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IT/Web Systems Developer	28 November 2007
My market leading client in the IT Hardware and Programming sector is looking to recruit an IT Systems Developer for their main office in Preston. Joining the small but successful team you will be required to identify and deliver robust IT Solutions. The main responsibilities of the role will be to implement IT solutions to develop Internet based business projects from conception to deployment. To understand and clarify client needs and ongoing client liaison including occasional client meetings. To develop appropriate IT/technical solutions. Proactive involvement in a fast moving and changing business environment and to support 3rd party applications. It is essential that you have experience in ASP, VB5/6, MS SQL, JAVA, HTML, XML and IIS. Any experience of .Net is ideal as is experience of the full project lifecycle. You must have a proven track record of delivering business projects and be committed to deliver results to timescales. Experience of implementing business IT solutions and operating in a commercial environment is necessary. You will need to show desire to be involved in building, growing and influencing the business at all levels as well as being able to take ownership of issues and drive successful resolutions with a positive attitude. Excellent customer skills are necessary as are excellent communication skills My client offers an excellent basic salary, parking and is easily commutable by road or public transport from around the North West.
Senior Consultant, Netherlands	28 November 2007
Our Client, one of the fastest growing software CRM Global Organisations are expanding their team to include a Senior Consultant. To succeed in this role you should be energetic, motivated and achievement-oriented who can work independently or as a member of cross-functional teams. You will be disciplined with an astute business sense, superior communication skills and with a strong orientation towards customer satisfaction and be able to effectively present your ideas to senior management with a strong ability to think conceptually and strategically. Responsibilities: Your core responsibilities will include but not be limited to: Managing multiple simultaneous projects and project teams. Responsible for developing functional requirements and delivering CRM solutions according to these business requirements. Facilitating workshops with key business users and defining/specifying CRM requirements and customisations according to business needs. Building and maintaining appropriate client relationships, at all levels, during delivery of project. Maintaining high levels of quality and customer satisfaction. Serving as a subject matter expert in one or more specific areas. Providing sales support to the Company’s Licence and Consulting Sales teams. Presenting project deliverables to the customer and the internal team. Required Skills/Experience: Experience of project management, ideally, managing multiple simultaneous projects and project teams. Extensive experience in implementation and streamlining within any of the following areas - Campaign Management, Sales and Marketing, Sales Force Management, Leads Management, Account / Subscription Management, Customer Interaction Management, Order Management and/or Customer Self-Serve. Previous consulting experience gained within either a CRM software vendor or the CRM practice of a major systems integrator. Proven understanding of processes and best practices within your industry and how to leverage CRM func
C# .Net Developer - banking software	24 November 2007
C#, .Net, XML, XSLT, Business Objects / Crystal Reports. Our client are a very well established software house who provide software to investment banks and asset managers. They have a need to recruit a C# .Net developer to join their team building new asset management products. The ideal candidate will have strong knowledge of C#, .Net, SQL Server, XML, XSLT and Business Objects [Crystal Reports]. Domain knowledge of the trust administration and wealth management business would also be of value, but not essential. Full job spec available upon receipt of suitable CV. Abraxas plc acts as an employment agency/business. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate on the grounds of age, and we confirm that we will gladly accept applications from persons of any age for this role.
Team Building in Central Queensland	16 November 2007
Motivation World Wide and Rydges Capricorn Resort launch a new teambuilding facility on November 26th, 2007. The chief facilitator behind the teambuilding facilities at Rydges Capricorn Resort is Malcolm McLeod of Motivation and Teambuilding World...
BossSpeak as she is spoke	20 November 2007
LET'S all have lunches every Friday. Good team building exercise. Translated, that means, nobody is getting a raise; enjoy the pizza.
Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5 Released	19 November 2007
Today we shipped Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5.  You can download the final release using one of the links below: If you are a MSDN subscriber, you can download your copy from the MSDN subscription site (note: some of the builds are just finishing being uploaded now - so check back later during the day if you don't see it yet). If you are a non-MSDN subscriber, you can download a 90-day free trial edition of Visual Studio 2008 Team Suite here.  A 90-day trial edition of Visual Studio 2008 Professional (which will be a slightly smaller download) will be available next week.  A 90-day free trial edition of Team Foundation Server can also be downloaded here. If you want to use the free Visual Studio 2008 Express editions (which are much smaller and totally free), you can download them here.  If you want to just install the .NET Framework 3.5 runtime, you can download it here. Quick Tour of Some of the New Features Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5 contain a ton of new functionality and improvements.  Below are links to blog posts I've done myself as well as links to videos you can watch to learn more about it: VS 2008 Multi-Targeting Support VS 2008 enables you to build applications that target multiple versions of the .NET Framework.  This means you can use VS 2008 to open, edit and build existing .NET 2.0 and ASP.NET 2.0 applications (including ASP.NET 2.0 applications using ASP.NET AJAX 1.0), and continue to deploy these application on .NET 2.0 machines.  You can learn more about how this works from my blog post here: VS 2008 Multi-Targeting Support ASP.NET AJAX and JavaScript Support .NET 3.5 has ASP.NET AJAX built-in (no separate download required).  In addition to including all of the features in ASP.NET AJAX 1.0, ASP.NET 3.5 also now includes richer support for UpdatePanels integrating with WebParts, ASP.NET AJAX integration with controls like <asp:menu> and <asp:treeview>, WCF support for JSON, and many other AJAX improvements. VS 2008 and Visual Web Developer 2008 also now have great support for integrating JavaScript and AJAX into your applications.  You can learn more about this from my blog posts here: VS 2008 JavaScript Intellisense VS 2008 JavaScript Debugging VS 2008 ASP.NET AJAX Control Extender Support VS 2008 JavaScript Intellisense for Silverlight You can watch some videos that discuss ASP.NET AJAX and Visual Studio 2008 support for it here.  I also highly recommend the excellent ASP.NET AJAX in Action book to learn more about ASP.NET AJAX (both client-side and server-side). VS 2008 Web Designer and CSS Support VS 2008 and Visual Web Developer 2008 Express includes a significantly improved HTML web designer (the same one that ships with Expression Web).  This delivers support for split-view editing, nested master pages, and great CSS integration.  Below are some articles I've written that discuss this more: VS 2008 Web Designer and CSS Support VS 2008 Nested Master Page Support VS 2008 Vertical Split View Support VS 2008 Support to Treat CSS and JavaScript Validation Issues as Warnings instead of Errors ASP.NET 3.5 also has a new <asp:ListView> control that provides the ability to perform rich data scenarios with total control over the markup.  It works nicely with the new CSS support in VS 2008.  You can learn more about it from my article here: ASP.NET 3.5 ListView Control You can watch some videos that discuss the new Visual Studio 2008 web designer features and the new ListView/DataPager controls here.  Language Improvements and LINQ The new VB and C# compilers in VS 2008 deliver significant improvements to the languages.  Both add functional programming concepts that enable you to write cleaner, terser, and more expressive code.  These features also enable a new programming model we call LINQ (language integrated query) that makes querying and working with data a first-class programming concept with .NET.  Below are some of the articles I've written that explore these new language features using C#: Automatic Properties, Object Initializer and Collection Initializers Extension Methods Lambda Expressions Query Syntax Anonymous Types Here are a few additional blog posts I've written that show off some of the new VS 2008 code editing support and some cool ways to use these new language features: VS 2008 Code Editing Features Tip/Trick: Building a ToJson() Extension Method using .NET 3.5 The C# ?? null coalescing operator (and using it with LINQ) Using LINQ to XML (and how to build a custom RSS Feed Reader with it) The Visual Basic team has also created some great free videos that cover LINQ.  You can watch them here. Data Access Improvements with LINQ to SQL LINQ to SQL is a built-in OR/M (object relational mapper) in .NET 3.5.  It enables you to model relational databases using a .NET object model.  You can then query the database using LINQ, as well as update/insert/delete data from it.  LINQ to SQL fully supports transactions, views, and stored procedures.  It also provides an easy way to integrate business logic and validation rules into your data model.  Below are some of the articles I've written that explore how to use it: Part 1: Introduction to LINQ to SQL Part 2: Defining our Data Model Classes Part 3: Querying our Database Part 4: Updating our Database Part 5: Binding UI using the ASP:LinqDataSource Control Part 6: Retrieving Data Using Stored Procedures Part 7: Updating our Database using Stored Procedures Part 8: Executing Custom SQL Expressions Part 9: Using a Custom LINQ Expression with the <asp:LinqDataSource> control I think you'll find that LINQ and LINQ to SQL makes it much easier to build much cleaner data models, and write much cleaner data code.  I'll be adding more posts to my LINQ to SQL series in the weeks and months ahead (sorry for the delay in finishing them earlier - so much to-do and so little time to-do it all!). Scott Stanfield is also working on creating some great LINQ to SQL videos for the www.asp.net site based on my article series above (all videos are in both VB and C#).  You can watch the first 4 videos in this series here. Browsing the .NET Framework Library Source using Visual Studio As I blogged a few weeks ago, we will be releasing a reference version of the .NET Framework library source code as part of this release.  Visual Studio 2008 has built-in debugger support to automatically step-into and debug this code on demand (VS 2008 can pull down the source for the appropriate .NET Framework library file automatically for you). We are deploying the source servers to enable this right now, and will be publishing the steps to turn this feature on in the next few weeks. Lots of other improvements The list above is only a small set of the improvements coming.  For client development VS 2008 includes WPF designer and project support.  ClickOnce and WPF XBAPs now work with FireFox.  WinForms and WPF projects can also now use the ASP.NET Application Services (Membership, Roles, Profile) for roaming user data.  Office development is much richer - including support for integrating with the Office 2007 ribbon, and with Outlook.  Visual Studio Tools for Office support is also now built-into Visual Studio (you no longer need to buy a separate product). New WCF and Workflow projects and designers are now included in VS 2008.  Unit testing support is now much faster and included in VS Professional (and no longer just VSTS).  Continuous Integration support is now built-in with TFS.  AJAX web testing (unit and load) is now supported in the VS Test SKU.  And there is much, much more... Installation Suggestions People often ask me for suggestions on how best to upgrade from previous betas of Visual Studio 2008.  In general I'd recommend uninstalling the Beta2 bits explicitly.  As part of this you should uninstall Visual Studio 2008 Beta2, .NET Framework Beta2, as well as the Visual Studio Web Authoring Component (these are all separate installs and need to be uninstalled separately).  I then usually recommend rebooting the machine after uninstalling just to make sure everything is clean before you kick off the new install.  You can then install the final release of VS 2008 and .NET 3.5 on the machine. Once installed, I usually recommend explicitly running the Tools->Import and Export Settings menu option, choosing the "Reset Settings" option, and then re-pick your preferred profile.  This helps ensure that older settings from the Beta2 release are no longer around (and sometimes seems to help with performance). Note that VS 2008 runs side-by-side with VS 2005 - so it is totally fine to have both on the same machine (you will not have any problems with them on the same box). Silverlight Tools and VS Web Deployment Project Add-Ins Two popular add-ins to Visual Studio are not yet available to download for the final VS 2008 release.  These are the Silverlight 1.1 Tools Alpha for Visual Studio and the Web Deployment Project add-in for Visual Studio.  Our hope is to post updates to both of them to work with the final VS 2008 release in the next two weeks.  If you are doing Silverlight 1.1 development using VS 2008 Beta2 you'll want to stick with with VS 2008 Beta2 until this updated Silverlight Tools Add-In is available.  Hope this helps, Scott
Microsoft ships Visual Studio 2008	19 November 2007
Microsoft has released to manufacturing its Visual Studio 2008 software development platform and the accompanying .Net Framework 3.5, meaning these technologies are available for download on MSDN to subscribers today, the company said Monday.The products will be offered on disk within the next few weeks. Trial subscriptions also are available now. Visual Studio 2008 and .Net Framework 3.5 are accessible on MSDN here.Among other things, Visual Studio 2008 is Microsoft's development platform geared to building Windows Vista applications. During a recent conference, difficulties with building Vista applications with the existing Visual Studio 2005 platform were cited by an attendee, who was assured that the solution is to upgrade to Visual Studio 2008.Microsoft is touting Visual Studio 2008 as a platform for professional developers as well as hobbyists and teams."I am incredibly proud to be a part of the team that is truly advancing the state of developer tools," said S. "Soma" Somasegar, Microsoft corporate vice president for the company's developer division, in his blog on Monday."We hope that Visual Studio 2008 and .Net Framework 3.5 enables you as an individual or as a team to build great applications. Whether you are a professional developer or a software enthusiast, are building applications for the client, server, Web, or devices, we hope you have fun with these products as your software is our passion," Somasegar said.Microsoft with Visual Studio 2008 is offering enhancements in every edition of the product, including Visual Studio Express for hobbyists and Visual Studio Team System for team-based development. With more than 250 new features, Visual Studio 2008 includes such improvements as visual designers to speed development with .Net Framework 3.5 and upgrades to Web development tools and language enhancements, the company said.A highlight of particular interest is LINQ (Language Integrated Query), which the company said closes the gap between programming objects and data. Developers can focus on what they need the data to do rather than on how to access it, the company said. Microsoft is positioning LINQ as a technology for rapid application development."LINQ is the star," said Greg DeMichillie, lead analyst for application platforms at Directions on Microsoft. LINQ makes it easier to tie together C# or Visual Basic with SQL, he said."Everything else in Visual Studio 2008 is useful to some set of developers or another, but LINQ hits the entire spectrum of developers," he said.Also included in Visual Studio 2008 are advanced development tools and debugging features, Microsoft said. Developers can target multiple versions of the .Net Framework, including versions 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5, and build AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) -enabled Web applications.Tools are featured to speed development of connected applications on platforms, including the Web, Vista, Office 2007, the SQL Server 2008 database, and Windows Server 2008. Web developers can leverage ASP.Net and other technologies.New ASP.Net controls allow for better page management and templates. Web development is boosted through new support for Web server communication techniques for AJAX/JSON-enabled Web sites..Net Framework 3.5 is intended to enable rapid construction of connected applications; it offers pre-fabricated software for solving common programming tasks. Web 2.0, SOA, and software-and-services applications are supported in version 3.5.Included in.Net Framework 3.5 are enhancements to the base library, Windows Workflow Foundation; Windows Communication Foundation for Web services; Windows Presentation Foundation for presentation; and Windows CardSpace, for digital identities.WCF supports native REST (Representational State Transfer) and RSS and backs multiple Web services specifications. These includeWeb Services Atomic Transactions 1.1, WS-ReliableMessaging 1.1, WS-SecureConversation, and WS-Coordination 1.1.Visual Studio Team System 2008, meanwhile, is an application lifecycle management system with tools, processes, and guidance. It supports management of application builds.Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Foundation Server (TFS) is a collaboration server for Visual Studio Team System. Featured in the 2008 edition of TFS are: Improved performance and security; support for such configurations as clusters, mirrors, and virtual machines; continuous integration; and scheduled builds. Also highlighted in TFS are version control features, query build improvements, and Web access to version control, work item tracking, and status reports.Microsoft used TFS to manage this release of Visual Studio 2008. "TFS enables process enactment, collects a lot of data, and enables reporting on it. It provides visibility to everyone and it enables enforcement of certain things," Somasegar said.But DiMichillie described improvements to TFS as minor. TFS lags behind the competition in areas like testing, he said.Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition costs $799 for new buyers and $549 to upgrade from the previous release. Team Foundation Server costs $2,799; upgrades cost $499.
Head of eCommerce EMEA - Consumer Electronics - Du	20 November 2007
Head of eCommerce EMEA - Consumer Electronics - Dublin My client is a leader in mobile computing, and strives to put the power of computing in people’s hands so they can access and share their most important information. They require a Head of eCommerce for EMEA. Assisted by the eCommerce EMEA team, you will formulate the strategy, plans and budget to successfully optimize traffic generation, sales conversion and revenue levels for Palm eStore EMEA. You will have full P& L responsibility for eStore EMEA. To be eligible for this role you will need: • 10+ years of relevant sales, marketing or IT working experience ideally within consumer electronics or telecommunications • At least 7 years of directly related experience in eCommerce • Proven track record of managing and exceeding financial targets on a consistent basis • Strong decision-focused analytical skills essential • Proven track record of building and managing highly effective teams • Demonstrated ability to influence and manage others outside immediate span of control • Strong communications [written, verbal, and presentation skills] across all levels of Palm organization and with Carriers and other 3rd parties • Excellent business acumen and problem-solving skills My client offers an excellent package, and will help with relocation. This is an excellent opportunity to join one of the leading mobile computing companies manufacturers. Abraxas plc acts as an employment agency/business. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate on the grounds of age, and we confirm that we will gladly accept applications from persons of any age for this role.
VS 2008 Compatibility with Older VS 2005 Add-in Packages	28 November 2007
I've helped a few people over the last week who have run into issues with VS 2008 where it would immediately crash when the IDE was launched, or upon creating new projects (usually failing with a "Visual Studio has encountered an unexpected error" dialog). After debugging the issues, it turned out that they were caused by an older VS 2005 add-in that people had installed on their machines that wasn't compatible with VS 2008.  In each of these specific cases it was an older version of the VisualSVN source control utility (note: Version 1.3.1 of VisualSVN works fine with VS 2008 - but older versions have problems). By default when you install VS 2008 on a machine that has VS 2005 on it, setup will use your existing settings to configure VS 2008, and will import your current VS 2005 preferences and add-in packages.  If you see any crashes or issues (especially upon first launching the IDE) it could be that they are caused by one of your older add-in packages having some compatibility issue with VS 2008. If you run into a situation like this, one option to try is to launch VS 2008 in "safemode".  This will launch the IDE with add-in packages disabled, and provides you with a good way to determine whether it might be an add-in causing the problem.  You can launch VS 2008 in safemode by passing the /safemode switch to the VS 2008 devenv process from the command-line: If you discover that the problem you encountered is related to an add-in, you can use the Tools->Add-In Manager menu option to disable the add-in within the IDE. As a general best practice, I'd recommend that you always keep close track of the add-ins you have installed with Visual Studio, and make sure to periodically check for updates of them (especially when upgrading to VS 2008).  If you do ever report an issue with VS - please also make sure to detail the add-in packages you have installed, as this can help a lot in our investigations. Hope this helps, Scott P.S. Ilya Ryzhenkov from JetBrains recently published a blog post that details the plans to update the popular ReSharper add-in for VS 2008.  You can read it here.
Harvey World parent to buy Global Travel Group	28 November 2007
Major independent agency consolidation signalled as Stella becomes major UK force