For the first time in many years, Microsoft brought its Professional Developers Conference to Redmond last week. The conference brings together developers who build software on Microsoft's platforms, and it serves as a key marketing opportunity for Microsoft to recruit them to build on new products, such as Azure, its cloud computing platform.

For the past few years, the conference has been held at the Los Angeles convention center and drawn about 5,000 attendees. This year's conference drew about 1,000 attendees to Redmond, about the capacity of the company's conference center. Microsoft said 20,000 people registered to watch it online.

The conference also lasted only two days, compared with the four days in the past. Attendees said registration costs were lowered as well, from $2,400 last year to $1,000 this year.

Here is what the attendees at Redmond had to say about having the conference on campus.

Lars Wilhelmsen, a three-time PDC attendee, said he was mixed about having the conference in Redmond. Wilhelmsen works at Kredinor, a debt collection company in Norway. "It's a bit different because of the size. There are both positive and negative side effects. A lot of people I normally meet aren't here because it's only two days and 1,000 people."

Tony Abell, a software developer with Now Com in Los Angeles, said he liked having it in Redmond. "I prefer this experience other than the fact that I had to travel," said Abell. This is his second PDC -- the last time he went to one was in 2008 in L.A. "2008 was too long. It was four days. This is just right," he said.

Renata Kovacevic, a first--time PDC attendee from a software company called Ekobit in Croatia, said she liked having it at Redmond. "I'm very satisfied. I find it great that it's in Redmond so we can have a feel of Microsoft where products are actually made."

Update 3:09 p.m.: Microsoft sent over registration costs for 2009 and 2010. Last year the convention cost $2,095 to attend. This year it cost $1,000.