• Notepad++ – Use with AutoComplete.
• PSPad
• NVU
• Microsoft Visual Studio Web Developer Express
• KompoZer – Easy Web Authoring
• FreeTextBox – ASP.NET HTML Editor
• HTML-Kit

• BOSON – Commercial Cisco Study Aid
• Clack (Windows, Linux) – Open Source
• CNET (Linux, Unix, MacOS X) – From University of Western Australia
• CORE (Linux, BSD) – Open Source
• GINI (Windows, Linux) – Open Source
• GNS3 (Windows, Linux, MacOS X) – Open Source
• ns-2 (Windows, Linux, BSD, MacOS X) – Open Source
• ns-3 (Windows, Linux, BSD, MacOS X) – Open Source
• OMNet++ (Windows, Linux) – Free for Academic and Non-Profit.
• Visual-NetKit (Linux only?)
• WANEM (Windows, Linux) – Open Source
• Warriors of the NET – Video

So I’ve been searching for a good diagram that shows IIS and ASP.NET together. Specifically, how the request flows through the system and how the response is returned. Along the way what are all the objects the application can access for information from the client. The best I have found so far is this description: Inside IIS & ASP.NET. I ended up printing this in color on 11×17 to follow it.

Along the way I learned that if you search MSDN on “Reference Poster” you can find several technical posters they have. There are also some good technical poster sites out there and cheat sheet sites. Here are some that I found useful:

But the problem I see is that it IS the same education as back when I went to high school.  I asked at the Science booth if they taught Computer Science and they said no. I checked in the after school programs for technology and there was not a robotics, programming, etc. class. Even the Anime group did not do their own creation of art, stories, etc. on computer. I checked other high schools in our area and it is basically the same story.

Our goal is for our children to have the best opportunities to learn and grow. So when they graduate from high school (and college) they are able to compete in the global marketplace.  In almost any field they go into – these students will have to interact with computers. Students graduating from high school will be using computers in the jobs they go into or the college they attend.  Students are using computers in gaming, phones, documentation, etc. – why not offer to teach them the fundamentals of computers and the computer language basics?

I find it very hard to understand how high schools can offer four years of a language and industrial arts classes – but no computer technology classes. I am not downplaying that curriculum – just saying we need to add classes that are relevant to today’s job market. Compare four years of high school language to four years of computer technology classes and tell me which would be applied more after high school. I’m not saying students need to take the technology path and work as software developers when they get out of school – I’m saying four years of technology training would provide a foundation for any profession the students go into.

My definition of computer technology training in high school is:

• A class in computer mathematics (binary, hexadecimal, logic, error detection
• A class on general computer programming languages.
• A class on intro to a specific programming language (Java, C#, Python, etc.)
• A class on an advanced programming language (Java, C#, Python, etc.)
• A class on website programming.
• A class on databases.
• A class on computer graphics.

These aren’t expensive to teach. There are Open Source alternatives as well as cheap laptops. 

Some of the key points:

• Keep it simple.
• Focus on getting a product to market and stop adding features.
• Question whether features/bug-fixes requested by 20% take priority over a new feature that suports 100% of users.
• Name recognition matters for a successful Web Application Business.
• Pick your teammates carefully because you’ll be working with them long hours and for a long time. Trustworthyness and openness are a necessity.

It was not only informative but very motivational. I recommend it.

It was interesting to see and meet the people in attendance. I’m a C#/ASP.NET developer. The audience was mostly Apple users and Open Source developers. I wonder if there are statistics on Web Application Startup Companies. What percentage of the companies are using mostly Open Source technology and what percentage are using Microsoft technology, etc.

I drove a ways into the city. Restaurants and small groceries were on each side. Nothing jumped out at me so I turned around to head home. I passed a little hole-in-the-wall bakery. I would have driven past but there were a good number of customers buying baked goods. Always interested in a small business and how they operate, I stopped in.  It was a pleasant surprise. 

People were walking around with tongs and a silver platter. They were selecting pastries from glass cases and open racks. The smell was wonderful. I took a minute to look around and then did the same.  There were no fancy cases and racks. The had a miss-match of types of glass cases. They even had a Krispy Kreme glass case! Just one person running the cash register with two in the back kitchen. 

The pastries were different from the standard sweet rolls sold in the grocery store. Instead of being overly iced and overly sweetened, these had a light sweetness in the dough with a thin sweet coating. They were great! I didn’t have the intense sugar rush after having one (or two ).

So here is my point. This bakery has figured out how to tweak a product that has been around for a long time. They’re focussed on delivering that product to the customer. The customer loves the product! Having coordinated glass cases, professionally printed paper products, and a custom designed drive-thru are not required (at this time). They’re getting a great product to the customer and building a customer base. They realize that if they don’t sell product and build a customer-base the rest doesn’t matter.

I’ll continue this discussion tomorrow and add my thoughts on FreshBooks.

I think one of the answers to the first question (”How does he get that work done so quickly?”) is that he has a process that he follows to stay focussed and a suite of productivity tools that he has gathered over the years. 

An interesting book I read is “The Productive Programmer”. After reading this book, I realized there was more to programming than just the language and the syntax. It was a real eye-opener.  How to stay focussed, save time, and some nice tools to use. For example, Windows Power Toys Virtual Desktop is nice. CLCL is a great clipboard with a stack that can save a lot of time if you’re doing multiple copy-and-pastes.