As I write this, the world is converging on Beijing, China for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The athletes have spent years tuning their bodies and movements for optimal efficiency and effectiveness in preparation for this moment. Those wearing the gold medals for many events will be determined by mere fractions of a second.

Although medals aren’t typically awarded for accomplishing your programming tasks the fastest, the book you hold in your hands can help you use Visual Studio more efficiently and effectively. Many of the tips in this book will only save you a few seconds or less; however, as developers, we all know that a routine performed thousands of times can benefit from even the smallest optimization.

Throughout this book, Sara brings to light capabilities within Visual Studio you may never have known existed, or have long since forgotten. Despite spending nearly ten years at Microsoft in and around Visual Studio, Sara’s blog expose holes in my knowledge. Whether you’ve been using Visual Studio since the 1990s, or you are installing it for the first time, you will find value on the pages that follow.

It wasn’t until I read the manuscript for this book that I came to realize the role I played in Sara’s Visual Studio Tip of the Day series and this book. I am happy to have had the opportunity to share some of this experience with her. It was inspiring (but not surprising) to learn that Sara is taking the proceeds from this book, which is founded on the principle of helping developers make better use of Visual Studio, to help others in her hometown pursue careers in software.

"Go, Sara, go!"

Rob Caron

Redmond, Washington

August, 2008