March 2006 - Posts
Oh this is rich...Apparently Europe has warned Microsoft about all the features they are cramming into Vista.
One concern centered on the possibility that Vista would include features in its products that are already available separately from Microsoft and other companies, such as Internet search, digital rights management and software to create fixed document formats like PDF.
The other concern focused on whether Microsoft would fail to disclose all necessary technical information to third parties to make Vista interoperable with competing products.
Ok, so let me get this straight. Vista is going to make it easier to integrate all the PDF features, DRM, Internet search straight at the application level. Meaning it will be easier (cheaper) to greater richer applications that have complete integration capabilities for information. Vista is going to break the monopoly that Abode and other competitors have over the features and pricing of any component.
I recently used a third party .NET component for creating PDF applications. It was a well written library, but I quickly ran up to a limitation in what I wanted the application to do. I researched into it and found most of my "features" were not possible because of a limitation of Adobe. What choice do I have? Adobe has the monopoly on PDF creation.
The second concern I used to believe entirely on my rants towards Microsoft. They were always changing standards and not providing 100% backwards compatibility, basically screwing over Word Perfect, et al.
I have been in software for a while now, and if you have ever had to maintain legacy software while developing new software, you hate every single minute looking through old code. You curse it because as you are looking for your software patterns, you realize how horribly bad it is. OOP and the .NET Framework have taken off and have greatly simplified application development and Vista is going to continue that trend. I've always been able to find every piece of information about interoperability. For free.
I will give Java its due as it paved the way for features and enabled Microsoft to come out with .NET (C#) having learned mistakes from the Java Framework and build on top of its successes.
Dundas just released a Reporting Services control library for Sql Reporting Services 2005. I have used their asp.net charts before and they were easy to use and configure.
http://www.dundasreporting.com/home/index.aspx?Section=Home&Campaign=ChartHomepage
Okay, change of plans on the whole match.com thing. The guys up here at Telligent decided it would be more beneficial for everyone if I worked on something else. I know for most of you, it isn't as cool to be able to say, "Hey Match.com, ya, Bill, my <enter relation here>, made that website." But all .NET programmers will be able to say the same thing now.
Microsoft runs a couple sites. www.asp.net, www.windowsforms.net, and www.iis.net. I have been asked to be on the teams that will provide the structure, content management, and my favorite...features for those websites. They are Microsoft's portal to the online communities. I will get to meet with the .NET Microsoft developers a couple times a month as we discuss language features, ideas, and feedback.
BFD, some are saying, well for me it is...so be happy about that. I have wanted to get into the lecture circuit going around, dropping knowledge on willing participants. Also my writing bug might have found a niche with online articles and such.
I might have too much going on right now and never actually get any of them done. But for now, programming isn't a job so much as it is my life; it is amazing getting to breathe life into ideas and make then real. Similiar to Frankenstein, but without the icky grave robbing part.
Today I ended my employment at Jack Henry and Associates. I had a really great 9 months working with a great team and grew as a developer. I am sure I will miss the 8:45 stand up meetings. Actually I won't miss them, but I did regularly come late to them. I am not a morning person, and it takes great effort to get to work early...much less contribute in the morning. Believe me, if I could have written an AI bot to sit in there for me, I would have.
Now having mentioned the obligatory goodbye, I am really excited about this new opportunity. I first became interested in Telligent at a User Group meeting. Anyone reading this should recognize the Community Server ad below. This forum software is one of their products. I don't think I will be working directly on Community Server, but I have plans to contribute some of my modules to the community.
I will instead be working more on their consulting side of their business. I will give more information as I come aware of it, but it was mentioned I might be working on www.match.com. Or maybe not. I will find that all out on Monday...and you should find out shortly there after.
I was going to go on and on about the company and how it is a small start up and get to wear Kerry to work, free cokes, etc. I don't know if I will go flip flop...or atleast maybe not at first. But I am excited about this and think this is more along my professional goals and were I would like to be for the time being....or maybe for a while.
More Posts