Science Library Pad

Microsoft Dev Box cloud-based development environments

Microsoft Dev Box, a new cloud service that provides developers with secure, ready-to-code developer workstations for hybrid teams of any size. Microsoft Dev Box empowers developers to focus on the code only they can write, making it easy for them to access the tools and resources they need without worrying about workstation configuration and maintenance. Dev teams preconfigure Dev Boxes for specific projects and tasks, enabling devs to get started quickly with an environment that’s ready to build and run their app in minutes. At the same time, Microsoft Dev Box ensures unified management, security, and compliance stay in the hands of IT by leveraging Windows 365 to integrate Dev Boxes with Intune and Microsoft Endpoint Manager.

from Microsoft Tech Community - Azure Developer Community Blog - Introducing Microsoft Dev Box - May 24, 2022

Blog post covered e.g. in Ars Technica - Microsoft Dev Box will virtualize your Windows development PC in a browser window - May 25, 2022

I've written before that just getting a development environment set up with all the necessary supporting libraries and dependencies sorted out is a major barrier to casual development these days, and that language-specific cloud services such as Google Colaboratory for Jupyter Notebooks help address this.

Additionally in a corporate environment there are often rights restrictions that limit the end-user's ability to install and manage software, which can make it difficult to maintain a complex software development environment. 

Pre-packaged virtual machines in the cloud offer a potential quick path to productive development environments.

This may also help scientific researchers who may want to do software development but have neither the time nor expertise to install and configure a complete environment themselves.
Additionally as MS indicates, this means access to a full Microsoft development environment even if your underlying platform is macOS or Linux.

because Microsoft Dev Boxes are hosted in the Microsoft cloud, you can access them from anywhere: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, or your web browser

Microsoft Dev Box has Microsoft 365 integration (unsurprisingly) which may also make it an easier fit for corporate environments.

Currently in private preview, public preview coming "in the next few months".

IT, innovation, science and more - Gov of Canada 2016 consultations

Many Government of Canada consultations are underway.  This post is updated as they close and new ones are announced.

• Innovation - unknown deadline
• including Global Science Excellence ideas
• Fundamental Science Review – closes September 30, 2016
• Government of Canada [Information Technology] Cloud Adoption Strategy - closes September 30, 2016 - "Feedback on the strategy will be collected until September 30, 2016, and will be used to finalize the Government’s approach." - see press release for more info
  • feedback by email to [email protected]
• Government of Canada Information Technology (IT) Strategic Plan 2016-2020 – closed September 30, 2016 – “all feedback will be considered when the plan is updated in 2017”
  • feedback by email to [email protected]
• CRTC – differential pricing (or ‘zero-rating’) – closes September 30, 2016
• Cyber Security - closes October 15, 2016
• National Housing Strategy - closes October 21, 2016
• Official Languages – closing extended to November 14, 2016
• Shared Services Canada (SSC) IT Transformation - closes October 31, 2016 - also see (now closed) IT Strategic Plan and Cloud Adoption Strategy above
• Federal employees can provide feedback using http://www.ittransformationconsultation.ca/federal-employees
• Canada Post – closes December 31, 2016
• Clean Resources / Clean Tech / Clean Energy – unknown deadline - closed October 31, 2016
• Canadian Content in an Online World – consultation launched September 13, 2016 – unknown deadline
  • http://www.canadiancontentconsultations.ca/
  • Facebook Live events October 28, 2016 and November 7, 2016
• Budget 2017 – unknown deadline

Disclaimer: I work at Environment and Climate Change Canada.

See also:
June 23, 2016  Innovation Strategy consultation in Canada
June 13, 2016  Review of Canada Federal Support for Fundamental Science

Some of these consultations can be found on the government's open dialogue site ConsultingCanadians.gc.ca

post based on information from my personal blog

UK Open Government and Transparency

Francis Maude is UK Minister for the Cabinet Office.  He spoke about the UK experience in January 2012 for the World Bank.

Governments are finding transparency risky, difficult and uncomfortable. But transparency sticks – it’s irreversible once you start. And I believe transparency will become the defining characteristic of future public policy.

...

putting out raw data in the public domain for entrepreneurs and businesses to work with. Creating an information marketplace. And this is where I believe the UK is leading the way today.

Data sharing is underpinning everything we do to improve public services and to drive new waves of growth.

...

Companies large and small are also using the data to create innovative, products and applications.

Already we’re aware of 47 independent app developers working in the UK giving information to rail passengers through their smartphones – in a market that has for the most part open up in only a few major cities.

London commuters can now use their phone apps to decide whether to rush for the train or get a cup of coffee thanks to greater transport data.

Francis Maude's speech to the World Bank – Transparency and Open Data

You can also watch the webcast recording (Windows Media format).

In addition to the UK open data site data.gov.uk there are two other initiatives of note: gov.uk from the Government Digital Service and G-Cloud.

gov.uk is a project to have a single homepage to access UK government services.  They have been using an agile methodology, and the gov.uk site is now in beta, following an alpha.   From a homepage that is a blog to an official Twitter feed at @govuk that retweets team members, it is a great example of innovation at the heart of government.

G-Cloud includes government use of the cloud as well as data centre consolidation.  They just launched the CloudStore, a list of approved services.  It includes the notion of trying to open up government procurement to a wider variety of players.  They announced CloudStore Open for Business on February 19, 2012 in their blog.  The CloudStore, which runs on MS Azure, will be available as open source.  You can follow them at @G_Cloud_UK

RT @cantwaitogo The full UK Gov #cloudstore will be released as #opensource. < great, thx #oss #govit #gov20

— Andrew Stott (@DirDigEng) February 19, 2012