Computer Careers Book
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Microsoft Project update
This updates the article at:
Microsoft Project for Not Yet Techies
The current version is Microsoft Project 2007. This is actually a "family" of products which includes:
Office Project Standard 2007
Office Project Professional 2007
Microsoft Office Project Server 2007
Microsoft Office Project Web Access
Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server 2007
Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Web Access
Obviously, you'll need to check out carefully which one is most suited to your needs and budget.
The first is what normal people running the program on their own PC will need to use. The others are for businesses large and small.
New features included in the standard version include:
Background Cell Highlighting
Change Highlighting
Cost Resources
Desktop Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) Cube
Multiple Level Undo
Task Drivers pane
Budget Tracking
Visual Reports
Whether you want to get Microsoft Project or not, or upgrade or not, depends a lot on your needs. But if you are a project manager you need to look out how it can help you better run your projects on time and under budget.
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project
Notes on outsourcing of customer service
For those of you concerned about the outsourcing of customer service to reps living in India, I have good news from a "secret" source. Dell Computer is concerned about how using customer service reps in India is affecting their reputation. They plan to start moving their customer service operations back to North America.
I rarely watch TV, but on Thanksgiving I did see some, and couldn't be notice during a commercial for Gateway Computers that they used "North American based customer service" as a benefit or selling point. Maybe that affected Dell's decision.
Of course, this is not to knock Indian customer service reps. They could not do worse than the American techie I had a few years ago who worked for Microsoft. He refused to read or understand what I wrote to him in my emails, just scanned them for keywords and sent back canned replies that didn't address MY problem. I finally got satisfaction from a supervisor.
My cousin told me that he had a quite positive experience with an Indian woman -- "Grace" -- when he needed help with a wireless router for his home network. It took an hour and a half, but they finally got it working. He said that she knew what she was doing and was very patient. There were only a few times when he didn't understand her due to her accent and she didn't understand him due to him using some slang.
The latest page added to my site is:
Knoppix for Not Yet Techies
Computer Careers
Computer Careers
Sunday, November 19, 2006
MSIL update
This updates the article at:
MSIL :: Microsoft Intermediate Language for Not Yet Techies
No real news here. Microsoft of course is always working on new advances in their technologies, but nothing significant has made the news on its Intermediate Language.
When a compiler uses MSIL it produces metadata about the program. MSIL and the metadata are stored in portable executable (PE) files based on common object file format (COFF). Therefore, code describes itself, doing away with the necessity for type libraries and Interface Definition Language (IDL).
MSIL
MSIL
City government internships for high school techies
Here's an interesting article on a city government accepting several interns from high school to help them with their computer and networking needs:
computer careers and high school interns
It's great that some areas have such internships for high school students. I know that many high school students are looking ahead and thinking about future careers working with computers. I get questions from them as an All Experts participants.
At that stage their class room education is most important, but it probably doesn't go as far as possible. And real life experience is also very important for them kids to learn that these are real, serious skills that can bring them money and employment. Plus, if they're smart enough to put some of that money away in an IRA, it can grow into a lot of money by the time they retire.
The latest page added to my site is:
VSTO 2005 SE for Not Yet Techies
Computer Careers
Computer Careers
Sunday, November 12, 2006
How to Jumpstart Your Programming Career in Months Not Years
Kingsley Tagbo is an IT Career Coach who's come out with an ebook that somewhat competes with my own Secrets of Changing to a Computer Career, so I want to bring it to your attention.
I know that many people want to become computer programmers. My usual advice is that these jobs are mainly for 22 year old Computer Science degree holders. He says this is a myth.
So if you really want to become a programmer, check out his book:
Jump Start Your Programming Career in Months Not Years
The latest page added to my site is:
Podcasting for Not Yet Techies
Programming Careers
Programming Careers
Saturday, November 11, 2006
mod_perl update
This updates the article at:
mod_perl for Not Yet Techies
The current releases of mod_perl are:
Version 2.0.2 - October 20, 2005. For use with Apache 2.0.x / 2.2.x.
Version 1.29 - Oct 7, 2003. For use with Apache 1.3.x.
Sites that use mod_perl with their Apache servers include Macromedia, Slashdot and Adobe. Big names!
There're many mod_perl modules which you can download. They are encapsulated inside a namespace and .pm formated file.
mod_perl
mod_perl
Sunday, November 05, 2006
.NET Mobile Information Server update
This updates the article at:
Mobile Information Service for Not Yet Techies
Microsoft's .NET Mobile Information Server product has been discontinued. Many of its features and functions have been moved to Exchange Server 2003.
Plus, Exchange Server 2003 improves on .NET Mobile Information Server by offering: Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access and remote procedure call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (RPC over HTTP).
Microsoft has left support pages for .NET Mobile Server on its website.
Mobile Information Server
Mobile Information Server
New media degrees in Indiana
The following link is to an interesting story on students at Indiana University seeking careers in the "new media."
degrees in new media computer careers
To me this is sort of a nebulous term -- the story refers to cell phones and PDAs. They're offering degrees in the new media from the School of Informatics.
The story makes the options look really broad, which I guess in inevitable -- ranging from graphics design in 2-D and 3-D, Adobe Photoshop, mentions of sound composition and video game design.
But one student is really interested in the design of patient medical records. I can hardly imagine that a college student is that focused, but at least there's the recognition this must all be channeled into practical uses.
So the purpose of the course offerings seem to give the students a basic knowledge of the broad range of possibilities of multimedia and how they might apply it to real life.
The latest page added to my site is:
Xcode for Not Yet Techies
Computer Careers
Computer Careers
Saturday, October 28, 2006
from welfare to a computer career
Here's an interesting article about Goodwill in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania teaching people about computers as part of a welfare to work program:
computer careers for welfare recipients
From what little detail the article gives, these people are not being given enough training to actually start a computer program. However, maybe that's the reporter's fault.
Hopefully Goodwill is aiming to teach them enough to qualify for the CompTIA A+ certification to repair, install and upgrade PCs.
Knowing the parts of a computer is fine, but it's not enough to make a living.
Fixing computers is the lowest end of the IT industry, but it's certainly a step up from welfare.
Of course, just getting these people interested in computers is a step forward in itself, but they must go further.
If they're not being given a truly good course, Goodwill might as well stick to teaching them to search for other kinds of jobs online.
The latest article on my computer careers site is:
Ubuntu for Not Yet Techies
Computer Careers
Computer Careers
Marimba update
This article updates the information at:
Marimba for Not Yet Techies
Marimba is now part of BMC Software, Inc., a leading provider of business management software packages. They acquired the Marimba product line in July 2004 since it completes their IT business alignment lifecycle.
They offer products in the areas of: Application Management, Content Distribution, Inventory Management, OS Management, Patch and Anti-Virus Management, Remote Administration and Software Usage.
Marimba still focuses on providing solutions at a cost 50 to 75% below comparable products from the competition due to:
Built on Open Standards
Ease of Use and Ease of Deployment Equals Rapid ROI
Designed For Any end-point
Marimba has product families for both client and server management.
Marimba
Marimba
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Need for information science degree
Here's an interesting article aimed at convincing people to get a degree in information technology, which I have to assume is the same as a Computer Science degree:
computer careers with a degree
I must point out that this article is evidently aimed primarily at convincing young people to major in information technology. That certainly is good -- the number of college undergraduates choosing computer science as a major is declining. That does have bad future implications.
(Especially if they become lawyers instead.)
And it does point out 3 basic areas to specialize in: programming, networking and security. Though strictly speaking, security is more specialized area of networking and programming combined.
And some might argue with its rosy presentation of the demand for software developers, given that many routine programming tasks are not being outsourced to programmers in India and other low-wage countries.
Still, I agree with the basic premise that computers are not going away -- just the opposite. Which means that there will always be some jobs in the IT industry.
The latest article on my computer careers site is:
Apple Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger for Not Yet Techies
Computer Careers
Computer Careers
MAPI for Not Yet Techies Update
This article updates the information at:
MAPI for Not Yet Techies
Microsoft's Messaging Application Program Interface / MAPI is a set of proprietary functions with a closed architecture design. It has not changed much since it was introduced in the late 1990s for use with Microsoft Mail.
There's been no need to develop it much further. It's used in Microsoft Exchange and Outlook but not supported by Internet protocols.
Developers can use MAPI's functions to program mail applications. The full function library is MAPI 1.0 or Extended MAPI. This allows complete control over the messaging system.
As of Exchange 2007 Beta 2, the Messaging API client libraries are not part of the product install. Microsoft will distribute them as a web download.
Simple MAPI is not installed by Exchange Server 2003 or later, but it is supported by Exchange 2003.
MAPI
MAPI
