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[Martin_1962]

I am a programmer

Need to expand my skills set - what should I be looking at learning?

Thanks

Martin

[Kevin Wood]

I am a programmer

Need to expand my skills set - what should I be looking at learning?

Thanks

Martin

Depends what you want to be doing, IMHO. "Programming" has grown to be such a huge area that you can no longer be a jack of all trades. I've worked developing real-time embedded systems, DSP, protocol stacks, TCP/IP networking, all the way up to windows applications and there are plenty of areas where I feel I wouldn't know where to start.

Kevin

[Ghost]

You could try for ComptiaA+
if you fancy a change from programming.

[TheBoy]

Depends what you want to move into to be honest.  If you want to expand your job prospects but keep with programming, you may consider a move to more mainstream products rather than the niche products you use - that said, programming in niche products can command higher salary IF you can find someone after that skillset.

If its for a hobby, well, just do whatever interests you.

IMHO, general purpose 'IT' skill qualifications at our age are not that useful as we have the experience to prove our skills.  That said, things like MCSE, pointless though it is, does get you through Personnel's paper sift etc.

[Martin_1962]

I have been advised to look at WAMP, I am also considering dot net.

Actual languages are not that difficilt to learn, just need to know their foibles, that said when you use a downgraded language it is VERY painfull.

[Darth Loo-knee]

V6 Head Gaskets

[Martin_1962]

V6 Head Gaskets

Was supposed to be doing it this week - too wet

[Chris_H]

I am a programmer

Need to expand my skills set - what should I be looking at learning?

Thanks

Martin

As noted by others the scope is enormous.  I write software but it is easy to back the wrong horse as you presumably know.  I know of someone who makes a mint supporting SAP apps but I'm not sure there would be too much work going by the time I was up to speed.

If you write in C or C++ I would have thought you were set up for life as they have not gone away.

Personally, I think DotNet is an MS scam to try and scupper Java and neither is very impressive performance-wise in my view.

One advantage of WAMP might be that is a poor-man's LAMP (ducks and weaves to avoid automatic fire) so at least the AMP bit should stand you in good stead!

[tunnie]

Father tunnie is a .net developer, at the moment there is a lot of call for developers specialising in mobile applicaiton development. Not just for the iPhone but for Android and Symbian as well. If you know java you could extend into J2ME.

I work in mobile industry, and have quite a niche skill set which is only relevant in the mobile industry, i do have a few extras like SAS, but mobile is my main skills.

I am looking to get higher up in my role which a role and title that can make me independant from mobile if i need it.

I am not a fan of the iPhone, but if you have an idea and can develop it there is a lot of money to be made. I have known some people to make £70k in 4 months from a program they made and published it for the iPhone.

[Kevin Wood]

If you write in C or C++ I would have thought you were set up for life as they have not gone away.

There is a lot of truth in this. If you can write a C++ application that's stable, anything else is just learning new APIs and different syntax (although not something you can do overnight, of course). oh, and getting frustrated that the language doesn't let you do all the naughty things you used to get away with in C.

If you are such a programmer, especially one of "our" vintage, you are also probably part of the dying breed that cut their teeth on ZX spectrums and the like, and therefore actually understand how a computer works, and that it does have limited resources rather than having been so abstracted from the real hardware that they can't write an application that will run on a machine with less than 1GB of memory. 

Kevin

[TheBoy]

I'm tempted to look more into Microsoft's Mesh platform (which will no doubt only expose a .NET set of APIs).  Reckon Mesh has the potential as a framework to host some killer apps....


...if only I had the time 

[TheBoy]

I'm tempted to look more into Microsoft's Mesh platform (which will no doubt only expose a .NET set of APIs).  Reckon Mesh has the potential as a framework to host some killer apps....


...if only I had the time 

And yes, most of my (non work) PCs do sit on the Mesh (work firewall blocks access)

[Kevin Wood]

I'm tempted to look more into Microsoft's Mesh platform (which will no doubt only expose a .NET set of APIs).  Reckon Mesh has the potential as a framework to host some killer apps....


...if only I had the time 

And yes, most of my (non work) PCs do sit on the Mesh (work firewall blocks access)

That just backs up what I said in my first post on this subject.

...and there are plenty of areas where I feel I wouldn't know where to start.

.. cos I haven't got a clue WTF a mesh is.

Kevin

[TheBoy]

I'm tempted to look more into Microsoft's Mesh platform (which will no doubt only expose a .NET set of APIs).  Reckon Mesh has the potential as a framework to host some killer apps....


...if only I had the time 

And yes, most of my (non work) PCs do sit on the Mesh (work firewall blocks access)

That just backs up what I said in my first post on this subject.

...and there are plenty of areas where I feel I wouldn't know where to start.

.. cos I haven't got a clue WTF a mesh is.

Kevin

I hate wankwords, but Mesh is one of those 'clouds'

Its basically a syncronisation framework to share data/files from a harddisk on 1 pc to another, and onto the 'cloud'.


However, being a syncronisation framework opens up a whole host of possibilities - add your phone to the mesh, and as you add new numbers, your PC address book updates. Or a decent demo for media center PCs, sync up your guide/recording schedule - then if you want to remotely schedule a recording, or remotely watch a recording, then you can manipulate it from any browser.

I guess this could, in the future, go much future - logging on to mesh to turn the oven on etc.


Mesh is a beta system currently - http://www.mesh.com - and is really just a framework. MS do provide a built in folder sync, but it's value will be in 3rd party apps.  The file/folder sync is handy, and I do use it a bit, and you can invite other Mesh users to access selected folders.


Additionally, another useful feature is the ability to have remote control of your PC(s) at home from any browser that can run ActiveX, much like GotoMyPC and similar.

[albitz]

V6 Head Gaskets

you cruel tinker.