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Business ICT
Better offers for developers:
‘DevDay 2007’ a success
Microsoft Sri Lanka recently hosted “The Sri Lanka .NET Forum
Developer Day-DevDay 2007” - which brought together
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Speaker Chua Wen Ching of Malaysia |
developers,
students, technology enthusiasts etc from various sectors. The DevDay
2007, held at Mount Lavinia Hotel recently, saw a turnout of over 500.
DevDay agenda included 4 technical presentations on some of the
latest and greatest technologies from Microsoft, an ‘Ask the Experts’
session which gave the opportunity to the audience to closely discuss
technical issues with industry experts, and a networking dinner which
helped to build close relationships among the tech geeks in the
community.
Technical presentations included an overview about the new line of
developer products coming out in the near future, an informative session
in to Windows Presentation Foundation which demonstrated new aspects on
enhancing the user interface of windows application, a session on
Language Integrated Query (LINQ) which is definitely going to be a
thrilling adventure for developers when it comes to working with data in
their programs and finally about Silverlight which is going to
revolutionize the way we develop and experience websites.
Country Manager, Microsoft Sri Lanka Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne,
said User groups are independently run volunteer groups that meet on a
regular basis to discuss and share information on a variety of
technology topics surrounding Microsoft products and technologies.
“Joining a user group is an excellent, inexpensive way to meet with
your peers and to educate yourself to get more out of the latest
Microsoft platforms, products, technologies and resources.
By taking part in a registered user group, you will receive the
latest technical education, content and offerings covering Microsoft
products and technologies, in an environment emphasizing peer support
and learning.
Microsoft Sri Lanka strongly supports the user groups in Sri Lanka
and works closely with them to make the experience and knowledge of Sri
Lanka’s industry professionals richer, he said.
“Microsoft technical communities in Sri Lanka have established
themselves as a key hub for industry professionals and students, whereby
they can learn and develop their knowledge of the latest technologies in
the world.
The user base of registered members in Sri Lanka currently exceeds
3500 and the number keeps growing rapidly each day.
Membership of the communities earns rare opportunities of meeting
specialist speakers from around the world as well as industry
specialists within the country and to closely interact with them. By
joining a community, industry professionals can learn more, share their
knowledge and gain greater exposure and recognition with the technical
community.
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The presentation on Language Integrated Query.? |
“These technical communities are formed by like-minded professionals
and enthusiasts who are passionate about technologies. The communities
are distinctly identified by their ethos of “Create, Share and Connect”
and the spirit of this promise runs through all of their activities.
The large numbers of skilled individuals who contribute to the
knowledge base and experience with each community helps these technical
communities transform themselves in to vast pools of knowledge that can
be tapped into by anyone interested in the IT industry.
Memberships of the communities are completely free of charge and
members find themselves enjoying an ideal opportunity to network as well
as learn from each other.
Developer Evangelist - Microsoft Sri Lanka Wellington Perera, who
works closely with the communities said. “Over the past couple of years,
the technical communities have enabled Microsoft to identify some world
class skilled individuals from Sri Lanka.
These individuals have been awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable
Professionals - MVP title in recognition of their contribution to build
the technical communities, and they have made us proud by excelling on
the global arena. I work closely with three technical communities in Sri
Lanka which primarily talk about Microsoft tools and technologies.
Wheels are also already in motion to start a Designer related user
group, which will mainly focus on Microsoft Expressions tools, Windows
Presentation Foundation and Silverlight,” he said.
Sri Lanka .NET Forum (http://www.dotnetforum.lk) was started about 3
years ago and its user base has grown rapidly, especially after the
first developer day. This enthusiasm has seen its membership increase to
3000 members, including developers, managers, IT decision makers,
university undergraduates and school students.
At its user group meetings, the .NET forum discusses technically rich
presentations on Microsoft tools and technologies as well as other
developer related tools and technologies.
The .Net forum says “Today, .NET Forum’s job board has become the
first place where many companies search for .NET developers. We have had
many success stories on developers getting better offers and better
technical positions in the industry.”
Senior Software Engineer - Teamwork Technology (MVP) Jinath
Premarathne - a founding member and a key contributor of the .NET Forum
said, .NET Forum has become a key knowledge base among the developers in
my team.
“Amount of time we spend on troubleshooting have significantly come
down, thanks to the experts who are passionately sharing their knowledge
in the forum. Also all the feedback and compliments I’m getting from
other user group members for helping them on their technical issues is a
fulfilling experience and that combined with the passion for technology
is what keeps me going,” he added.
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Cyber protection for children from Panda Security
Panda Security Sri Lanka office announced the Sri Lanka’s first
project to take ICT security to the school children. “Cyber Protection
for our Children” is a Non-Profit venture aimed at taking the ICT
security education to the younger generation of Sri Lanka on Internet
and Virus security.
“Our main intention is to take the concept of True IT security. We
feel that this has been lacking in Sri Lanka. All of us has gone along
with Pirated antivirus software to protect our systems without bothering
to think of the future consequences.
With an estimated 600 new viruses released into the world each day,
it is impossible for us to keep our systems secured in the Internet
without the use of an Authentic Robust antivirus software,” Country
Manager of Panda Security, Shihan Annon said.
“Assisted by “Panda security International, Madrid, Spain, we feel
that education is the best way to make children aware of the IT world
they are entering into. Thus educating them on security and the value of
protecting intellectual property rights is a must,” he added.
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Hi-fi branded tutorial centres for children
With tuitions bec- oming the norm for school children these days,
corporate firms are now coming up with branded tutorial centres to tap
the multi-crore school tutorial business.
“Our branded tutorial centres are a great way to deliver high quality
tutoring to school students by combining the effective use of
technology, in-house rich multi-media curriculum content with team of
highly certified teachers- all this at an extremely competitive price
point,” Managing Director, Educomp Solutions, Shantanu Prakash said. PTI |
