Thursday 20 August 2009

JobWatch: Belgium

Reposted from JobServe…

APL (A Programming Language) Developer, Belgium, French/Dutch Speaking.

My Client, a Blue Chip Organization is looking for APL consultants, with at least 5 years of experience in IT industry, with extensive experience in APL (A Programming Language). You should have extensive experience within the financial sector with hands on experience in Investment management, Asset management and Pension Fund. Risk Management and Investigating issues and fixing issues will be an added advantage. French/Dutch speaking skills is mandatory.

Apply immediately for a telephone interview.

R2 International Ltd is acting in its capacity as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Country: Belgium
Start Date: ASAP
Duration: 6 months
Rate: Excellent
Employment Business: R2 International Ltd
Contact: Raja Ilaya
Telephone: +44 (0) 207 100 2312
Fax: +44 (0) 870 490 6845
Email: Raja.Ilaya.3AFF0.8C17D@mail.jobserve.com
Reference: JS/RI/APL_DEVELOPER_BRUSSELS_20809
Posted Date: 20/08/2009 14:32:34

Saturday 15 August 2009

BAPLA09

BAPLA09Photos from the BAPLA09 conference in Reading have been posted. Also the presentations.

Friday 14 August 2009

Speakers Corner at Princeton

We'll be setting up a Speakers Corner to collect our stories at Dyalog's APL Conference in Princeton, NJ USA September 13-16 2009. We're hoping to capture anecdotes camera about how APL is being used today. Have you had a really cool APL experience lately? We want to hear about it. Do you have a new idea you'd like to promote? Here's your chance to see it published on YouTube!

We are also interested in the human side. Have you had an interesting collaborative experience with fellow APLers you'd like to share? Romance?

We'll be taking the top stories to the finish line and posting them on YouTube. So, YouTube is the target for these stories. Keep it short. Keep it simple & rock on!

As a bonus you'll get to meet Iris Ng, my colleague and collaborator for APL: The Movie (more girls with gear!).

http://www.dyalog.com/dyalog_09.html

Thursday 13 August 2009

Tom turns round

In a short article in the July/August issue of IEEE Software, Tom DeMarco, one of the founding figures from the 1980s of the software engineering movement, recants.

DeMarco became a major influence on SE with his 1982 book Controlling Software Projects: Management, measurement and estimation.

In my reflective mood I’m wondering, was its advice correct at the time, is it still relevant, and do I believe that metrics are a must for any successful software development effort? My answers are no, no, and no.

What does he now think?

Software development is and always will be somewhat experimental.

So now even he knows. Direct Development – is its hour come at last?

Friday 7 August 2009

Dyalog at 25

Mark Wickens writes:

Just wanted to say thanks for the Dyalog at 25 issue of Vector. I went to blood donors last night and needed something to occupy me during the inevitable wait (an hour this time) and located this copy of Vector propped on top of a pile of books under the bed, couldn't decide whether I'd read it or not and just took it along. Absolutely fascinating, and a powerful insight into the trials and tribulations of a small software company, especially from the 'geek' perspective.

For my sins I have an interest in old DEC hardware (alpha, vax etc) so was especially interested in the bits about the 64 bit version and the slow VAX implementation. My first job was on the VAX porting team of a small software house - so a lot of the details rang true.

For a reason unknown only to myself I had an interest in getting VAX APL installed (which it is on a VAXstation 4000/90) and at some point in the future will get the time to hopefully provide a little information to anyone interested on the web. Are there any versions of Dyalog APL still kicking around for the VAX or Alpha? I'd love to have a go at getting it up and running.

Thanks for the article and all your hard work on Vector. The dedication of the team shows through in the quality of the publication.

Right back to the day job, Enterprise Java...

Regards,

Mark.
http://www.wickensonline.co.uk

Sunday 2 August 2009

2009 Worldwide Programming Contest winners announced

Dyalog has announced the winners of the 2009 Worldwide Programming Contest.

First prize went to Ronald Chan. The judges commented:

Ronald’s submission showed impressive insight and analysis of the problems and the underlying mathematics, good use of classes. His submission ran considerably faster than any other entry. Ronald documented his solutions very well and many of his solutions were of a form to solve more general problems than the specific Project Euler problem presented. His efforts included error checking to capture invalid inputs.

Second place went to Chris King:

What set Chris’ entry apart was the brevity and compactness of his solutions. He made extensive use of operators, reduction, composition, power and limit. A good example of APL as a tool of thought.

Third place was taken by Maks Verver:

Maks had a commendable entry with good documentation, good use of APL, and good insight into the problems presented.

Vector congratulates the winners and looks forward to seeing Ronald in Princeton next month.