Event in Edinburgh – August 9th – Jon Skeet on Abusing C#

Scottish Developers are pleased to announce that Jon Skeet, author of C# In Depth and “Mr Stack Overflow”, will be speaking in Edinburgh during the afternoon of the 9th of August 2013. There is no charge to attend this event.

Registration
Please register via our eventbrite page for this event:
http://jonskeet-edinburgh-2013.eventbrite.com

Abusing C#
As a purely amateur C# developer, code that I write rarely gets to hurt people. (Well, open source projects aside.) As such, it’s fun to stretch the language a bit, find its limits… and then try to sneak past them.

One of my first reactions to a new language feature is “How can I use that for a completely different purpose to the intended one?” The results are rarely pretty, but they’re lots of fun. The chances of any of the code you see in this session being even remotely useful to a conscientious developer are very slim.

You may well learn some interesting things about the C# language, but that’s a different matter. To put it another way: if you’re trying to persuade your boss that it’s important to send you for educational reasons, you probably don’t want to show him this abstract.

Speaker Bio
Jon Skeet is a Java developer for Google in London, but he plays with C# (somewhat obsessively) in his free time. He loves writing and talking about C#, and the third edition of “C# in Depth” was published earlier this year. Writing less formally, Jon spends a lot of time on Stack Overflow… where “a lot” is an understatement. Give him a puzzle about how C# behaves which gets him reaching for the language specification, and Jon is a happy bunny. Jon lives in Reading with his wife and three children.

Agenda
1400 – 1415: Arrival and registration
1415 – 1420: Introduction
1420 – 1600: Abusing C#
1600 – Close

A similar version of this event is also being run in Aberdeen.

Event – 22/04/2013 – Edinburgh – Applied MVVM in Windows 8 apps: not your typical MVVM session!

Scottish Developers are pleased to announce that Gill Cleeren returns to Scotland on Monday the 22nd of April, in Edinburgh!

Gill Cleeren is Microsoft Regional Director, MVP ASP.NET, INETA speaker bureau member and Silverlight Insider. He lives in Belgium where he works as .NET architect at Ordina. Passionate about .NET, he’s always playing with the newest bits. In his role as Regional Director, Gill has given many sessions, webcasts and trainings on new as well as existing technologies, such as Silverlight, ASP.NET and WPF. He also leads VISUG (www.visug.be), the largest .NET user group in Belgium. He’s the author of Silverlight Data and Services Cookbook. You can find his blog at www.snowball.be

About the session
For some time now, the community has been touting the MVVM pattern as being the best way to build XAML-based applications. By now, you should be convinced that MVVM is really the way to go. But then, you start building a real-world Windows 8 application and you encounter all kinds of challenges you hadn’t thought about before. How do I properly structure an application? How do I implement navigation? How do I manage tiles or contracts from MVVM? How do I use Dependency injection correctly? And how do the new data controls in Windows 8 work in combination with MVVM?

A whole list of questions that this session will aim at answering!

Location
Microsoft (Edinburgh Office)
Conan Doyle, 4th Floor Waverley Gate
2-4 Waterloo Place
EH1 3EG Edinburgh
United Kingdom

Agenda
18.30 – Doors open
18.55 – Welcome
19.00 – Applied MVVM in Windows 8 apps: not your typical MVVM session!
20.30 – Close

There is no cost to attend this event.

Register to attend here:
http://gillcleeren2013.eventbrite.com/

Event: Bad Test, Good Test

Scottish Developers are pleased to present a talk by Seb Rose on Tuesday 12th March 2013 at the Microsoft Offices in Edinburgh.

For those of you further north, Aberdeen Developers will also be hosting this talk on Thursday 28th February at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. You can find more details of this on their blog – http://www.aberdeendevelopers.co.uk/post/2013/02/12/ADNUGUK-February-2013-Meeting.aspx

Participation Request: Seb is looking for those planning on attending to submit what you feel are examples of good or bad tests. You can submit them to badtestgoodtest@claysnow.co.uk and they may be critiqued during the talk.

Event Details

Foundational unit testing techniques are often taken for granted, but are an essential underpinning for delivering maintainable software. The tests need to assist software development not hinder it, and to that end need to be flexible, robust, comprehensible and performant. If you find yourself fighting your test suite, then something is wrong.

In this session, we re-examine the basics of a unit test. We will work through a number of examples with continuous input from attendees. Each example will start with a test of questionable quality, and we will work through the issues till we’re happy that it’s as good as we can get it.

Although this session is not specifically about the testability of software, this will necessarily be touched upon as we consider some test cases. Examples will be written in several common languages, but knowledge of all (or any) of them is not a pre-requisite.

About the Speaker

Seb Rose is an independent software developer, trainer and coach based in the UK. He specialises in working with teams adopting and refining their agile practices, with a particular focus on delivering software through the use of examples.

He first worked as a programmer in 1980 writing applications for estate agents and solicitors in compiled BASIC on an Apple II. He has worked with many mainstream technologies since then, for many well-known companies, such as Amazon, IBM, NCR, HBOS, Standard Life and Aegon. He is a regular conference speaker (ACCU, XPDay, Agile North, Developer Day Scotland, Agile on the Beach, Lean Agile Scotland) as well as a contributing author to O’Reilly’s “97 Things Every Programmer Should Know”

Event: 6th February 2013, 1830: SOLID Deconstruction – Kevlin Henney

The Edinburgh branch of the British Computer Society are running an event next month.

When:
Wednesday 6th February 2013 , 6:30 pm.

Who
Speaker: Kevlin Henney

Where
Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This event is free of charge and open to all. No registration required – just turn up.

Synopsis
The SOLID principles are often presented as being core to good object-oriented practice. Each of S, O, L, I and D do not, however, necessarily mean what programmers expect they mean or are taught they mean. By understanding this range of beliefs we can learn more about our OO practice than just S, O, L, I and D.

This talk starts by going over the SOLID principles, looking at code examples and also different interpretations of the principles themselves. Contradictions and questions are revealed. It is through paradoxes and surprises that we often gain insights and improve our skills. We will leave SOLID slightly more fluid, but having learnt from them more than we expected.

About the speaker
Kevlin is an independent consultant and trainer. His development interests are in patterns, programming, practice and process. He has been a columnist for various magazines and web sites, including Better Software, The Register, Application Development Advisor, Java Report and the C/C++ Users Journal. Kevlin is co-author of A Pattern Language for Distributed Computing and On Patterns and Pattern Languages, two volumes in the Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture series. He is also editor of the 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know site and book.

Storm ID Are Hiring .NET Developers!

Our Edinburgh venue host and full service digital agency, Storm ID, is looking for 2 talented .NET developers and a SharePoint developer.

Storm have a few key vacancies we are looking to fill.

If you are smart and love the web then you are 80% of the way there. Add in a bit of the right experience and some ambition and you’re in…

…have a look and get in touch 🙂

Senior Web Developer (£30k – £40k)

This role would suit someone from an agency background with solid experience of creating public facing web applications.

Your work focus will range across a number of tasks including building out areas of existing applications; helping define solutions and creating prototypes; and taking the lead on full bespoke projects. This work will offer you contact with the full technology stack and will challenge you to work with others and build complimentary skills. Our core tools and technologies come from Microsoft but we are completely agnostic when it comes to creating the right technical solution.

Web Developer – Support Team (£25k – £35k)

This role would suit someone from an agency background with some solid coding experience and wanting to learn fast.

Your work will focus on a key account, supporting and extending a range of projects built on the latest technology stack.

There is scope in this role for you to stay in the support team and broaden your exposure to other projects, or move further into bespoke development in the web team.

This work will offer you contact with the full technology stack and will challenge you to work with others and build complimentary skills. Our core tools and technologies come from Microsoft but we are completely agnostic when it comes to creating the right technical solution.

SharePoint Developer (£30k-£45k)

This role is ideal for an experienced SharePoint developer. You’ll be working closely with a team of experienced technical developers, user experience designers, consultants and project managers for clients such as: Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, RBS, NHS, Glasgow Life and The Scottish Government. The work is varied, interesting and challenging and you’ll be working on the latest Microsoft technology stack.

You will have a strong interest in SharePoint , and will be a developer who has moved to SharePoint because they like the platform, rather than a SharePoint admin who wants to do development.

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About Storm ID

At Storm ID you will be working in the company of talented programmers, designers, account and project managers.

You will get support from management to let you focus on what you do best, access to a wide variety of high profile projects and the chance to develop your skills from the moment you step inside the building.

Some facts

We build some of the most ambitious web solutions, mobile apps and social media campaigns for the Government, private and public sector.

Millions of pounds flow through our eCommerce solutions.

We send more than 4 million emails a month from our marketing solutions.

We tweet from our Twibbon Twitter account with 1.2 million engaged followers.

Our comic viewer, augmented reality, face-in-the hole, news and daily deal mobile apps running on iOS and Android phones and tablets have more than 10,000 sessions a day.

We work with some incredible clients: Disney, Mars, LiveStrong, ITV, RBS, Microsoft, Lloyds, M&S, NHS Scotland, Scottish Government, Trinity Mirror, DC Thomson, Scottish and Southern Energy to name but a few.

What you get

At Storm ID we strive to create the best working environment possible – industry leading tools to help you do your job, paid training, great coffee, fresh fruit, massages, in office PlayStation 3, the best table tennis in Edinburgh and excellent work mates. You’ll also receive:

• 33 days holiday
• A salary commensurate with experience

After 3 months

• Virgin Pension (employer non-contributory)
• Eyecare Scheme
• Childcare Vouchers

After a year

• PRP (Profit Related Pay)
• BUPA
• Cycle to Work Scheme

If you’re interested in any of these positions check out http://blog.stormid.com/2012/10/working-at-storm/ for details on how to apply.

Application Lifecycle Management with Visual Studio 2012 in Edinburgh November 8th

Microsoft is running an event in Edinburgh on the 8th of November: Application Lifecycle Management with Visual Studio 2012

Lunch is provided, as are refreshments!

Product(s):
Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Visual Studio 2012, Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server and Other.

Audience(s):
Developer Generalist, Non-Tech Influencing BDM, Tech Influencing BDM and Tester.

Hearing directly from our experts is the best way to get a really good understanding of Visual Studio 2012. In this session we will look at the Application Lifecycle Management capabilities of Visual Studio 2012 and Team Foundation Server 2012 and how that supports the entire software development lifecycle.

Agenda
09:30 Registration
10:00 Start
· Overview of the Microsoft development tools
· Requirements capture and Agile planning
· Development including version control, code quality and automated builds
· Test case and defect management including exploratory testing
· Automated and performance testing
· Working with the extended team, including using the feedback client, reporting, IntelliTrace and System Center integration
13:00 Lunch & Q&A
14:00 Close

*Timing: Please arrive at 09:30 for registration. There is a prompt 10:00 start, so please arrive in time. Refreshments will be provided during the break and lunch will be served at 13:00.

The Venue
Microsoft Edinburgh
Conan-Doyle
Waverley Gate
2-4 Waterloo Place Edinburgh EH1 3EG
United Kingdom

To register
Register by Phone: 0870 166 6680

Or register via this link: https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032522727&Culture=en-GB&community=0

Lean Agile Scotland

The Lean Agile Scotland conference is rapidly approaching and looks to be 2 great days of content. Here is some additional information about the conference and also a discount code for those who get in there quick.

There is just under three weeks to go until Lean Agile Scotland!

We have managed to put together a fantastic lineup of speakers, many from the forefront of the Lean and Agile communities. The keynotes are David Anderson and Liz Keogh  and we have talks from the likes of Matt Wynne; Gojko Adzic; Clarke Ching; Bob Marshall and Karl Scotland to name but a few.

There will be something for everyone with talks on Kanban; Software Craftsmanship; TDD; Refactoring; Continuous Delivery; building Agile teams; Rightshifting and organisational improvement; Agile contracts and much more!

You can see the full list of talks the and the schedule at http://www.leanagilescotland.com/schedule.

As well as two scheduled speaker tracks there will be space set aside for Open Space/Lean Coffee sessions, giving attendees a great opportunity to… well, confer.

Tickets are on sale and selling fast, to book yours go to http://www.leanagilescotland.com/tickets

You can get 10% discount on a standard conference ticket with the code LAS12DNSDEV, but hurry this code expires on the 14th of September.

Hope to see you there!

Edinburgh – Aug/Sept – Windows Azure, Windows 8 UX and Windows 8 Dev Camps

Microsoft are running a series of dev camps in Edinburgh at the end of August/beginning of September.

These dev camps are great opportunities for you to spend a day with like-minded individuals and the talented evangelists from Microsoft. If you are looking to build apps for the soon-to-be-released Windows 8 operating system (and indeed, Windows Phone), attending a dev camps is the perfect way to kick-start your development!

They are free to attend and you will get fed and watered!

Windows Azure – 30th August, Edinburgh
Windows 8 UX Dev Camp – 30th August, Edinburgh
Windows 8 Dev Camp – 31st August, Edinburgh
Windows 8 Dev Camp – 1st September, Edinburgh

Job: Senior Database Developer & Software Developer Positions in Edinburgh

Craneware are looking to fill 2 positions at their Edinburgh Head Office office:

Developer

We are currently looking for a Developer to join our team. Our Development department is responsible for the enhancement and development of our product base. The role of Developer reports into the department team leader, but is also given overall direction and coaching.

Job Overview

• Develop, maintain and adhere to a software delivery processes and standards.
• Work with Team Leaders to Identify inefficient practices and propose changes.
• Provide technical feedback or escalation of technical issues to Team Leaders.
• Work with Team Leader to deliver and implement tasks necessary to deliver a new customer solution.
• Review and clarify when necessary requirements with both internal and external clients.
• Work to project deadlines and deliverables as identified by Team Leader or Team Leaders.
• Communicate issues and risks effectively to Team Leaders and participate addressing these.
• Ensure components are correctly released to Release Manager.
• Work with Team Leaders to ensure product release for test and live environments.
• Work with Test colleagues to ensure issues are communicated and addressed effectively.
• Ensure, where relevant, issues are reported to Team Leaders and Test colleagues in advance of test process.

Skills

• Excellent SQL 2000-2005 experience.
• Experience in Agile development methodologies preferable.
• Experience of test driven development preferable.
• Strong Object Oriented design background.
• Delphi, C++, C# or SQL Server experience is highly desirable.
• Strong knowledge of Windows development including GUI design
• Minimum 3 years Winforms/WebForms using ASP.Net and C#
• Minimum 3 years substantial development experience of which a minimum of 2 years should be within a team environment
• Strong communication skills, ability to work with other development teams
• Strong analytical skills, ability to analyze and work with complex systems
• Able to produce high quality documentation for both a technical and non-technical audience
• Able to produce high quality code within allotted timescales
• Ability to implement test and deliver very high quality software
• Ability to work in a fast moving environment and under pressure using own initiative but also integrating with multiple teams
• Educated to diploma/degree level in a computing based discipline

If you meet the above criteria and feel you have the skills and enthusiasm to join an exciting Craneware team, please review the Performance Profile at http://www.craneware.com/public/Article.aspx?id=156 and send your
CV to careers@craneware.com.

Senior Database Developer

We are seeking experienced and talented Senior Database Developer. As a Senior Database Developer you will be responsible for ensuring that the data models used within Craneware solutions are in keeping with industry best practice. You will work with other senior engineers/architects to provide enterprise data models. You will work with senior engineers/architects in developing n-tier applications.

This role is full-time and will be located at Craneware’s Head Office at 1 Tanfield, Edinburgh. We are also supported by a number of US offices and remote teams throughout the US.

You should have successfully led software projects and delivered multi-tiered applications. You will be able to define enterprise architecture and quickly adapt to new technologies. Experience of defining enterprise solutions following a three tier architecture is required.

It is vital that you can analyse customer requirements and translate them into solutions using object oriented methods. Great oral and written communication skills are vital to allow you to understand customer requests/enquiries quickly and be able to explain your easy-to-follow solutions.

If you meet the above criteria and feel you have the skills and enthusiasm to join an exciting Craneware team, please review the Performance Profile at http://www.craneware.com/public/Article.aspx?id=481 and send your CV to careers@craneware.com.

Event: Lean Agile Scotland Conference

The guys organising the Lean Agile Scotland Conference have been in touch and they would like to share details of the event which will be held at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on 21-22 September.

On the 21st & 22nd September in Edinburgh at Dynamic Earth we are hosting a Lean & Agile conference, imaginatively titled, Lean Agile  Scotland.

We are delighted to have number of great speakers already confirmed. Along with keynotes David Anderson, creator of the Kanban method, and Liz Keogh, Gordon Pask award winner and leader in the BDD community, we are excited to have Mike Burrows, Matt Wynne and Clarke Ching on our speakers list so far.

If you would like to speak, our CFP is open and will run until the 30th of June. Sign up at http://www.leanagilescotland.com/call_for_proposals to post your submissions.

Early bird tickets went on sale on the 31st of May and were sold out within a week! For announcements on the next release of ticket sales sign up at http://www.leanagilescotland.com/sign_up

Before the conference, on the 19th & 20th of September, Mike Burrows will be giving a two day Lean-Kanban University (LKU) Accredited Kanban Training course, ‘Successful Evolutionary Change with Kanban’. When you purchase a conference ticket you will receive a discount code which will entitle you to £100 off of the price of a training ticket.

For more information:

• our website is http://www.leanagilescotland.com/
• follow us on twitter @LeanAgileScot (#lascot12)
• track the conference on Lanyrd at http://lanyrd.com/2012/lean-agile-scotland/
• join our google group http://groups.google.com/group/lean-agile-scotland?hl=en

Hope you can join us.