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• What type of career path / jobs for a developer to have best work life balance?

  - by programmx10

  I know some people may look down on a question like this but I've been thinking lately a lot about what direction I can take my career to have a good work life balance, since I have been working for a startup where hours tend to drag on, etc and I find it often drains the life out of me. I have been going to interviews and some other companies are also startups / new companies and seem to have a similar attitude about working long hours. Maybe its the technologies I use, the type of development, I don't know but I'm curious if anyone can offer advice on what a path is to be a programmer / developer but work for a company that respects a regular work week and would only rarely find the need to move past this. I realize this won't lead to being the highest paid in my field but I'm ok with that and feel the tradeoff would be worth it as it would also give me time for my own projects, etc. I know some people may say this is too general but I believe it is a programmer specific question because I believe there tends to be a higher than average rate of working overtime, etc and people working in "startup" venture situations than in many other fields and there is definitely a mindset among a lot of people in the field of working long hours that doesn't exist in every industry.

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• Why is it that software is still easily pirated today?

  - by mohabitar

  I've always been curious about this. Now I wouldn't call myself a programmer yet, but I'm learning, so maybe the answer to this is obvious. It just seems a little hard to believe that with all of our technological advances and the billions of dollars spent on engineering the most unbelievable and mind-blowing software, we still have no other means of protecting against piracy then a "serial number/activation key". I'm sure a ton of money, maybe even billions, went into creating Windows 7 or Office and even Snow Leopard, yet I can get it for free in less than 20 minutes. Same for all of Adobe's products, which are probably the easiest. I guess my question is: can there exist a fool proof and hack proof method of protecting your software against piracy? If not realistically, how about theoretically possible? Or no matter what mechanisms these companies deploy, hackers can always find a way around it? EDIT: So apparently, the answer is no. There's pretty much no way. And so I'm sure these big companies have realized this as well. Should they adopt another sales model rather than charging a crapload for their software (I know its justified and they put a lot of hard work into their software, but its still a lot of money). Are there any alternative solutions that will benefit both the company and the user (i.e. if you purchase our product, we'll apply $X dollars to your account that will apply to future purchases from our company)?

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• Should Professional Development occur on company time?

  - by jshu

  As a first-time part-time software developer at a small consulting company, I'm struggling to organise time to further my own software development knowledge - whether that's reading a book, keeping up with the popular questions on StackOverflow, researching a technology we're using in-depth, or following the front page of Hacker News. I can see results borne from my self-allocated study time, but listing and demonstrating the skills and knowledge gained through Professional Development is difficult. The company does not have any defined PD policy, and there's a lot of pressure to get something deliverable done now! when working for consultants. I've checked what my coworkers do, and they don't appear to allocate any time to self-improvement; they just work at the problems they're given, looking up specific MSDN references, code samples, and the like as they need them. I realise that PD policy is going to vary across companies of different size and culture, and a company like my own is probably a bit of an edge case. I'd love to hear views and experiences from more seasoned developers; especially those who have to make the PD policy choices in their team or company. I'd also like to learn about the more radical approaches to PD, even if they're completely out there; it's always interesting to see what other people are trying. Not quite a summary, but what I'm trying to ask: Is it common or recommended for companies to allocate PD time? Whose responsibility is it to ensure a developer's knowledge and skills are up to date? Should a part-time work schedule inspire a lower ratio of PD time : work? How can a developer show non-developer coworkers that reading blogs and books is net productive? Is reading blogs and books actually net productive? (references welcomed) Is writing blogs effective as a way of PD? (a recent theme on Hacker News) This is sort of a broad question because I don't know exactly which questions I need to ask here, so any thoughts on relevant issues I haven't addressed are very welcome.

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• Why We Need UX Designers

  - by Tim Murphy

  Ok, so maybe this is really why I need UX designers.  While I have always had an interest in photography and can appreciate a well designed user interface putting one together is an entirely different endeavor.  Being color blind doesn’t help, but coming up with ideas is probably the biggest portion of the issue.  I can spot things that just don’t look like they work right, but what will? UX designers is an area that most companies do not spend much if any resources.  As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression and and a poorly designed site or application is a bad first impression.  Given that they you would think that companies would invest more in appearance and usability. One of two things need to be done to rectify this issue.  Either we need to start educating our developers on user experience and design or we need to start finding ways to subsidize putting full time designers on our project teams.  Maybe it should be a time share type of situation, but something needs to be done.  As architects we need to impress on our project stakeholders the importance of User Experience and why it should be part of the budget.  If they hear it often enough eventually they may present it to you as their own idea. del.icio.us Tags: User Experience,UX,Application Design

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• Would I be able to use code hosting services to host malware code?

  - by NlightNFotis

  Let me start by saying that I am a computer security researcher. Part of my job is to create malware to deploy on a controlled environment in order to study or evaluate several aspects of computer security. Now, I am starting to think that using an online code hosting service (such as BitBucket, Github, etc...) to have all my code in 1 place, would allow me to work on my projects more efficiently. My question is: Are there any issues with this? I have studied those companies' privacy policies, and they state that they allow usage of their services for lawful usage. Since I am not distributing malware, but I am only using it on my machines and machines that I am authorized to use, aren't I allowed to use the service? For the usage that I am doing, malware is the same as any other software. I recognise that I should be extremely careful with code hosting, as any mistake from my part could hold me liable for damages and leave me open against legal action. As such I am recognizing that I should use private repositories, so the code is not available to the public. But how private is a private repository? How can I trust that companies like them will not leak or sell a potential (electronic) viral weaponry that I may have created in the future?

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• OS X is based on the codex Gigas the devils bible: Android OS n 4.4 Dio Ra Egyptian deity why is that?

  - by user215250

  GUESS WHO? The Internet and all computers are based on a mathematical number system that seems to be 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10. The HTTP is 888P and UTF-8 and Windows 8 and 8 gigas of RAM(88) on a 64biTOS X-10 or Aten(satan) why is it allowed to be so evil and who all knows about it? Is this activity illegal and should I sew these companies for being involved in satanic practices? iC3 iC3 iC3 I do see XP (X) Chi and (P) Rho a monogram and symbol for Christ, consisting of the superimposed Greek letters. The X is ten, The X code, OS X(O Satan) and codex The Gigas the Devil bible and the P is Payne, The House of Payne in which God dwells. Windows 8, Google Android and Apples OS X are the foundation on which we operarte on the Internet and our Mobiles devices. What is it that these 3 companies have chosen to base their OS’s on such evil? Windows 8 is windows hate H8, HH and H8. Said to be the Devil. Google’s (UGLE) M the Masonic M behind Android OS.in 4.4 is Dio (R) DNA O Sin and 44 is the Devils name in Twain’s The Mysterious Stranger. Apple’s evil (i) OS X (ou-es-ten) O Satan them all beat (B8) considering Apple put their first product on the market for $666.66. The Holy Grail of computers they say. Your Excellency, Lord and King OS2 Eisus Uni Peg Unix: The Unicorn Pegasus Jesus Christ

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• SOA Starting Point: Methods for Service Identification and Definition

  As more and more companies start to incorporate a Service Oriented Architectural design approach into their existing enterprise systems, it creates the need for a standardized integration technology. One common technology used by companies is an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB). An ESB, as defined by Progress Software, connects and mediates all communications and interactions between services. In essence an ESB is a form of middleware that allows services to communicate with one another regardless of framework, environment, or location. With the emergence of ESB, a new emphasis is now being placed on approaches that can be used to determine what Web services should be built. In addition, what order should these services be built? In May 2011, SOA Magazine published an article that identified 10 common methods for identifying and defining services. SOA’s Ten Common Methods for Service Identification and Definition: Business Process Decomposition Business Functions Business Entity Objects Ownership and Responsibility Goal-Driven Component-Based Existing Supply (Bottom-Up) Front-Office Application Usage Analysis Infrastructure Non-Functional Requirements  Each of these methods provides various pros and cons in regards to their use within the design process. I personally feel that during a design process, multiple methodologies should be used in order to accurately define a design for a system or enterprise system. Personally, I like to create a custom cocktail derived from combining these methodologies in order to ensure that my design fits with the project’s and business’s needs while still following development standards and guidelines. Of these ten methods, I am particularly fond of Business Process Decomposition, Business Functions, Goal-Driven, Component-Based, and routinely use them in my designs.  Works Cited Hubbers, J.-W., Ligthart, A., & Terlouw , L. (2007, 12 10). Ten Ways to Identify Services. Retrieved from SOA Magazine: http://www.soamag.com/I13/1207-1.php Progress.com. (2011, 10 30). ESB ARCHITECTURE AND LIFECYCLE DEFINITION. Retrieved from Progress.com: http://web.progress.com/en/esb-architecture-lifecycle-definition.html

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• SOA Forcing A Shift In IT Governance

  As more and more companies adopt a service oriented approach to developing and maintaining existing enterprise systems, IT governance also needs to shift its philosophies to fit the emerging development paradigm. When I first started programming companies placed an emphasis on “Code and Go” software development style. They only developed for current problems and did not really take a look at how the company could leverage some of the code we were developing across the entire enterprise system.  The concept of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) has dramatically shifted how we develop enterprise software with emphasizing software processes as company assets. This has driven some to start developing new components as processes strictly for the possibility of future integration of existing and new systems. I personally like this new paradigm because it truly promotes code reusability. However, most enterprise level IT governance polices were created prior to the introduction of SOA in their respected organization. This can create a sense of the Wild West for developers working on projects related to SOA. This is due to the fact that a lot of the standards and polices implemented by enterprise IT governing boards were initially for developing under the “Code and Go” paradigm and do not take in to account idiosyncrasies found in the SOA/integration based development. As IT governance moves forward its focus should aim more for “Develop to Integrate” versus “Code and Go” philosophies. Examples of “Develop to Integrate” Philosophy: Defining preferred data transfer methodologies (XML vs. JSON), and when to use them Updating security best practices for exposing public services based on existing standard security policies Define when to use create new SOA project vs. implementing localized components that could be reused elsewhere in the enterprise.

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• IASA South East Florida Chapter &ndash; November 2012 Meeting

  - by Rainer Habermann

  After a short introduction by Rainer Habermann and announcements for the chapter and promoting the upcoming IASA IFC Certification Class in January 2013 at Citrix, the audience was exited to welcome Jesus Rodriquez for the main presentation about “Mobilizing the Enterprise”.       Jesus is a co-founder and CEO of both Tellago Studios and Tellago, two fast growing start-ups with a unique vision around software technology. Jesus spends his days working on the technology and strategic vision of both companies. Under his leadership, Tellago and Tellago Studios have been recognized as an innovator in the areas of enterprise software and solutions achieving important awards like the Inc500, American Business Awards’ American and International Business Awards. A software scientist by background, Jesus is an internationally recognized speaker and author with contributions that include hundreds of articles and sessions at industry conferences. Jesus serves as an advisor to several software companies such as Microsoft and Oracle, and is the only person who holds both the Microsoft MVP and Oracle ACE awards. Jesus introduced the architecture of the Enterprise Mobile Backend as a service, integrating enterprise mobile applications with corporate line of business systems and providing robust backend capabilities represent some of the major challenges in today’s enterprise mobility solutions. The mobile consumer space has seen the emergence of backend as a service technologies as one of the main mechanisms for enabling backend capabilities in mobile applications. This session introduced the concept of mobile backend as a service (MBaaS) as the fundamental enabler of the next generation enterprise mobile applications. The session further explored the fundamental components and services of a mBaaS platform that makes it an ideal option for enabling backend capabilities in enterprise mobile applications. Using real world examples. Jesus demonstrated how mBaaS represents an agile and extremely simple model to integrate mobile applications with corporate systems. Thank you very much to Jesus Rodriquez for an outstanding presentation, Peak 10 Data Centers for hosting our meeting, and to TEK Systems for Snacks. Pictures taken by Ted Harwood.   Rainer Habermann President IASA SE Florida Chapter

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• Microsoft Tag Tagged Me

  - by Brian Schroer

  I got EXTREMELY lucky last week and won an HP Mini 311 notebook from a Microsoft Tag Twitter contest. I did my required tweet to enter last Tuesday, and one hour later received notification that I had won the weekly drawing. Apparently you can tweet up to 500 times (I pity the followers of those who do that), so it was really lucky that I won, and I sympathize with those who had been really trying. If you would like to try your luck, there are seven weekly prizes left, and you can find out about the contest here: http://tag.microsoft.com/ttcontest.aspx For a free PC, I thought it was the least I could do to find out what Microsoft Tag is. I was vaguely aware of those pastel-y triangle-y square things that look like someone put one of Don Johnson’s Miami Vice outfits through a shredder, and knew that the company I work for (one of the world’s largest consumer products companies) was looking into putting them on our products, packaging and advertising, but didn’t know much more about the technology. I thought they were just an improvement over bar codes, and would be used in retail store scanners, but I was mistaken. These tags are meant to be scanned by consumers using their mobile phones, to get instant access to information, websites, reviews, etc. Scanning a tag can open a web page, import a contact card, or dial a phone number, play a video… Tag reader software can be installed on Windows Mobile, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry, Android, J2ME, and other phones (and I suspect that it will be available for Windows Phone 7 also :). There are built-in tracking, metrics and analysis tools, to help companies using Tag make decisions about their marketing expenditures. (And they don’t have to look Miami Vice-y – They can be customized to reflect the personality of the person or a brand.) Looks like interesting stuff. You can find out more at http://tag.microsoft.com.

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• Making an advertising server ads from different ad networks

  - by John

  In India there are many ad-networks(other than Adsense) who pay per acquisition or per lead. So Javascript ad code is not required(as fraud clicks don't matter as long as one converts). So an ad network will have many companies and each company will have many banner sizes for ads. Also suddenly any ad may be stopped just because company's target has met. Which is a common nuisance since if we don't remove those url's then that company will get conversions for free. I've a dozen sites and removing the ads are difficult every now and then. Also CPA based ads may not convert at all. That means I'll need to remove non-performing ads regularly. I've gone through: How can I show multiple ad networks on my site? . I've also visited DFP solution but without Adsense they wouldn't let me open account. I want to make an ad server wherein I'll feed new ads (banner image + link for click). I want to maintain categories there like ( shoes, phones, books etc). So if an ad is paused - i'll simply remove/pause the ad there while other ads in the category keep running. Also changing ad code within sites will no more be required. For example - let me have an ad category "clothing" where I can add ads from different companies. So if one of my site requests an ad from there it'll randomly select an ad in this category and return it to site for display. Removing/adding ads within this category will not affect the site requesting those ads. Any idea how to implement it?

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• Not getting paid for hours you've worked?

  - by Sauron

  So I was reading from a previous thread about App vs Game Development: If it was for you to chose Game Development vs Application Development, which will you chose? Which brought me to this site: EA: The Human Story A lot of it talked about developers working something like 85 hours a week, and not getting paid overtime, or anything. Just getting paid for the 40 hours. Is this normal for most software companies? I mean where I work I'm only an entry level guy but I get overtime, and anything over 40 hours is considered this. But it got me thinking "Holy crap" I could never do that. My FREE time is important to me. But is this commonplace in most software companies? Or is more a rarity to certain types (game development, etc)? Because it got me scared! Like I understand having to put some extra hours in for a project... but like 80! that's ridiculous.

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• Building Enterprise Smartphone App &ndash; Part 4: Application Development Considerations

  - by Tim Murphy

  This is the final part in a series of posts based on a talk I gave recently at the Chicago Information Technology Architects Group.  Feel free to leave feedback. Application Development Considerations Now we get to the actual building of your solutions.  What are the skills and resources that will be needed in order to develop a smartphone application in the enterprise? Language Knowledge One of the first things you need to consider when you are deciding which platform language do you either have the most in house skill base or can you easily acquire.  If you already have developers who know Java or C# you may want to use either Android or Windows Phone.  You should also take into consideration the market availability of developers.  If your key developer leaves how easy is it to find a knowledgeable replacement? A second consideration when it comes to programming languages is the qualities exposed by the languages of a particular platform.  How well does that development language and its associated frameworks support things like security and access to the features of the smartphone hardware?  This will play into your overall cost of ownership if you have to create this infrastructure on your own. Manage Limited Resources Everything is limited on a smartphone: battery, memory, processing power, network bandwidth.  When developing your applications you will have to keep your footprint as small as possible in every way.  This means not running unnecessary processes in the background that will drain the battery or pulling more data over the airwaves than you have to.  You also want to keep your on device in as compact a format as possible. Mobile Design Patterns There are a number of design patterns that have either come to life because of smartphone development or have been adapted for this use.  The main pattern in the Windows Phone environment is the MVVM (Model-View-View-Model).  This is great for overall application structure and separation of concerns.  The fun part is trying to keep that separation as pure as possible.  Many of the other patterns may or may not have strict definitions, but some that you need to be concerned with are push notification, asynchronous communication and offline data storage. Real estate is limited on smartphones and even tablets. You are also limited in the type of controls that can be represented in the UI. This means rethinking how you modularize your application. Typing is also much harder to do so you want to reduce this as much as possible.  This leads to UI patterns.  While not what we would traditionally think of as design patterns the guidance each platform has for UI design is critical to the success of your application.  If user find the application difficult navigate they will not use it. Development Process Because of the differences in development tools required, test devices and certification and deployment processes your teams will need to learn new way of working together.  This will include the need to integrate service contracts of back-end systems with mobile applications.  You will also want to make sure that you present consistency across different access points to corporate data.  Your web site may have more functionality than your smartphone application, but it should have a consistent core set of functionality.  This all requires greater communication between sub-teams of your developers. Testing Process Testing of smartphone apps has a lot more to do with what happens when you lose connectivity or if the user navigates away from your application. There are a lot more opportunities for the user or the device to perform disruptive acts.  This should be your main testing concentration aside from the main business requirements.  You will need to do things like setting the phone to airplane mode and seeing what the application does in order to weed out any gaps in your handling communication interruptions. Need For Outside Experts Since this is a development area that is new to most companies the need for experts is a lot greater. Whether these are consultants, vendor representatives or just development community forums you will need to establish expert contacts. Nothing is more dangerous for your project timelines than a lack of knowledge.  Make sure you know who to call to avoid lengthy delays in your project because of knowledge gaps. Security Security has to be a major concern for enterprise applications. You aren't dealing with just someone's game standings. You are dealing with a companies intellectual property and competitive advantage. As such you need to start by limiting access to the application itself.  Once the user is in the app you need to ensure that the data is secure at all times.  This includes both local storage and across the wire.  This means if a platform doesn’t natively support encryption for these functions you will need to find alternatives to secure your data.  You also need to keep secret (encryption) keys obfuscated or locked away outside of the application. People can disassemble the code otherwise and break your encryption. Offline Capabilities As we discussed earlier one your biggest concerns is not having connectivity.  Because of this a good portion of your code may be dedicated to handling loss of connection and reconnection situations.  What do you do if you lose the network?  Back up all your transactions and store of any supporting data so that operations can continue off line. In order to support this you will need to determine the available flat file or local data base capabilities of the platform.  Any failed transactions will need to support a retry mechanism whether it is automatic or user initiated.  This also includes your services since they will need to be able to roll back partially completed transactions.  What ever you do, don’t ignore this area when you are designing your system. Deployment Each platform has different deployment capabilities. Some are more suited to enterprise situations than others. Apple's approach is probably the most mature at the moment. Prior to the current generation of smartphone platforms it would have been Windows CE. Windows Phone 7 has the limitation that the app has to be distributed through the same network as public facing applications. You mark them as private which means that they are only accessible by a direct URL. Unfortunately this does not make them undiscoverable (although it is very difficult). This will change with Windows Phone 8 where companies will be able to certify their own applications and distribute them.  Given this Windows Phone applications need to be more diligent with application access in order to keep them restricted to the company's employees. My understanding of the Android deployment schemes is that it is much less standardized then either iOS or Windows Phone. Someone would have to confirm or deny that for me though since I have not yet put the time into researching this platform further. Given my limited exposure to the iOS and Android platforms I have not been able to confirm this, but there are varying degrees of user involvement to install and keep applications updated. At one extreme the user just goes to a website to do the install and in other case they may need to download files and perform steps to install them. Future Bluetooth Today we use Bluetooth for keyboards, mice and headsets.  In the future it could be used to interrogate car computers or manufacturing systems or possibly retail machines by service techs.  This would open smartphones to greater use as a almost a Star Trek Tricorder.  You would get you all your data as well as being able to use it as a universal remote for just about any device or machine. Better corporation controlled deployment At least in the Windows Phone world the upcoming release of Windows Phone 8 will include a private certification and deployment option that is currently not available with Windows Phone 7 (Mango). We currently have to run the apps through the Marketplace certification process and use a targeted distribution method. Platform independent approaches HTML5 and JavaScript with Web Service has become a popular topic lately for not only creating flexible web site, but also creating cross platform mobile applications.  I’m not yet convinced that this lowest common denominator approach is viable in most cases, but it does have it’s place and seems to be growing.  Be sure to keep an eye on it. Summary From my perspective enterprise smartphone applications can offer a great competitive advantage to many companies.  They are not cheap to build and should be approached cautiously.  Understand the factors I have outlined in this series, do you due diligence and see if there is a portion of your business that can benefit from the mobile experience. del.icio.us Tags: Architecture,Smartphones,Windows Phone,iOS,Android

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• Using template questions in a technical interview

  - by Desolate Planet

  I've recently been in an argument with a colleage about technical questions in interviews. As a graduate, I went round lots of companies and noticed they used the same questions. An example is "Can you write a function that determines if a number is prime or not?", 4 years later, I find that particular question is quite common even for a junior developer. I might not be looking at this the correct way, but shouldn't software houses be intelligent enought to think up their own interview questions. This may well be the case, but I've been to about 16 interviews as a graduate and the same questions came up in about 75% of them. This leads me to believe that many companies are lazy and simply Google: 'Template questions for interviewing software developers' and I kind of look down on that. Question: Is it better to use a sest of questions off some template or should software houses strive to be more original and come up with their own interview material? From my point of view, if I failed an inteview and went off and looked for good answers to the questions I messed up on, I could fly through the next interview if they questions are the same.

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• How does a CS student negotiate in/after a job interview?

  - by Billy ONeal

  Alright, I've gotten to the second step in the interview process. At this point I'm working under the assumption that I might be offered a position -- flying my butt to Redmond would be quite an expense if they weren't at least considering me for something (*crosses fingers*). So, if one is offered a position, how should a CS student negotiate? I've heard a few strategies about dealing with software companies when you are being considered for a hire, but most of them are considering the developer in a powerful position. In such examinations, (s)he has lots of job experience, and may even be overqualified for what the employer is looking for. (s)he is part of a small job market of qualified developers, because 99% of applications companies receive are from those who are woefully under qualified. I'm in a completely different position. I think I compare favorably to most of my fellow students, and I have been a programmer for almost 10 years, but often I still feel green compared to most of my coworkers. I'm in a position where the employer holds most of the chips; they'd be doing me quite a favor by hiring me. I think this scenario is considerably different than the targets for most of the advice I've seen. Above all, I don't want to be such a prick negotiating that it damages my chances to actually operate in a position, even if it means not negotiating at all. How should one approach a scenario like this? P.S. If this is off topic feel free to close it -- I think it's borderline and I'm of the opinion that it's better to ask and be closed than not ask at all ;)

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• FREE goodies if you are a UK based software house already live on the Windows Azure Platform

  - by Eric Nelson

  In the UK we have seen some fantastic take up around the Windows Azure Platform and we have lined up some great stuff in 2011 to help companies fully exploit the Cloud – but we need you to tell us what you are up to! Once you tell us about your plans around Windows Azure, you will get access to FREE benefits including email based developer support and free monthly allowance of Windows Azure, SQL Azure and AppFabric from Jan 2011 – and more! (This offer is referred to as Cloud Essentials and is explained here) And… we will be able to plan the right amount of activity to continue to help early adopters through 2011. Step 1: Sign up your company to Microsoft Platform Ready (you will need a windows live id to do this) Step 2: Add your applications For each application, state your intention around Windows Azure (and SQL etc if you so wish) Step 3: Verify your application works on the Windows Azure Platform Step 4 (Optional): Test your application works on the Windows Azure Platform Download the FREE test tool. Test your application with it and upload the successful results. Step 5: Revisit the MPR site in early January to get details of Cloud Essentials and other benefits P.S. You might want some background on the “fantastic take up” bit: We helped over 3000 UK companies deploy test applications during the beta phase of Windows Azure We directly trained over 1000 UK developers during 2010 We already have over 100 UK applications profiled on the Microsoft Platform Ready site And in a recent survey of UK ISVs you all look pretty excited around Cloud – 42% already offer their solution on the Cloud or plan to.

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• The MsC gray zone: How to deal with the "too unexperienced on engineering/too under-qualified for research" situation?

  - by Hunter2

  Last year I've got a MsC degree on CS. On the beginning of the MsC course, I was keen on moving on with research and go for a PhD. However, as the months passed, I started to feel the urge to write software that people would, well, actually use. The programming bug had bitten me, again. So, I decided that before deciding on getting a PhD degree, I would spend some time on the "real world", working as a software developer. Sadly, most companies here in Brazil are "services" companies that seem to be stuck on the 80s when it comes to software development. I have to fend off pushy managers, less-than-competent coworkers and outrageous software requirements (why does everyone seem to need a 50k Oracle license and a behemoth Websphere AS for their CRUD applications?) on a daily basis, and even though I still love software development, the situation is starting to touch a nerve. And, mind you, I'm already lucky for getting a job at a place that isn't a plain software sweatshop. Sure, there are better places around here or I could always try my luck abroad, but then I hit the proverbial brick wall: Sorry, you're too unexperienced as a developer and too under-qualified as a researcher I've already heard this, and variations of that, multiple times. Research position recruiters look for die-hard, publication-ridden, rockstar PhDs, while development position recruiters look for die-hard, experience-ridden, rockstar programmers. To most, my MsC degree seems like a minor bump on my CV (and an outright waste of time for some). Applying for abroad positions is even harder, since the employer would have to deal of the hassle of a VISA process, which I understand that, sometimes, is too much. Now I'm feeling I've reached a dead-end. I'm certain that development (and not research) is my thing, so should I just dismiss my MsC (or play it as a "trump card") and play the "big fish on a small pond" role while I gather some experience and contribute on some open-source projects as a plus? Is there a better way to handle this?

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• What is the best approach for database design with lots of columns?

  - by Pratyush

  I am writing a query based financial application. It lets the user to write complicated equations (much like WHERE part of an SQL query) and find companies matching those criteria. For the above, I currently have more than 500 columns in the database table (each column representing a financial field). Example of Columns are: company_name, sales_annual_00, sales_annual_01, sales_annual_02, sales_annual_03, sales_annual_04, protit_annual_00, profit_annual1...(over 500 such columns). The number of rows is around 5000. Going forward, I would like to further increase the number of columns/financial-fields. For the above I would like to get help regarding: 1) What is the best database design approach? Is it ok to have these many number of columns? 2) How can it be normalized? (User can use any of these fields in search criteria). 3) Is it ok to stick with MySQL, or modern document based databases like MongoDB should be better for it? P.S. (Update): I have been using MySQL till now and a running example of the usage is at: http://screener.in/companies/89/Formula-- In above there around 500 fields/columns to create your query on, however, I seek to increase that number to much more in future.

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• Windows Metro Requests

  - by Scott Dorman

  Windows 8 and Windows Metro style apps have a lot of potential, but only if application vendors realize there is a demand to see their app as a Metro style app and not just as a desktop app (or worse, only as an Android or iOS app). As consumers, the only thing we can do is be vocal about our desire to see these apps on Windows 8 as a Metro style app. In an effort to raise awareness, I just launched WinMetro Requests. This is our opportunity to request Windows Metro style apps  and show those companies just how much interest there is for seeing their app as a Metro style app. This site is running on UserVoice, so it allows you to easily submit application requests, add comments, and, more importantly, vote for your favorite applications to come to Windows as a Metro style app! As I find out the status of requested applications, I will update the status of the request. If you know and have official communication from one of the companies indicating they will be or are working on a Windows Metro style app, please let me know and I'll update the status of the request after verifying (or at least trying to verify) the information.

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• How do you apply to a company way out of your league?

  - by emcb

  First, my background: I'm in the market for a new job I have ~2 years experience under my belt Nothing on my resume would JUMP out at you Thus far in my career I've been able to become productive quickly and have been continually praised by managers and coworkers for my abilities to learn and produce. I don't mean to be bragging here, but I want to get across that (at least in my mind) I could be categorized as "very promising young developer" I've been job hunting for a little while now and like most job seekers I've found a handful of companies that are basically "dream" jobs (think Fog Creek or 37Signals). If I were to apply to a company like that in the normal recruitment channels, my resume would probably not make it past the first set of filters. Now, I accept that I'm a longshot for a job at the hottest companies out there, but in my job search I've had a little success in applying for positions I'm not qualified for simply by doing something a little different: sending an email outlining how I don't meet the qualifications but stating why I would do well in the job anyways. In other cases, I've outright asked for a small project/problem that would be representative of the work to prove I can do the job, since I didn't have the specific skills on my resume yet. What I'm wondering is: If I'm not qualified on paper for a particular job, what creative/unique/impressive methods have you thought of or seen work to at least get an interview? For the sake of argument, assume I really am a "very promising young developer". I would love to hear from people who are responsible for hiring - I'd like to hear examples of techniques that got someone noticed when they otherwise wouldn't have. Clarification: I know that I need to continue building my resume to continue advancing. But I'm in the job search NOW, so I'm looking for other approaches

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• During interviews, how do I gauge a company's respect for my position?

  - by Bluu

  I'm a web developer who previously joined a software company not knowing their value and respect went to big data analysis, not their website. Sure, they needed a public-facing website, but I eventually found that the most exciting, valued projects there went to data teams. Realizing this, members of the web team were picked off and switched teams, making it hard for those left behind to keep up the work load, and making us look bad. At times it seemed the company culture sneered at us, wondering, "What does that team even do here?" A friend of mine had the opposite problem at another software company. All he wanted to do was crunch big numbers. However he complained that the rest of the company wouldn't shut up about developing the usability of their website. Meanwhile his analytics team languished. I've also heard of salespeople getting love at a company, while engineering as a whole is undervalued, or vice versa. As for my story, if I could have known the company was like that, I might have avoided the job in the first place. So, before I join a new company, how do I gauge its actual respect for my programming role? For its other roles? I want to avoid companies that aren't serious about my particular focus in programming, or, perhaps bigger picture, companies that don't value everybody who works there. (Note I think gauging the company's attitude toward the basic needs of its programmers is covered by these related questions.)

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• Impact of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) on Business and IT Operations

  The impact of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) on business and IT operations varies from company to company. I think more and more companies are starting to view SOA as just another technology that they can incorporate in an existing or new system. One of the driving factors in using SOA is the reduction in maintenance costs and decrease in the time needed to bring products to market. The reductions in costs, and reduced turnaround time can be directly converted in to increased profitability due to less expenditures that are needed in order to maintain or create new systems. My personal perspective on SOA is that it is great for what it is actually intended to do. SOA allows systems to be distributed across networks or even the world while ensuring enterprise processing consistency, data integrity and preventing code duplication. This being said a lot of preparation and work goes into properly designing and implementing an SOA especially if an enterprise wants to take full advantage of its benefits. Even though SOA has recently gotten a lot of hype about its benefits it does not a perfect fit for all situations. At the end of the day SOA is just another tool in my tool belt that I can pull from to create solutions that meet the business’s needs. Based on current industry trends SOA appears to be a very solid technology to use moving forward, especially as more and more companies shift towards cloud based computing. It is important to remember that SOA is one of many technologies that can be used in creating business solutions and I think more time will be spent in the future evaluating if SOA is the right technology for a solution once the initial hype of SOA has calmed down.

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• Using template questions in a technical interview

  - by Desolate Planet

  I've recently been in an argument with a colleague about technical questions in interviews. As a graduate, I went round lots of companies and noticed they used the same questions. An example is "Can you write a function that determines if a number is prime or not?", 4 years later, I find that particular question is quite common even for a junior developer. I might not be looking at this the correct way, but shouldn't software houses be intelligent enough to think up their own interview questions? I've been to about 16 interviews as a graduate and the same questions came up in about 75% of them. This leads me to believe that many companies are lazy and simply Google: 'Template questions for interviewing software developers' and I look down on that. Question: Is it better to use a set of questions off some template or should software houses strive to be more original and come up with their own interview material? From my point of view, if I failed an interview and went off and looked for good answers to the questions I messed up on, I could fly through the next interview if the questions are the same.

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• Corporate Efficiency

  - by AndyScott

  Thoughts on streamlining the process of getting someone up to speed when they join a project as a new hire; or as is common in some companies, switch from one project to another: Has anyone heard of a strategy (including emphasis towards consistent, ongoing documentation) that would bring a user up to speed quickly? Has there been any thought given to focused documentation, specific to a role within a project? Or formalized mentoring within a project, that goes beyond a “system walkthrough”?   Often it's overlooked what time is wasted when a senior level worker is brought on board.  It's assumed that they will know the right questions to ask. They are the type of people that normally learn quickly, and in their own ways, so let them get by with what's out there.   Having a user without a computer will cost you measurable worker hours, making it an easy target to shoot at (and rightly so). Not getting them up to speed as quickly as possible is an efficiency issue, that seems to have become an industry standard as an accepted loss. Given the complexity of the projects within most companies, and the frequency with which users are shifted from one project to another based on need; I think this is an area that bears consideration.

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• Looking to create website that can have custom GUI and database per user

  - by riley3131

  I have developed an MS Access database for a company to track data in regards to production of a certain commodity. It has many many tables, forms, reports, etc. These were all done as the user requested, and resemble the users previously used system, mostly printed worksheets and excel workbooks. This has created a central location for all information and has allowed the company to compare data in a new way. I am now looking to do this for other companies, but would like to switch it to a web application. Here is my question. What is the best way to create unique solutions for individual companies that can have around 100 users each? I would love to create one site that would serve all parties, but that would ruin the customizable nature of what I am developing. I love the ability to create reports, excel sheets, pdf, graphs, etc with access, but am tired of relying on my customers software, servers, etc. I have some experience with WAMP, but I am far better at VBA. I was okay at PHP, and was getting a grasp on JavaScript a few years back. I am also trying to decide whether to go with WAMP or LAMP, if web is the best choice. Also, should I try set up one site for all users that after log-in goes to company specific pages, or individual sites for each company? Should I host or use a service?

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