to look for answers to those pressing architectural issues on the Microsoft platform - the forums are moderated, and monitored by the world-wide Microsoft architect community, so chances are you'll get an answer to that tricky question you post. Check out some of our other forums here.

Every few years, Microsoft runs a Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in the US. The PDC is our main forum for announcing important new technologies (usually works in progress) to the world, and PDC 2005 was no exception. This year, PDC started to pull together some of the disparate threads of our platform architecture with WinFX technologies such as Windows Communication Foundation (formally known as Indigo) and Windows Workflow Foundation.

Below, you'll find a selection of resources to help you navigate your way through some of the technologies introduced at PDC 2005

In case you didn't make it to PDC 2005, 209 breakout sessions, panels, and symposia from the conference are available online. Each session includes a video of the presenter, a navigable index of the content, the Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation itself, and video of any demos. We'll be hosting this content, complimentary to all, for six full months.

Indigo received an updated name at PDC2005 - Windows Communication Foundation. Windows Communication Foundation is a WinFX technology that unifies our existing messaging transports, and allows you to quickly build secure and interoperable Web services applications using the WS-* standards.

One of the new WinFX technologies announced during PDC 2005 was Windows Workflow Foundation, a technology that makes it incredibly easy to workflow-enable applications. Eric Rudder's PDC keynote address includes the announcement of Windows Workflow Foundation, as well an excellent live demo of the technology. See our MSDN Workflow Foundation site, as well as our Workflow Foundation Community site for more details, or try it out online in our virtual lab.

ASP.NET Atlas is a package of new Web development technologies that integrates an extensive set of client script libraries with the rich, server-based development platform of ASP.NET 2.0. "Atlas" enables developers to create Web applications that can update data on a Web page by making direct calls to a Web server - without needing to round trip the page. Don't forget to check out Scott Guthrie's blog for more information.

Avalon also received a new moniker at PDC 2005. Now known as the Windows Presentation Foundation, Avalon aims to do for rich client development what ASP.NET did for Web development - the effective separation of presentation elements from code, with the added benefits of scalable vector graphics that make the most of modern video hardware.

The LINQ project premiered at PDC 2005, and offers an integrated programming experience, enabling developers to query object, relational and XML data directly from within Microsoft Visual C# and Visual Basic - without having to use multiple programming languages. Microsoft has released a Tech Preview of LINQ. For more background on LINQ, see the Q&A page, as well as our Future Versions site at the Microsoft .NET Framework Developer Centre

This section brings together several useful Microsoft migration resources from around the web.