IT Management is no Holliday in a mobile workforce |  |
Readify have once again made good on their 'no glass ceiling' policy with the promotion of Grant Holliday to IT Manager. Holliday began his Readify career in 2005 as a Senior Developer and has worked in a mentoring role for development teams within both Microsoft and Government departments during this time. Holliday said of this experience "I gained visibility into how larger bricks-and-mortar organisations managed their IT infrastructure. I see my new role as very similar to my previous role, except that Readify is now my customer".
Holliday, who was recently awarded Microsoft's prestigious MVP award in the Visual Developer - Team System space, has a broad range of experience across a number of platforms. However providing IT support to Readify's ever growing national workforce will not be without its challenges, even for this talented young professional. Grant believes his biggest challenges are "not being on a LAN and keeping up with our developer's demands for the latest technologies".
Holliday is looking forward to both the technical challenges posed by his new role and the lifestyle benefits afforded by working from home as part of Readify's mobile workforce. He said "I'm excited by my new IT Manager role because I will be implementing great new Microsoft technology that fits with our Virtual Worker ethos."
Friday, May 18, 2007 |
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Readify sponsor Microsoft's Australian ReMix conference |  |
This year sees the first ReMix conference in Australia, a 2 day "conversation" run by Microsoft and revolving around the hugely important topic of User Experience. Readify are proud sponsors of the event, seeing the new technologies and developer and designer tools coming out as additional opportunities for developers around the country to create even more feature rich solutions for their organisations and customers. As always Readify is at the forefront of the new technology wave, this time Microsoft Expression Studio and the exciting cross-platform Silverlight, both with roots in .NET but taking it to another level with vector-based graphics engine, cross-platform managed code execution and tools designed not just for developers but also for designers - aimed at reducing the divide that exists in the traditional company structure between these two disciplines. Besides sponsoring the event, Readify is sending one of its consultants, Philip Beadle, to talk about how the latest advances in Microsoft technologies can help you in web development. So register for your attendance at Remix, June 25-26 2007 at http://www.microsoft.com/australia/remix07 now and keep a look out for more coverage on Expression and Silverlight from Readify in the near future. Monday, May 14, 2007 |
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Greg Low presents on Microsoft’s MSDN Webcast series |  |
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Readify staff publish "DotNetNuke For Dummies" |  |
The first ever DotNetNuke For Dummies training book has just been published thanks to the efforts of two Readify staff members Lorraine Young and Philip Beadle. Lorraine and Philip co-authored the book with fellow founding DotNetNuke Core Team members Scott Willhite and Chris Paterra. This engaging guide covers everything you need to deploy a DotNetNuke web portal, including installing the portal on multiple operating systems such as Windows XP and Windows 2003 Server. DotNetNuke is an open source portal application that has been implemented by Readify on a number of websites including www.AFL.com.au and www.NRL.com. Free excerpts can be downloaded from the Wiley website. read more ...Wednesday, May 02, 2007 |
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Darren Neimke Heads Up New Initiative |  |
After a successful year of implementing solid and measurable process for Readify's team of consultants and developers, Darren Neimke has moved to a new challenge - the establishment of an internal Development Centre for the organisation. "The Dev Centre role is exciting because it will allow me to work closely with Microsoft's latest technologies such as .NET 3.0, SharePoint 2007 and Orcas, all to deliver real products," Neimke said. Obviously proud of the staff he is looking after, Neimke continued by saying, "I'll [also] have access to some of the best .NET developers in the country to deliver... this is a position that any development manager would undoubtedly love to find themselves in."
Readify are continually looking for ways to not only improve internal process but to also provide ways for their staff to improve their skill sets. With the official establishment and investment in a Development Centre, the organisation is insuring it is building the right systems and processes for the success of the business. "Whilst working with the latest technology always presents unique challenges, the greatest challenge that I see for Readify is having the right processes in place to continually deliver value to our customers," Neimke stated. There are definite pressures in a corporate environment stemming from the many projects that compete for the organisation's precious time and resources and Readify's new Dev Centre manager is ready to tackle them, saying "New initiatives and ideas are great, but with all these new uber cool technologies and ideas floating around it's important to keep focused on the real goal of build and deploying robust, maintainable software that meets the needs of the business." Thursday, April 26, 2007 |
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Marketing a Unique Company is a Blast! |  |
Following the organisation's tradition of doing non-traditional things, Readify has announced the appointment of Andrew Parsons to the role of Marketing Manager for the company. Parsons has had a multi-faceted career, including more than fifteen years in a variety of development roles, the editorship of two magazines and a news website, authoring over a dozen books and more. But one thing that he doesn't have is an MBA degree, something that most companies look at as an essential for this kind of role. When asked about whether this could be an impediment to him being successful in the job, Parsons responded with "While I may not have formal training in the traditional marketing concepts, I actually see this as a freeing opportunity. Being able to approach the marketing of Readify without being bogged down with preconceptions about how the market should look, and what I should do to achieve classic results means that I can come out of left field with ideas that work synergistically with the way the company itself works."
Readify are a virtual organisation with staff in five states. Because there is no fixed office the company is extremely flexible in targeting opportunities and helping its customers. "The marketing role is exciting because I can help shape direction, knowing that I have a bunch of great fellow workers all over the place to help me implement new ideas," Andrew said. "Marketing for Readify is more an evangelistic role than one bedded down with graphs and industry tracking. We have always been a thought leader in the .NET developer space, and if we spent too much time analysing what others are doing instead of forecasting where we – and our customers - should be going next we would lose that edge."
"While I've already worked harder in the last few weeks than I have in quite some time, I'm having a blast doing it!" Parsons said. "Rather than working in a stifling environment of a normal IT company where management are scared to move, I have so many opportunities thrown at me on a daily basis from all over the organisation, I'm swamped with creativity, imagination and, above all, a commitment to always improve. It's great!"
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 |
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Greg Low profiled in Microsoft's "The Region" website |  |
Readify Senior Consultant Greg Low is one of several Microsoft Regional Directors to be profiled on the recently launched "The Region" website, a global hub for the 140 software architects, developers, trainers and other professionals selected by Microsoft as Regional Directors (RD). The website is designed to help RDs network and share their knowledge both with each other and with the wider developer community. read more ...Thursday, April 19, 2007 |
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Readify - Major sponsor of CodeCampOz 2007 |  |
Readify were a major sponsor of this year's CodeCampOz and with attendee numbers at a record high of over 200 attendees, CodeCampOz has the honour of being the largest Microsoft development only event within Australia. As in previous years, CodeCampOz 2007 hosted a broad range of stimulating and thought provoking presentations covering many of the latest Microsoft offerings.CodeCampOz offers industry members the opportunity to learn from technology experts and Readify was well represented in this year's line up with seven of the fourteen presenters being Readify consultants. In addition, CodeCampOz is organised by Mitch Denny and Greg Low, two of Australia's leading IT experts who are also Readify staff members. Beyond its educational content, CodeCampOz also provides attendees with an opportunity to socialise and build networks in a relaxing country location. Readify added some extra fun to the networking side of things by providing attendees with the chance to have a Readify 'superman' t-shirt custom designed with each attendees own personal slogan. And of course the essential tool of every developer was also not forgotten with Readify supplying attendees with the obligatory coffee mug. Other sponsors included Charles Sturt University (hospitality), Avanade (pizza) and Microsoft (venue). read more ...Tuesday, April 03, 2007 |
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Microsoft's MVP Series for SQL Server 2005 (Part Two) | |
Microsoft MVP's are experts in their topic area of passion. As part of the MVP series, ZDNet interviews Readify's Dr Greg Low who is an expert in using SQL Server 2005. In this interview Greg talks about the enhanced security features in SQL Server 2005.<BR><BR>Greg is a frequent TechEd presenter and SQL Server and development guru whose TechEd sessions are always a highlight of the show. Greg has been working in development since 1978. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and a host of Microsoft certifications. read more ...Tuesday, April 03, 2007 |
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New and Re-Awarded Readify MVP's |  |
Microsoft's most recent MVP (Most Valuable Professional) awards list was published today and we are pleased to announce the following Readify staff members are included:
First Time Awardees:
- Grant Holliday: Team Foundation Server
- Paul Stovell: Visual Developer - Client Application Development
Re-Awarded:
- Philip Beadle: ASP/ASP.NET
- Greg Low: SQL Server
The MVP Program recognises the best and most active Microsoft users who have demonstrated a technical passion and willingness to share their expertise with others. Our congratulations go to these and other award recipients. read more ...Monday, April 02, 2007 |
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Readify's launches CRM OnTime |  |
Readify's CRM OnTime is the solution for Professional services firms looking to improve the overall management of field resources, insure accuracy and consistency of timesheet data and accelerate the invoicing process and thereby radically improve cash flow. read more ...Thursday, March 22, 2007 |
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Microsoft's MVP Series for SQL Server 2005 (Part One) | |
Microsoft MVP's are experts in their topic area of passion. As part of the MVP series, ZDNet interviews Readify's Dr Greg Low who is an expert in using SQL to enhance productivity and improve business management. Greg is a frequent TechEd presenter and SQL Server and development guru whose TechEd sessions are always a highlight of the show. Greg has been working in development since 1978. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and a host of Microsoft certifications. read more ...Tuesday, March 20, 2007 |
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Readify redefines the office |  |
As pioneers in the concept of the 'virtual office' Readify's mantra is "Mobile Enablement" and with the use of mobile phones, Windows Mobile Email handhelds and laptops with Vodafone Mobile Connect Data Cards Readify staff members are busy living the dream as enthusiastically as we sell it on to our customers. In this case study by Vodaphone, find out more about Readify's success as a virtual office business. read more ...Friday, March 09, 2007 |
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Developer skills outlook 2007: What's hot for employers? |  |
In this Builder.au article a number of key industry leaders including Readify's Chris Hewitt discusses some of the key technologies and soft skills employees and the market are searching for. read more ...Monday, March 05, 2007 |
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Team Foundation Server (TFS) Version Control – Part 2 |  |
Builder.AU features Mitch Denny from Readify demonstrating how Microsoft Team Foundation Version Control can help manage multiple concurrent versions over time. He discusses the basics of branching structures, applying stabilisation activities on beta branches; the differences between forward and reverse integration, and how to use branching structures with concurrent software life cycles. read more ...Wednesday, February 21, 2007 |
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Team Foundation Server (TFS) Version Control – Part 1 |  |
Builder.au website features Readify's Mitch Denny discussing Microsoft's Team Foundation Version Control and Team Foundation Server (TFS). Learn how to physically lay out your source code control structure and how to logically structure branching in TFS. read more ...Wednesday, February 21, 2007 |
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The what, why and how of Team Foundation Server - Part 1 |  |
In this two part article published online on Builder.AU Mitch Denny, Readify Senior Consultant and MVP, examines the core features of Team Foundation Server with a particular emphasis on how those pieces integrate in the day to day usage of the product. read more ...Tuesday, February 06, 2007 |
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Microsoft Software Legend on .NET 3.0, WCF and the future of software development |  |
In this Computerworld interview with Mitchell Bingemann, Juval Lowy discusses the changing face of software development and its multi-dimensional industry-wide cost crisis. Related Links: read more ...Wednesday, January 31, 2007 |
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Darren Neimke's "ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts" podcast |  |
Listen to this podcast with Darren Neimke (Resource Manager for Readify) to learn more about ASP.NET 2.0. Darren has been developing software since the late '90s, focusing on .NET Technologies from the beta days of 2000 onwards. In that period he has designed and developed a wide range of solutions using .NET. read more ...Saturday, January 20, 2007 |
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Working with Web Parts in ASP.NET 2.0 | |
In this interview with Brian Eastwood of SearchVB.com Readify's Darren Neimke, a Microsoft MVP and author of "ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts in Action," talks about using Web Parts to build dynamic Web applications. Darren discusses how this differs from traditional ASP.NET development, what the life cycle for a Web Parts page looks like and how these pages should be secured. read more ...Thursday, January 18, 2007 |
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Congratulations to re-awarded Microsoft MVP's |  |
Microsoft's most recent MVP (Most Valuable Professional) awards list includes the following Readify staff members: - Bill Chesnut: BizTalk Server
- Darren Neimke: ASP/ASP.NET
- Paul Glavich: ASP/ASP.NET
The MVP Program recognises the best and most active Microsoft users who have demonstrated a technical passion and willingness to share their expertise with others. Our congratulations go to these and other award recipients. read more ... Wednesday, January 10, 2007 |
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Software developer network launched |  |
The NSW government has joined forces with Microsoft Australia to launch the NSW.NET software developer network. This article by Sandra Rossi for Computerworld outlines the plans for this new network and discussed benefits Readify has gained from the current Victoria.NET network. Related Article: read more ...Monday, January 08, 2007 |
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Readify raises over $3,000 for Mens Health |  |
Congratulations to our hairy IT and management team members for raising over $3,000 for the Movember campaign. Proceeds from this fundraiser go to mens health including cancer and depression.
Thanks also goes to family, friends and colleagues for their generous donations as well as to Readify itself who matched all donations dollar for dollar.
Monday, December 04, 2006 |
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Andrew Parson's latest book published |  |
Readify Consultant Andrew Parson's just released his latest technical book "Professional Visual Studio 2005". Visual Studio 2005 is an enormous product. Incorporating the latest advances in both Visual Basic® and C# as well as improvements and new features in the user interface, it can be daunting without the kind of guidance this book provides. Andrew's book teaches developers how to harness every feature of this remarkable development tool. read more ...Wednesday, November 29, 2006 |
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Readify builds the new Big Pond Sport Website for Telstra |  |
The new Big Pond Sport ( www.bigpondsport.com) website has just been launched in time to report on the upcoming success of the Aussie cricket team in The Ashes! This website offers sports fans some major delights with minute by minute score updates across multiple sports including golf, cricket and tennis. For our technical readers, Readify consultant Andrew Ball offers an insight into the technology processes used for this solution read more ...Monday, November 27, 2006 |
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Launch of HiTechAndGreen by concerned Readify consultants |  |
A number of Readify consultants and management team members began talking over coffee about the virtues of a virtual office in reducing carbon emissions. This prompted discussions around the other ways Readifarians as individuals, as a collective and as a company can do the right thing by our fragile planet and future generations. Thus the HiTechAndGreen.com website was born. The website has been named after the concept that one can live a highly technical and modern lifestyle whilst still being green. The HiTechAndGreen.com website initially offers a space for Readify staff members to share their knowledge, thoughts, ideas and efforts on how to create a greener, more sustainable and healthier planet. It currently includes staff blogs, emission reduction tips and links to related websites. read more ...Friday, November 17, 2006 |
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Readify Mo Bro's get behind mens health |  |
Readify's IT and executive teams are growing moustaches throughout the month of November as part of the annual Movember fundraising event. Movember raises money and awareness of men's health issues such as prostate cancer and mental health.
Fifteen Readify staff members will be growing a mo and organising sponsorship from friends, relatives and associates. Readify itself has generously offered to match dollar for dollar all moneys raised by the Readify Mo Bros.
Look out for your Movember consultant today! read more ...
Friday, November 10, 2006 |
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Darren Neimke's latest book published | |
Readify's Resource Manager Darren Neimke latest book "ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts in Action - Building Dynamic Web Portals" is now available for purchase. Free chapters of the book are now available from the Manning website including Chapter 9 which shows strategies for instrumenting and adding health monitoring to web applications. The book is available for purchase from both the Manning website and from Amazon. read more ...Wednesday, November 08, 2006 |
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Readify listed on 2006 BRW Fast 100 |  |
Readify has been listed on 2006 BRW Fast 100. Every year eligible businesses throughout Australia take part in the 2006 BRW Fast 100 awards, described as the most comprehensive, engaging, and thought-provoking guide to this critically important sector. Readify's outstanding achievements resulted in our name being listed on the BRW Fast 100 and is testament to the strength and entrepreneurial drive of our organisation. Monday, October 16, 2006 |
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A clear view of Vista | |
Hoping to reverse a legacy of legal plagues and legions of bugs, the software giant is moving carefully towards a clean, well-tested release of its newest operating system. Readify consultant Mitch Denny and other leading Australian businesses discuss their experiences testing Microsoft's new operating system and share the secrets to a successful transition. IT Next | The Age & Sydney Morning Herald read more ...Tuesday, October 10, 2006 |
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Virtual office - This team is never in one place | |
Everything but a Bundy clock is in the technology arsenal of Readify chief executive Graeme Armstrong as he managed 40 staff. The staff in his virtual business work remotely, either from home or at a client's office. They arrange their jobs around their lives, not vice versa. "We're technical readiness consultants who work with Microsoft to help its customers and partners adopt new technology," Armstrong says. Road Warrior Exec Tech | The Australian read more ...Tuesday, October 03, 2006 |
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Readify takes centre stage at Microsoft Tech Ed Australia 2006 |  |
Twenty-six (26) presentations will be given by members of the Readify consultancy team at Microsoft Tech.Ed Australia 2006. This represents the largest contribution by any organisation throughout the country, testimony to the knowledge and expertise of our world class technology experts. Microsoft Tech Ed Australia 2006 runs for 3 days and is attended by over 3,000 developers.
Friday, August 25, 2006 |
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Readify attains Gold Certified status |  |
Readify achieved Microsoft Gold Certified Partner status today by gaining several competencies, including Custom Development Solutions; Information Worker Solutions; Data Management Solutions; Business Process & Integration Solutions; and Advanced Infrastructure Solutions. The attainment of numerous Microsoft competencies recognises Readify's expertise and total impact in the technology marketplace. As a Gold Certified Partner, Readify has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and proven ability to meet customers' needs.
We are extremely pleased to have attained Gold Certified status in the Microsoft Partner Program along with so many Microsoft competencies. The benefits provided through our Gold Certified status will allow us to continue to enhance the offerings that we provide for customers. read more ...Wednesday, July 26, 2006 |
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New Microsoft tools open developing to all | |
Readify consultant Martin Granell discusses the latest Microsoft .NET tools such as Visual Studio Team System (VSTS), Team Foundation Server (TFS) and the Microsoft Software Factory in this Computer World article. Martin will be presenting next week at Microsoft's Boston Tech-Ed conference next week. read more ...Wednesday, June 14, 2006 |
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Readify provide directions to Commonwealth Games visitors |  |
Readify, Geomatic Technologies and Microsoft developed a solution that enables a team of volunteers to provide assistance to local, interstate and international Commonwealth Games visitors in being able to make their way to and from games venues, attractions, accommodation, restaurants, cultural events and other points of interest in Melbourne via public transport.
The solution was developed with data supplied by the Government of Victoria, Metlink and Tourism Victoria. It consists of a smart client application that resides on a PocketPC 2003/Windows Mobile 5 device that communicates to back end servers and databases using xml/soap web services over GPRS, Wi-Fi or EVDO. The solution was developed based on a service oriented architecture and industry best practices using the latest Microsoft environment (Visual Studio 2005) and framework (.NET Framework 2.0 - Compact Framework 2.0, ASP.NET 2.0).
Related articles:
Monday, March 06, 2006 |
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Readify gets wide recognition for efforts towards Commonwealth Games | |
Readify, Microsoft & M2006 are the web team behind the teams. The Official Games website www.melbourne2006.com.au was launched today. Games organisers are anticipating more than 15 million visitors to the site, generating up to 22 million page views during each of the 12 days of the event. That's the kind of load that makes most corporate information managers cower with fear - and the kind of challenge that has made IT planning for one-off sports events a niche capability restricted to the largest IT companies.
Related articles:
Wednesday, March 01, 2006 |
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Dr Greg Low awarded Microsoft Regional Director status | |
The worst-kept secret in the local developer community is now out. The Regional Director (RD) lead Kevin Schuler has told Greg that is now official. Greg has joined the RD program. This is a fantastic achievement, with only 118 RDs worldwide and only 3 in Australia.
Regional Directors aren't Microsoft employees, they're independent developers, architects, trainers, and other professionals who provide a vital link between Microsoft and the developer community. These technical experts can give you the insight and informed perspective you need to start developing .NET-connected software today, whether you need help learning about the .NET Framework, training developers, or implementing all aspects of a solution. read more ...Tuesday, February 14, 2006 |
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Congratulations to our re-awarded MVPs for 2006 | |
Microsoft's 2006 MVP ( Most Valuable Professional) awards list includes the following Readify staff members:
- Bill Chesnut: BizTalk Server
- Darren Neimke: ASP/ASP.NET
- Paul Glavich: ASP/ASP.NET
- Philip Beadle: ASP/ASP.NET
The MVP Program recognises the best and most active Microsoft users who have demonstrated a technical passion and willingness to share their expertise with others. Our congratulations go to these and other award recipients. read more ...Thursday, January 12, 2006 |
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Readify create clear skies for Webjet |  |
This special case study reports how Readify and Microsoft helped WebJet get their startup online business off the ground. In January 2004, after just over twelve months in development, Webjet's booking engine went live. "It was exactly on time and exactly on budget, and it was utterly bullet proof," said Webjet's managing director and co-founder David Clarke. CRN Australia read more ...Monday, December 12, 2005 |
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Readify makes MSDN, for contributions to the Composite UI Application Block | |
Matthew Cosier, Philip Beadle and John Bickerstaff were on the development team which created the Composite UI Application Block. This application block is a reusable, source code-based component based on the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. It provides proven practices to build complex smart client user interfaces based on well known design patterns such as the Composite pattern, in which simple user interface parts can be combined to create complex solutions, but at the same time allowing these parts to be independently developed, tested, and deployed.< read more ...Monday, December 05, 2005 |
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.NET developers are in demand | |
It will come as no surprise to businesses who employ or seek to employ .NET developers that Hays IT research findings reveal that salaries for .NET programmers have risen in the July 2005 period, especially for those with ASP.NET/VB.NET and C# skills.
Whilst recruiting .NET Consultants is a tough slog for most IT companies, at Readify we believe our virtual work place is the icing on the cake for attracting the best of the best.
Related Links:
Wednesday, August 10, 2005 |
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