Sometimes, even the most state of the art security systems cannot prevent the unexpected from happening. Both physical and digital break in attempts are common for small businesses, leaving the occurrences of these violations as a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’.
This week, Ablesoft experienced a break in. We left it to our top employee to investigate and identify the culprit. Here is that story:
An interior door to the basement left slightly ajar. Whoever, or whatever entered, utilized this passage to infiltrate Ablesoft’s HQ.
Our top employee, Doug, immediatley went to work identifying the path the infiltrator took across the office.
After the initial scan of the office, Doug noticed a peculiar scent underneath one of the desks.
or was it? After further examination, it became clear the culprit was searching for a source of light. This led Doug immediately to the front of the building, knowing this to be the most lit location in the office.
Just then, Doug spotted the bandit in the front of the office in full display. The little chipmunks’ desperate attempts to hide were no match for Doug’s investigation abilities. Just when Doug was about to read him his rights and get him processed the unexpected happened…
The little chipper bolted right past Doug and into the vast office of Ablesoft…to this day his whereabouts are unknown as he remains at large. One day justice will be found, until then, Doug will be waiting.
The answer is ‘yes’. I have entirely too much time on my hands.
As an adult, rarely do moments exist when it is found acceptable to dress up and live out the actions of your childhood hero. Halloween is claimed to be an outlet for that opportunity, but in truth, it is reserved for dreamy children and outfit wearing adults that don’t take the get-up too seriously. Or at least pretend not to.
Acknowledging this, the team of Ablesoft, like many adults, is left suppressing their childhood dreams year round. That is, unless an opportunity strikes. An opportunity such as Entre’s Virtual Technology Exposition. With a theme tied to the 2020 Top Gun movie (now to be released 2021) the employees of Ablesoft geared up with jumpsuits, aviator knock-offs, and fake dog tags to become top notch fighter pilots.
Depicted above, the various team members of Ablesoft living out their dreams of being pilots.
The fun did not stop there. Along with the attire, the team also got their kicks meeting new IT enthusiasts, talking technology, and getting to present in one of the many virtual break-out sessions.
See below Eric and Ben’s presentation on ‘avoiding the danger zone’, and rising up to the demands of a virtual workforce.
Note: Revisions to the opening were made to avoid major legal consequences.
A presentation by Eric and Ben Bruns on enabling your virtual work force with applications to avoid the 'danger zone'. Originally presented at Entre's 2020 F...
At the beginning of the MLB season, the team of Ablesoft welcomed a pleasant distraction from the year disrupted by COVID. But what began as a good spirited, mutual excitement for the sport quickly degenerated into an environment of competition. This became particularly clear the day that loyalties were displayed in full of our 'MLB' themed call.
To be candid, it had never been a secret as to which Chicago baseball team was supported by whom, but with such lopsided standings between the teams it made little difference. Everything changed this year. The Cubs started out of the gate red hot, and the White Sox are beginning to reap the benefits of their three (or ten depending who is asked) year re-build. Now, as we are heading into play-offs, the break room is featuring more games on the TV, winning streaks are being mentioned on calls, and tensions are continuing to build.
To be candid, it had never been a secret as to which Chicago baseball team was supported by whom, but with such lopsided standings between the teams it made little difference. Everything changed this year. The Cubs started out of the gate red hot, and the White Sox are beginning to reap the benefits of their three (or ten depending who is asked) year re-build. Now, as we are heading into play-offs, the break room is featuring more games on the TV, winning streaks are being mentioned on calls, and tensions are continuing to build.
Could this be the year that the White Sox and Cubs meet in the World Series? Not likely, but we will enjoy the ride along the way. Hopefully, the NFL season will provide us a shared team to bond over, or possibly jointly ridicule. Until then, the Ablesoft team wishes you great start to Fall. May your teams drive more cohesion in your household than ours.
Author’s Note: The Ablesoft team is back to being unified following the first round playoff eliminations of both the Cubs and White Sox. Though, it is the shared disappointment of Chicago baseball which brings us together.
Go White Sox.
“You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don't.”
- Harper Lee, Author of To Kill a Mockingbird Author
In most circumstances, I am not one to challenge the renown quote of an American Literature Icon, especially when at risk of looking 'right silly'. However, Harper Lee failed to consider the state of family-owned businesses when speaking to the inability to choose family members (particularly ones in software). I may have no choice but to tolerate my Dad's stressful antics, criticisms from my brother, and attempts of sheltering from our primary investor (and my mom). But occasionally, I get to be a part of the process in bringing on a new team member and growing the family.
Harper Lee provoked into deep thought in considering the exception of family owned businesses in choosing family (imagined by me).
Recently, Ablesoft has brought on two developers to aid in our goals of supporting customers with creative solutions delivered on a personal level. One as a full-time developer, the other as a part of our intern program.
Andrew
Edgar
Andrew has been a long-time developer, building and supporting applications from banks to manufacturers across his career.
Entering his Freshman year at Rock Valley College in pursuit of a Computer Science degree, Edgar has been building applications for the past two years and has joined on as our intern.
To read more about the team, click (here).
Ben + Hanna
Though not a developer, or particularly comfortable with computers overall, Hanna recently accepted my proposal to become a member of the immediate Bruns family, and ultimately an extension of the Ablesoft family as well.
As the new members are settling in, we are excited by Ablesoft’s path forward in continuing to grow the family. Something I think Harper Lee would even appreciate.
—Ben
As the world remains cautious and the Summer season is coming to pass, the Ablesoft team is continuing to invade each other's homes with our daily Microsoft Teams check-ins. Fortunately, the call hiccups including setup woes, spotty internet connections, and abrupt pauses to avoid talking over each other have subsided with time, but the surprises have not. Below is a glimpse of some of those surprises, and observations, over the past few months.
New Avatars
Facing the turmoil of a working mom with two children at home, Lisa, our head of design, is continually in a balancing act. Team meetings may feature her kids’ eager requests to say hello, wrestling matches, or simply using her as a chair to gaze into the camera. Recently, it was discovered that these meetings were having another impact on them as well. Below, Lisa is introducing a new companion of their household who is also named "Noel" (the President of Ablesoft), courtesy of her two sons. The team all agreed that the Noels shared many similar characteristics.
Noel, visibly excited to be recognized by Lisa's children in gnome form. Eric disappointed with the lack of a yard decor avatar.
Workspace Envy
Remote meetings have enabled a variety of 'office setups'. Attended from bedrooms, kitchens, garages, and even outdoors, the key to the home office is being comfortable, mildly isolated, and if possible, having a decent view. Michelle, our head of Marketing, created the optimal work environment which includes all the major elements. Nestled in her basement, Michelle's home office features a beautiful view of Oregon forestry featuring visits by her occasional wildlife friends.
Deer, wild turkeys, and friendly squirrels are known to stop by to say ‘hello’ in Michelle's working environment.
New Skill Development
What started as an excuse to cook outside, blossomed into the realization of a new calling when Alan took up the art of smoking. From coals, to wood chips, to a full smoker upgrade, the team of Ablesoft has witnessed Alan's ascension to that of a grill master. Ribs, pork hunks, and even bacon wrapped pineapple have all found a role in Alan's play of smoked foods. Unbeknownst to him, he has earned himself a new role as Ablesoft's 'head of catering’ for our future office cookouts.
The art of smoking is embraced by all in the Arian’s family. The reasons as to why are depicted above.
Recent office space adjustments have brought the ASI team back together once again. Which means for now, the daily check-in theater will have to be postponed. Despite the entertainment value they may bring, the team remains quite alright with the new setup.
Ablesoft team sifting through the Microsoft announcements on technology.
Though obscure in the eyes of the Microsoft behemoth, as a company that develops software using their technologies, Ablesoft is best served by paying attention to what technological vision they are touting. Like Ralphie and his use of the Ovaltine decoder in the Christmas Story, the Ablesoft team needs to decipher the cryptic technological messages sent out by Microsoft to decide what direction we are headed in developing programs for our customers.
Sometimes the message at the end can be underwhelming…
My apologies for the Christmas-themed reference, but the metaphor could not leave me.
Once armed with the 'decoded' message, it is necessary to simplify and depict it from our perspective. Why? For one, it brings more clarity to our own business for programmers and non-programmers alike to align towards. The second, it gives customers a better idea of what goes into making the products we deliver. Although they may not understand how to make the dish, they at least will have a better understanding of the ingredients to better appreciate it.
Below is our first crack at laying out our decoded results and adopting them into our development process. Here are some of the high-level ideas behind it:
Customer
This portion represents the magic which happens between Ablesoft and our customers. It is here where we work together to define the unique business requirements that dictate what the application is supposed to do. Also, it is where the interface of the application is developed whether web based, desktop, or cross platform for the customer.
ASI Core
The core exists to get programming projects up and running quickly. So Instead of each project starting from scratch, it is here where pre-built components by Ablesoft are incorporated into a variety of projects to avoid 'recreating the wheel' for each application.
Microsoft Technologies
The .Net framework was created in the early 2000's under the same principle that drives Ablesoft to develop the 'ASI Core' - to speed up the process and quality of programming by re-purposing pre-built code created. But, as technologies evolved and the requirements of applications changed over the years, Microsoft created multiple programming languages and frameworks to support web-based, desktop, and mobile applications. Now, their vision is to begin consolidating the once disparate development technologies down into a shared framework that can be used across devices. This is called .Net 5 and symbolized in the chart below:
Although this write up may generate eye rolls from programmers for its simplicity, or readers irritated by the untimely Christmas Story reference, it is a necessary risk to take. So, when it comes to the future of your company's applications written with Microsoft technologies, consider us as your own personal decoder. Hopefully, our decoded message from Microsoft is more helpful than Ralphie’s.
One unforeseen consequence of the mandated shut-ins has been the emergence of animals in places where people would otherwise occupy. Stories of monkeys taking to the streets in Thailand cities, rats finding their ways into people’s homes instead of restaurant garbage, and sheepish wildlife being sighted in public areas have been appearing.
Click image for WSJ article.
Click image for Chicago NBC article.
Click image for the Hill article.
This global phenomenon does not stop in major cities. A similar occurrence has been observed right here at the Ablesoft office. Fortunately, it is not rats or wild animals, but rather a staple of our office who is attempting to re-establish his role in the office hierarchy - Doug.
Once outnumbered by humans, Doug accepted his place as the token tech. company dog. Now, the tide is changing, and Doug is establishing ways to challenge those who remain in the office as 'Top Dog'. Below is a glimpse of his desperate climb to the top.
A sign of the turmoil to come first began with Doug’s showcased reading choice. Clearly directed at Noel, Ablesoft’s President.
Meetings became impossible with Doug’s constant insistence that he had already reserved the meeting room.
Then came the unusual content selections in ASI’s break room.
The stand-off finally came to a head with Doug claiming the boss’s spot….
Just to realize, he had crossed the line…
As sanctions are beginning to lift things are getting back to normal for the employees of Ablesoft. Gradually, employees are returning to the office and look forward to being back in each other’s presence soon. Although Doug has settled back into his role of the token tech. dog, he is not afraid to remind us whose home Ablesoft really is.
From the employees of Ablesoft, we wish you good health and a smooth transition back into normalcy. Also, a little less turmoil with your pets than us.
What would otherwise be hosted in a packed convention center in downtown Seattle filled with flash, hype, and grand statements on technology, Microsoft's annual tech convention took a different approach this year. Condensing a 3-day event to a 48-hour marathon of online content, Microsoft's build conference adopted a more intimate tone. Flash, or not, the developers of Ablesoft were focused on one thing - the tech. We made sure to take the necessary steps to avoid missing one moment. Following that experience, here are some of the takeaways from the Ablesoft team:
Respect the Elders
Since its inception in 2002, Windows Forms (WinForms) was introduced as Microsoft's first user interface technology for building .Net Framework applications. Because of its power and relative ease of use, developers and organizations utilized the technology for business applications. Many which are still in use today. As with any 'legacy' technology, over time whispers of obsolescence quickly gain traction to fear that the technology will not be supported, or in other words dead. In this recent build conference, Microsoft clarified that WinForm apps will be adapted for the future - so the technology can live to see another day.
Microsoft’s open source offering to developers.
Sharing is Caring
With the recent explosion of virtual working, Microsoft has advanced 2 years in 2 months with their collaboration tools according to Satya Nadell, Microsoft's CEO, in his keynote. That future puts an emphasis on collaboration across employees and developers with Microsoft Teams, open source communities, and environments that foster co-creation across developers. A few updates:
Microsoft Teams – With the Power Platform, will give the ability to add low-code programs to carry out workflows. I.E. sending automated on-boarding materials through to a new-hire through Teams. For more examples, click here.
Open Source Communities – Starting with the acquisition of GitHub in ‘18, Microsoft has continued to tout its push to open source communities where developers can share programming pieces for quicker application development.
Converging Technology
Where is the Microsoft giant bounding towards these days? To a centered, inward peace. With the proclamation of agile, modern, and open development being the future, Microsoft is seeking to converge many of their development technologies, such as WinForms, WPF, and UWP into shared platforms. This journey ends with businesses using polished applications while lowering their maintenance costs across time. So, Microsoft is more of the 'Big Friendly Giant' than a tormenting one:
Microsoft keeping their little developer friends content.
Collaboration Technologies – Microsoft Dev Ops and Microsoft Teams will pair together as a tool for developers to communicate, track requirements, and monitor the development of programming for applications.
Despite missing out on the perks of conventions with the complimentary coffees, lunch buffets, and free vendor swag, the Build conference was viewed positively by the Ablesoft team. Microsoft is providing a clearer path with the unification of their technologies which is energizing our developers in forging our future technology approach. Stay tuned for more.