In Memoriam: SharePoint Workspace

I heard a nasty online rumor that in the upcoming world of Office 2013, SharePoint Workspace (SPW) will be no more. Whether that’s true or not, it reminded me that I have yet to write a post about SPW – what it is [was?], and what some of its neat features are [were?].

I’ve met enough SharePoint users who don’t know anything about SPW to guess that many of you reading this may also be new to the concept. Even less have probably heard of its cousin Groove Workspace. If you’ve never seen SPW, but you have Office 2010 Premium installed on your computer, go to Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office hit the Windows key and type “workspace” to receive your prize.

If you’ve got it, fire it up and follow along as I talk about a few of the kool things it can do:

Fake It ‘Til You Make It–Alternatives to Custom Application Pages for Non-Developers

SharePoint is a versatile tool meant to empower end-users. So, for me it seems such a shame when end-users feel powerless when it comes to their ability to ‘create’ in SharePoint. Sometimes for a non-developer, it can seem like the only way to make something interesting in SharePoint (besides a fancy list or some Wiki pages) is to get help from a Developer or Web Designer. But I submit that, with a little creativity (and maybe some smoke-n-mirrors), non-developers can make an ‘application’ that looks and feels like a Developer’s custom application page.

The Rules of SharePoint [Fight Club]

I was talking recently with a fellow SharePoint developer who specializes in custom SharePoint development. In other words, this means he probably spends more time with the SharePoint Object Model than SharePoint Designer, for instance. I was remarking on the fact that even though I too am a SharePoint developer who is well-versed in the nuances of Visual Studio and the object model, many of my client’s needs tend to be solved by leveraging no-code solutions. I went on to talk about the value of no-code solutions from the perspective of farm stability, risk, and deployment issues.

What surprised me was that, as he agreed with what I was saying, I could sense what appeared to be a ‘light bulb’ moment going on his head. Why would this be a novel idea to a true SharePoint person? I mean, isn’t this exactly what the 2nd rule of SharePoint is all about?:

SharePoint at AgileDotNet Conference

Today I’ll be talking about SharePoint with other Agilists at the AgileDotNet Conference, a 1-day event put together by Improving Enterprises and Microsoft that tries to ‘bring together the world of .NET development with the world of Agile methods’.

SharePoint can be a great tool for teams trying to incorporate Agile principles into their team development. I’m looking forward to talking with attendees about their experiences and use of SharePoint, and hearing about how it has contributed to their team’s success.