Building compelling applications and Web sites just got easier.

Microsoft is opening up Windows Live Services to developers everywhere. This edition of CoDe Focus shows you how to use Windows Live Services to draw users to your Web site, get them hooked, and keep them engaged.

Windows Live uses a broad range of services to provide rich Web applications. Now, these services are available to any developer to build into their application. From small blogs and Web sites to the largest enterprise Web application, Windows Live Services make it quicker and easier to build world-class Internet scenarios.

Windows Live Services help you build engaging Web experiences by providing state-of-the-art services in these areas:

  • Infrastructure such as Silverlight Streaming by Windows Live and Admin Center.
  • Personal Data stored on a per user basis such as Live Contacts and Spaces Photos.
  • Notifications and Messaging leveraging the vast Windows Live Messenger network.
  • Find and Locate for accessing the Live Search index and mapping information from Virtual Earth.
  • Identity using Windows Live ID APIs to provide a secure experience for users.

This edition of CoDe Focus shows you how to use Windows Live Services to build these scenarios into your Web site. Read on for the business value, step-by-step development instructions, and free source code to get you started.

Windows Live adds new applications and services all the time. To keep up on the latest news about Windows Live Services, go to http://dev.live.com.

More Resources

This issue of CoDe Focus Magazine is a great place to start, but here are some other Web sites you might want to check out:

www.ViaWindowsLive.com has a great gallery of Windows Live mashups.

www.ProgrammableWeb.com has a gallery of Windows Live and non-Windows Live mashups.

http://dev.live.com has a section on what people are building.

There are also some good blogs you can read:

http://blogs.msdn.com/angus_logan/

http://dev.live.com/blogs/sls/