Jesse Liberty’s UK Tour - Dundee & Edinburgh (19th and 20th April)

26 March, 2010 by Andy Gibson 2 Comments

Next month Microsoft’s Jesse Liberty will be speaking for us in both Dundee and Edinburgh, if you are interested in attending either of the talks please follow the registration links provided.

The Speaker

Jesse Liberty, Silverlight Geek, is a Developer Community Program Manager for Microsoft (US). Lately he has been focused on Component-based, Test-Driven, Cross-platform line-of-business application development, and has led the development of the open source  Silverlight HyperVideo Platform.

Liberty is the author of over two dozen books, and his blog is a required resource for Silverlight programmers. His twenty years of programming experience include stints as a Distinguished Software Engineer at AT&T; Vice President of Human-Computer Interaction at Citibank and Software Architect at PBS/Learning Link.

Introduction to Application Development With Silverlight 4 -Dundee, 19th April

The Talk

This presentation is targeted at .NET programmers new to Silverlight or who wish a review of the fundamentals of building an application in Silverlight 4. Topics will include

  • Drag and Drop development
  • Xaml and Code
  • Layout and Controls
  • Data, Data-binding, Validation and Async-validation
  • Templates and The Visual State Manager (Time allowing)

The Venue

We are meeting in the Queen Mother Building at Dundee University, entry by the side door (to the right of the main door). The Queen Mother Building is #26 on the Campus Map. After the meeting we normally retire to the the bar at Laing’s.

The Agenda

18:45 Doors Open
19:00 Welcome
19:10 The Talk (Part 1)
19:55 Break
20:05 The Talk (Part 2)
20:45 Feedback & Prizes
21:00 Retire to the Pub

Silverlight 4, MVVM and Test-Driven Development - Edinburgh, 20th April

  • MVVM and Silverlight to build test-driven programs
  • Understanding Refactoring and Dependency Injection
  • A Walk through of a non-trivial application

The Venue

We are meeting at Microsoft’s offices in Edinburgh in Waterloo Place. This is the building on the corner of North Bridge at the east end of Princes Street. Parking can be found at the nearby Greenside Row car park which is just off Leith Walk (used for the Omni Centre). The venue is approximately 2-3 minutes walk away from Edinburgh Waverly train station.

The Agenda

18:30 Doors open
19:00 Welcome
19:10 Part 1
20:00 Break
20:10 Part 2
20:50 Feedback and Prizes
21:00 End

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Job: Experienced Dynamics CRM, SharePoint and C# Developer – Aspose, Home Working (Glasgow/Edinburgh)

23 March, 2010 by Andy Gibson Leave a Comment

We have just received a job posting from Aspose in Glasgow

THE JOB

Your task will be to introduce Microsoft Dynamics CRM and SharePoint into the business, install, configure, extend and support these platforms. Your role will be to automate, simplify and improve internal and external business processes as well as to migrate current systems to the new platforms.

Interviews will involve the practical implementation of a small Dynamics CRM solution.

WE OFFER
Exciting work – Really make a difference to a fantastic company with over 6000 customers.
Great money – Remuneration package is excellent and competitive.
Great team – see your boss occasionally, email or chat with the rest.
Avoid traffic - work from home or anywhere you like.

YOU NEED TO HAVE

  • Good .NET programming experience in C# for Windows platforms.
  • Experience with SQL databases, SSRS/SSIS, ADO.NET, ASP.NET.
  • Dynamics CRM Experience – Installation, configuration, development and support
    • Certification an advantage
    • CRM API’s (V4.0), Web Services
    • Events
    • Workflows
  • SharePoint Experience – Installation, configuration, development and support
    • Certification an advantage
    • API’s, Web Services
    • Lists
    • Libraries
    • Workflows
  • The ability to explain complex things in easy and natural written English.
  • Self-directed and a strong self-starter.
  • Excellent time management skills and the ability to work on your own.
  • Live in or around the Glasgow/Edinburgh area for occasional meetings.

MORE ABOUT THE JOB

Aspose is a well-known software component producer for document processing. Founded in 2002 we have grown to over 70 staff members in 8 countries. This role will be working for our recently formed Scotland team.

The job is likely to be structured as a contract, but it is of a long-term nature as we have a lot of work for a suitable candidate.
Please send your CV to [email protected] – No agencies please.

Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK/Scotland

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SQL Server User Group Meeting, Edinburgh - Thursday 25th March

19 March, 2010 by Colin Angus Mackay Leave a Comment

This just in from the SQL Server User Group:

SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services Scalability and Performance – Rob Carrol

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services provides a complete, server-based platform designed to support a wide variety of reporting needs enabling organizations to deliver relevant information where needed across the entire enterprise. This session covers the new scalability features of SQL Server Reporting Services 2008, such as on-demand processing and improved memory management. The session will demonstrates how to build a high performance, scalable reporting platform and explains performance tuning techniques to ensure that report performance remains optimal as your platform grows.

Rob has been working with SQL Server since 1999, firstly as a web developer, but primarily in a DBA and consultancy capacity. He joined Microsoft in 2008 as a SQL Server Premier Field Engineer, working with some of Microsoft’s largest clients in the UK and Europe. He stays in South Ayrshire, Scotland and is married with 2 daughters. When he’s not working with SQL Server you’ll usually find him playing Xbox or hiding from the kids!

Rob’s blog: http://blogs.technet.com/rob

Agenda

18:30 - 19:00 - Introduction, Networking and Food

19:00 - 20:00 – SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services Scalability and Performance – Rob Carrol

20:00 - 20:10 - Break

20:10 - 20:50 – TBD

20:50 - 21:00 - Close

Location:

Microsoft Office at Waverley Gate

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/about/map-edinburgh.mspx

Registration will be necessary as I have to submit registrations to Microsoft on Thursday morning.

To register: http://sqlserverfaq.com/events/221/SQL-Server-2008-Reporting-Services-Scalability-and-Performance.aspx

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TekPub sponsor DDD Scotland 2010

15 March, 2010 by Colin Angus Mackay Leave a Comment

TekPub Straight from the Experts We are pleased to announce that TekPub are sponsoring DDD Scotland 2010.

TekPub produce high quality technical screencasts created by experts on the latest and most important technologies. You can buy access to a single series or subscribe for as little as $19 a month.

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Code Retreat UK @ Scottish Ruby Conference

10 March, 2010 by Colin Angus Mackay Leave a Comment

This just in:

Following the success of the UK’s first Code Retreat last November, we are inviting developers of all skill levels to join us in Edinburgh on the day after the Scottish Ruby Conference (http://scottishrubyconference.com).

We will follow the basic code retreat format (see below) and sprinkle in a bit of conference magic. 

BACKGROUND

A Code Retreat is a day long programming session based around a simple coding challenge.  Developers of different skill levels are invited to engage in deliberate practice as equals. The goal is to learn, teach and improve with fellow software developers in a non-competitive setting.

If you are looking to improve your software development skills and network with people in your industry then please come along and embrace the challenge.

FORMAT

Pairs will attempt to solve the problem in 40 minute iterations.  At the end of each iteration one person swaps with another pair and all code is deleted.  The new pair then try to make a better solution based off their experiences.

We will be providing breakfast and lunch.  After the event finishes we will be heading to a nearby pub.

To sign up for this event visit: http://coderetreatuk-src.eventbrite.com/

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Job: Experienced Software Engineer - Memex, East Kilbride

4 March, 2010 by Colin Angus Mackay Leave a Comment

Just got a job vacancy in from Memex in East Kilbride:

As a result of recent global growth and new client acquisitions, Memex is looking for new talent to join our growing team based in Scotland.

We’re looking for good Software Engineers at many levels with solid experience in developing applications using C, Visual C++ and C#.

Suitable candidates should be educated to degree level, preferably in Computer Science or a related technical subject. Having good technical and communication skills, our Engineers work as part of small Agile development teams consisting of Project Managers, Software Engineers, QA Engineers and Technical Authors developing new or modified product components to a high level of quality and to agreed timescales.

If you’re interested, please get in touch with Ann Walker, HR Manager at [email protected] and mention Scottish Developers. More on our website at www.memex.com.

No agencies, please.

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March Newsletter

4 March, 2010 by Colin Angus Mackay Leave a Comment

Welcome

Welcome to a somewhat delayed February newsletter. In fact it is so delayed I’m just going to call it the March newsletter.

So, what’s been going on to make this as late as it is? Well, we’ve been pretty busy organising DDD Scotland 2010 (AKA Developer Day Scotland) which will be on the 8th May in Glasgow. We’ve also got Jesse Liberty coming across from the US in April, we’ll be announcing more details of that once we finalise the arrangements. We’ve also got some events in Edinburgh and Tayside.

The biggest piece of late-breaking news is that Scott Guthrie is making a visit to Glasgow. He’ll be talking about a number of new things, so new we don’t even know what they are yet. They are set to be announced at MIX in Las Vegas later this month, then the following week he’ll be in the UK. It will be an all day marathon, nay, Guathon!

As always, you can follow us on twitter @scottishdevs or if you want conference specific tweets follow @dddscot.

Regards,
Colin Mackay, Chairman.

Upcoming Events

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Scott Guthrie comes to Glasgow

3 March, 2010 by Colin Angus Mackay Leave a Comment

On the 25th March, Scott Guthrie will be in Glasgow delivering previously unreleased content fresh from MIX in Las Vegas. Topics will include Silverlight 4.0, Visual Studio 2010 and ASP.NET 4.0.

Scott is Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President, .NET Developer Platform and a super star coder.

What will you get at Guathon 2010?

  • A preview of technology and functionality which is brand new, maybe even some things which have not been released yet….
  • Time with other web community types - it’s run by the community for the community
  • 5 Hours with the guy who knows everything there is to know about .NET 
  • Good content - no fluffiness (or Marketing!)
  • Oh yeah and thanks to Microsoft’s sponsorship the event is TOTALLY free!

Registration will open at 13:00 on Wednesday 3rd March.

Visit the Glasgow Guathon Website for more information and to register for the event.

If you prefer, Scott will also be speaking in Birmingham.

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Introduction to SOLID - Wednesday 14th April 2010 in Edinburgh

2 March, 2010 by Andy Gibson 2 Comments

Robert Martin first brought together a number of existing OO principles to create SOLID a few years ago.  Other platforms have been aware of them for awhile, but it took a moron by the name of Joel Spolsky to bring them the attention of the .Net masses.  Since then, many people have been more maintainable software that reacts better to change on the .Net platform by taking them into consideration.

In this session we will look into the advantages these guideline’s bring and take an in-depth look at the advantages and disadvantages they can bring in a real world application.

The Speaker

Chris has worked at a Web Developer for the past 7 years. Starting with procedural languages like ASP and PHP, he quickly moved onto the .NET Platform when first released. A great believer is
continual–improvement, Chris is constantly looking for new technologies, tools and methodologies that will help in creating robust and maintainable software applications. Having felt the pain of
using Microsoft “Demoware”, Chris has become an active member of the Scottish ALT.NET Community to share his findings and ideas with like-minded developers.  Chris current works as a Senior Developer for
Edinburgh based Storm Id, the creators of Twibbon and Colaab.

The Venue

We are meeting at the offices of Sinclair Knight Merz near Haymarket railway station in Edinburgh.

The Agenda

18:45 Doors Open
19:00 Welcome
19:10 Introduction to SOLID (Part 1)
19:55 Break
20:05 Introduction to SOLID (Part 2)
20:45 Feedback & Prizes
21:00 Retire to the Pub

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SSL/TLS - Just when you thought it was safe to return – Wednesday 28th April 2010 in Dundee

2 March, 2010 by Andy Gibson 1 Comment

The Talk

2009 was a serious year in breaking secure protocols.  SSL/TLS was no different.  Hacking SSL/TLS has a big return as a blackhat hacker, once you penetrate a corporate network, stealing login details and passwords are just the beginning.  SSL VPN’s can also be vulnerable to a number of attacks.  There are a number of tools and techniques that are readily available that can make defeating SSL/TLS both simple and well with in the reach of the unauthorized attackers.

The talk focus on the research and tools of Moxie Marlinspike, who has gained an excellent reputation as an independent security research.

With some interesting attack vectors, you’ll be surprised at the results one can achieve

Its no longer a case of user awareness

The Speaker

Arron Finnon is an independent security researcher, ethical hacking consultant, and security podcaster. Arron was on the first ethical hacking degree course in the United Kingdom, where he began giving regular security information shows and talks.  During Arron’s time he has managed to cover a wide array of security topics.

Arron also started The University of Aberaty Dundee Linux Society, where he was president for 3 years. The Linux Society promotes free and open source software, concepts, and ideals.  Arron recently won the SICSA Student Open Source Award 2009 for Open Source advocacy whilst he was at university (Arron’s personal blog post about the award can be found http://www.finux.co.uk/blog/?p=55)

The Venue

We are meeting in the Queen Mother Building at Dundee University. After the meeting we normally retire to the the bar at Laing’s

The Agenda

18:45 Doors Open
19:00 Welcome
19:10 The Talk (Part 1)
19:55 Break
20:05 The Talk (Part 2)
20:45 Feedback & Prizes
21:00 Retire to the Pub

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