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MP Chosen to Build iPhone Application

admin — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:52:00 -0400

MyProgrammer is pleased to annouce that Infiniti Global Solutions has selected us to develop their next-generation iPhone/iTouch application, using Apple's cutting-edge iPhone SDK. While the project details are confidential, this application is high-profile in nature, and targets the financial industry. The scope of the project includes design, development, testing and ongoing support. The application is slated to be completed in mid August.

TMG Profile Goes Live

admin — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:27:08 -0400

We've successfully launched Tackle Marketing Group's state-of-the-art fundraiding software, Profile . This solution combines the latest web and database technologies (C#, SQL Server), and brings a level of functionality not yet seen in the fundraising industry. I'm also pleased to announce the second phase of the project. Under this agreement, MyProgrammer will provide Tackle Marketing Group with dedicated development resources for the remainder of 2008, with the potential to extend it to a multi-year engagement.

Innovative iPhone Project Completed

admin — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:52:16 -0400

We've completed the first release of ipTrader, a new iPhone application we developed for Infiniti Global Solutions. ipTrader integrates with TD Ameritrade's powerful trading platform, offering iPhone users unprecedented mobil functionality. This project involved a significant amount of R&D, since the iPhone SDK was brand new and untested. We are looking forward to writing more iPhone applications in the future.

SearchPeopleDirectory.com Goes Live

robmypro — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:32:49 -0400

Search People Directory, Inc. is the premium people search provider; including assistance with U.S. area/city code, marriage and divorce records, employment screening, background checks, criminal search, and more. Our role was to bring all these technologies together (a major mashup) in a way that facilitated SEO. It was a fun project, and I appreciate working with someone as detailed and organized as Monica was. Our job involved the backend database work, although we did help sort out a few UI issues as well. The main technologies used on this project were PHP, MySQL, and Java.

Rob Carr
President
MyProgrammer, Inc.

Welcome to Our Blog

admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:37:06 -0500

Seeing as this is my first blog entry, introductions are in order. My name is Rob Carr, and I am president of MyProgrammer, Inc. I'd like to tell you a bit about myself, and then tell you my plans for this blog moving forward.

I have been building complex database applications for Fortune 2000 companies for 20 years. While still in college in the 1980's I wrote database applications for small businesses using dBase 3+. After graduating from Cal State Fullerton in 1989, I created manufacturing and environmental applications for a medium printing company, using Paradox. Soon I switched to FoxPro.

In 1990 I started my own company, DataVision Development (later renaming it to MyProgrammer). In May of the same year I married my wife, Yoly (who is shown in the photo on the home page). In the 1990's I focused mainly on client-server database solution. Most applications were for medium-to-large companies. In 1994 we welcomed our first child, Brittany (also shown on the home page).

Our New Website Is Finally Done

robmypro — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:23:49 -0500

I've been so busy over the last 18 months that I haven't had much time to dedicate to our website, and it was starting to show. Finally, the new site is up and running. Here's some details on the site. Unlike all my previous "MyProgrammer" sites, this one is built from the ground up using Drupal 5. I chose Drupal because it is highly extensible, well written, and easy to maintain.

I've also added a news section (you're reading it) and a blog, which should be entertaining and educational. Of course, I plan on writing about software development (duh!).

I hope you enjoy the new site. If you see something broken, drop me a note and I'll get on it.

Rob Carr
President
MyProgrammer, Inc.

Happy Holidays

admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:40:13 -0500

It's hard to believe another year is almost over! Time flies when you are having fun, I guess. Well, as we close out another year I would like to wish you and your family a joyous holiday season, and a rewarding and prosperous New Year. Happy Holidays!

4D Methodology Now Online

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:21:59 -0500

My clients are usually pretty impressed with the approach we take developing software. This approach, called our 4D Methodology, is now available online for your review. In this first installment, I've outlined all the major stages, or phases, of our software methodology. Our 4D Methodology is broken down into 4 phases, namely define, design, develop and deploy. You can read about each stage under the menu option Methodology.

I hope you find this comprehensive information valuable.

Rob Carr
President
MyProgrammer, Inc.

Make Great Things Happen

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:54:50 -0500

For today's blog entry, I thought I would relate an interesting experience we had in Europe to the business of creating software. In 2004 my wife Yoly, our daughter Brittany, and I all spent 6 months in Europe. You might remember that in 2004, security was very high due to the attacks on 9/11. Keep that in mind as you read this story.

Links and Templates Available

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:27:28 -0500

We've added two new sections to our site which you should find beneficial. The first is a links page, which provides useful links to mostly development resources. These are primarily free products or services I've found invaluable over the years. Check out my favorite links.

The second section we've added includes documents, templates and other "stuff" we use every day. I'm talking about a real-world sample Data Dictionary, ER Diagram, Project Plan, Business Requirements document, and more. You can download this cool stuff here.

One more thing. Everything is provided as-is, without warranty, and includes no support. But you are free to use it as you see fit. Enjoy.

Rob

CubeDo Selects MyProgrammer

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:12:20 -0500

I'm pleased to announce that CubeDo has selected us to develop multiple innovative projects for them. While I cannot say much more at this stage, I can tell you it's a very cool project. Assuming we receive permission from CubeDo at the completion of the project, we'll share a Case Study.

Revisiting the 1980's

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:44:22 -0500

When I first started developing software in the mid 1980's, mainframe computers were still the dominant platform for much of corporate America. Just about every cubicle had a "dumb terminal" in it, which usually included a yellow or green colored screen. The user interface was pretty simple. There were function keys along the top (or bottom) of the screen, so everything you needed to do was available without fuss. They were called dumb terminals because all/most processing was done on the mainframe itself.

When the PC took off, DOS applications became very popular. In college, I was building database applications for clients using dBase (and later FoxPro), and these systems provided a serious leap in functionality. The user interfaces were "alive", providing immediate feedback, popup windows, status bars, etc. It was a huge improvement. These systems were also "keyboard optimized", meaning that once you mastered the various "hot keys", you could get a lot of work done very quickly. Our users loved these systems, and even to this day they are considered superior in this regard to current applications, by many.

When the web took off, the user experience took a serious hit. Productivity was terrible, to put it mildly. Web pages were static, and users had to refresh them constantly to get any feedback. Fortunately, people were so amazed by the new information they had at their fingertips that they didn't really notice how many steps backwards they had taken.

Gradually web pages became more interactive, especially with the arrival of technologies like AJAX, but user productivity was still a fraction of what it was a decade earlier. It has taken over 20 years, but we are finally starting to approach the productivity levels seen in the DOS days. Why is that?

Immediate Opportunities: We're Hiring

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:27:23 -0400

Layoffs seem to be the norm today, but we are actually bucking that trend. We have immediate openings for senior IT professionals with at least 7 years experience in the following areas:

- Project Management
- Business Analysts

First, I don't hire trainees, so if you are just starting out, please call me once you have more experience. Sorry about that.

I am looking for are talented and dedicated thinkers. People that have experience building complex, enterprise-class applications. I'm not looking for people that sat in on meetings. I need people that made it happen, day in and day out. Do you think you are that person? If so...

For immediate consideration, please send your resume to rob.carr@myprogrammer.com.

Rob

Lab Archive Completed

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:12:17 -0400

I'm pleased to announce that we've completed the Lab Archive project. It was a small project which hospitals use to view archived lab results. The system houses around 30 gigabytes of data, spanning 4 databases. Although it wasn't a huge project, it was still interesting, and I'm pleased how it came out. The system is based on MySQL and PHP, running on Wampserver.

Temporary Staffing Solutions Available

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:23:28 -0400

In the 20+ years I've been in this industry, I've come to know and respect a handful of folks. These are highly skilled technical people with 10-20+ years experience. These are professionals I know and trust. Their skillset covers SQL Server, RPG on the AS/400, and firmware and embedded systems development. If you have a temporary need for these skills please give me a call. These are U.S. developers that you can work directly with. And since it is temporary there are no 3-6 month commitments typical with staffing agreements.

Call my direct line to discuss your staffing needs. I do not have a lot of these people available, so please let me know as soon as you have a need.

The "90 Percent Complete" Problem

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:20:23 -0400

Estimating the current percentage of completion can be tricky business, but over the years there seems to be a pattern that has emerged in this industry. I call it the 90 Percent Complete Problem. It occurs when the project hits 90% complete, yet the project is nowhere near that close to being finished. Let's see why this happens. In a typical software development project, the client is provided with a status report (usually every couple of weeks) which shows the client how far the project has progressed. This is usually done using Microsoft Project or some other reporting tool. In many cases, funds are released based on how far a project is perceived to have progressed. And I stress perceived. In my experience, most software projects deemed to be 90% complete are usually more like 60-70% complete, if that. It seems like an innocent mistake, but there are serious consequences for the client when this happens. Let me explain.

When a project is deemed 90% complete, usually anywhere from 80-90% of the funds have been released to the developer, depending on how the contract was structured. And the remaining funds usually aren't released until the project is finished. For the developer, this means they have a large part of the project remaining, and no money coming in until it is done. Depending on the size of the project, this can spell disaster to the client, since the developer may not have enough money in reserve to complete the project. If you've ever heard of a company that failed to complete a software project, in 95% of the cases, this is why it failed.

Now you might wonder, why didn't the developer just budget the funds to last the entire project? That's a great idea, but in many cases the funds they collected from you went to pay for the developers working on another underwater project. This type of thing happens all the time.

RPG Software Development Services

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:01:33 -0400

I know, RPG is so yesterday. But if you are looking for a highly skilled RPG Programmer, we've added a couple of top-notch professionals to our team. How experienced are they? We're talking 10-20 years experience with big blue, and they know how to build software the right way. These are the sort of people that never hit the job market, so if you need someone to help you knock out those pesky projects, we've got some real pros standing by. Call me if you have further questions.

SEO: The Big Picture

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:10:54 -0400

I've been reading a lot about search engine optimization (SEO) these days, so what I'd like to do with this post is discuss how we approach SEO, and explain how you can use our strategies to improve the ROI of your site. Just keep in mind that we do not offer SEO as a service, and we are far from experts on the subject. One more comment before we begin. Today's discussion really goes beyond SEO, so when you start your SEO project the information you learn today should help you keep focused on the big picture.

So...what exactly is the big picture? For us, the big picture is getting qualified leads we can convert to sales. And our website really only has this one goal. So how do we go about it? A good website should do 3 things:

Be visible when people search Google for relevant keywords
Have a compelling listing which motivates them to click it
Provides content that motivates them to buy

That doesn't sound too difficult. And that is the essence of a good website. So where does SEO fit in? Let's take a closer look at each point.