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Main Page

Welcome to '''{WIKITITLE}'''! (''[#what|What is ALT.NET?]''){BR}


=='''NOTE: SEPTEMBER MEETING CANCELED. Next meeting TBD'''=={BR}
We're still looking for a more suitable location with a decent projector. If anyone has a line on something, let us know.

Mpls ALT.NET is a Minneapolis area user group interested in exploring and promoting the tools, ideas, and practices of the "ALT.NET" community.

'''Please join our [http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/mplsaltnet|mailing list] - feel free to use the form at the bottom of the page.'''

* '''[Sponsorship|Become a sponsor] - it's inexpensive, easy, fun, and a great way to meet some of the best software developers in your area!'''
* '''[Members|Member Info and Blogs] - find out what your local ALT.NETters are talking about'''
* '''[UpcomingMeetings|Future Meetings and Topic Suggestion]'''

==Next Meeting==
'''TBD'''
<!--[imageright|Minneapolis Central Library|http://image.hclib.org/meetingroom/conf200.jpg]'''TBD'''{BR}
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====='''Minneapolis ALT.NET Meeting'''====={BR}
We're on for September when Donn Felker will speak on Testing with Mocks. Come and see what it's all about.
{BR}{BR}
Come one, come all [September2009Registration|register here].

At the Minneapolis Central Library.{BR}{BR}
300 Nicollet Mall{BR}
Minneapolis, MN 55401 {BR}
{BR}
'''Parking Information: Library's Underground Ramp'''

*The parking ramp entrance is on 4th St.
*Tickets are issued from 5 am to 10 pm.
*People can come back into the library to pick up their cars at any time of the day or night.
*Cash, Visa and Mastercard are accepted by our automated payment machines which are on each level of the ramp and also on the main floor, before the entrance to the elevators.
*Parking rates (subject to change without notice):
**After 3 pm 	$5 max. 

IM: <a href="http://settings.messenger.live.com/Conversation/IMMe.aspx?invitee=d1213d5b224b07a3%40apps.messenger.live.com&mkt=en-US"
        target="_blank">
        <img height="16" src="http://messenger.services.live.com/users/d1213d5b224b07a3%40apps.messenger.live.com/presenceimage?mkt=en-US"
            style="border-style: none;" width="16"/> - jim s </a>
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[image|Map|http://www.google.com/mapdata?CxUJWq4CHR_UcPogDwxAjgJIuQFSAlVTkAECygECZW4]{BR}
[http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Minneapolis+Central+Library&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&cid=0,0,1610356698188856718&ei=HgkbSpCqGoTuMva0tI8P&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1|link]{BR}{BR}
We will be room N-202 and starting semi-promptly at 6:00PM.
{BR}-->
The format will likely be as follows:
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{{{{6:00 PM - Sodas, Talk Tech{BR}
6:30 PM - Presentation{BR}
7:30 PM - Pack up and head over to the Loon for some beers and more talk.{BR}}}}}
{BR}
{BR}
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<!--
[UpcomingMeetings|Other Meetings]
{BR}
Thursday, September 17, 2009 - "Testing with Mocks - Donn Felker ([http://blog.donnfelker.com/|http://blog.donnfelker.com/])" (Room N-402)
{BR}
TBA, October 2009 - "Continuous Integration" with Loren Halvorson ([http://birchcovesoftware.com/|http://birchcovesoftware.com/]){BR}
TBA, November 2009 - "Pex Automated Testing" with Jason Bock ([http://www.jasonbock.net|http://www.jasonbock.net/])
{BR}{BR}

-->
===What is ALT.NET?[anchor|#what]===
At it's purest, the driving force behind the ALT.NET developer community may be described simply as "The pursuit of happiness."  While Microsoft has provided developers with a powerful framework and a bunch of very good tools and packages to build upon, it often feels like too much effort was put into a "one-size-fits-all" design philosophy that can make it complex, tedious, or just plain impossible to do things that don't follow Microsoft's prescribed approach.  
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With other development platforms and languages offering so much choice (Java and it's many quality open source offerings) and elegance (Ruby on Rails with its "beautiful" code and "convention over configuration" philosophy), .NET developers longed to craft cleaner, more elegant solutions without having to leave a framework that has so much to offer.

ALT.NET is about following your own beliefs about application design, and using the .NET platform to support your ideas, rather than retro-fitting your ideas to the platform.  While none of these things is a requirement to "being ALT.NET," the community openly embraces:
* Agile, Scrum, XP
* Open Source Packages and Frameworks
* Test Driven Development/Design
* Behavior Driven Development/Design
* Domain Driven Development/Design

ALT.NET is not about spurning Microsoft's platform and tools - it is about being able to decide when it makes sense to use them, having control over how they are used, and having the option to go in another direction without having to abandon the framework.

[Resources|ALT.NET Resources]{BR}
[http://codebetter.com/blogs/jeffrey.palermo/archive/2007/09/23/what-are-the-alt-net-principles-a-topic-i-ll-be-proposing-at-altnetconf.aspx|More on ALT.NET]