imechura

Good Evening,

Can anyone provide links to online forums and communities that offer the same caliber of knowledge and conversations as this board but that is more focused on enterprise software and B2B?

Thanks,

Hi All, I'm aware of the current trend to build SAAS based web applications. I have an idea for an application that would contain sensitive IT information targeted for large enterprises.

The CIO's and CTO's I've worked with in the past would want an onsite solution for this type of application and it would probably not be targeted well for smaller companies. Also most decision makers at the companies I would target would want a solution integrated with their internal security infrastructure (SiteMider, LDAP, Active Directory, etc).

My background with webapps is mainly in three stacks Python/Django, PHP/codeigniter and Java/Spring. My preference is to work with python/django and I feel it would be more than capable for this offering not to mention bringing the app to market faster, however I am afraid that IT rules, politics, internal standards could make it more difficult for me to close sales if I go the python route.

The downside to developing in the Java/Spring stack is the time and effort involved in development. The upside is that Java on Tomcat appears to be the defacto standard for enterprise installations. It certainly is not hurting the adoption of Atlassian products.

Does anyone have some insight from with this aspect of product development to help me steer my stack selection decision?

Thanks, Ian

Hey Guys,

I’m looking for some advice for my wife from the HN point of view.

My wife is an accomplished Journalist with a degree in communications and business from a good university. After taking a 5 year sabbatical to care for our daughter she wants to reenter the workforce but this time in the technology field. Unfortunately, she is meeting much resistance attempting to get her foot into the door as a Tester, Writer or Jr. Analyst. The main problem being that there are rarely ever entry level opportunities posted in our area (Dallas, TX).

Do you guys have any leads or suggestions on one could best positions themselves for this type of career re-entry?

I would also add that if anyone requires any copy writing or technical writing for projects she is available to help you out in order to gain some marketable experience.

Theoretically, If you had over a decade of experience working in most aspects of enterprise software including, software engineering, team leadership / management, architecture, and consulting then you decided to begin working on your bachelors degree, what major would you choose and why?

Right now the only thing not being considered in this theoretical exercise is CS.

Hey Guys,

This may not be the appropriate forum but I tend to trust the members of ycombinator and am not really a part of many online communities lately.

I've noticed that since last Fall my role at a major U.S. corporation has started to move away from writing code and more towards interfacing with internal business customers and providing architectural leadership and review. I am not officially an architect (yet!) because in my company we have very few architects all of which report to to the executive vice presidents (i.e. the CTO, CIO, etc).

Surprisingly I miss coding a lot less than I had feared and find myself enjoying and embracing my new position. However, now that I am seeing the world through a new lens I am no longer the expert in my field that I used to be. Also, I do not have the relationships with mentors at this level that I developed through 10 years of software development.

I was wondering if anyone else has successfully made this transition and any tips or suggestions that may be up for offer.

Right now I know that I am weak in soft skills (communication, presentations, goal setting, MS office skills, influence, leadership, etc) so if anyone has any recommendations on training or educational resources I would appreciate them.

I would like to add that it was my pursuit of running a startup that provided me the tools and mindset to get to this new elevated position and almost all of the information and motivation came from the ycombinator community.

Thanks for any suggestions or motivations, Ian

I would like to make an observation about the state of enterprise technology. There has been a buzzword making its rounds in executive offices lately about “focusing on core competencies”. This buzzword is usually code for outsourcing your development and IT. Sabre Holdings, Inc., one of the largest suppliers of airline software outsourced the maintenance of their SET mainframe reservation system to EDS/HP several years ago to focus on “core competencies” and reduce costs. This is a multi hundred million dollar per year revenue stream. Today American Airlines has decided to replace their Sabre provided reservation system with a custom developed system that will be developed by none other than HP.

Can you recommend a decent math primer for those of us who did not earn a degree in CS and would like to undertake the SICP text?

I am trying to build a side app on a budget (read almost no budget) and I need someone to create 1 or 2 informational graphics to go into a jquery slider. This would be something similar to the large image above the fold on basecamphq.com<p>Anyone want help out?

How much should I expect to pay for these services?

I have always read that when validating a possible new venture one needs to know what the size of the market is for the product or service you will offer.

This seams like a simple task if you are opening a gas station in a neighborhood because you have easy access local demographic information but I have had difficulty coming up with realistic numbers for previous situations I have been in.

Take this product for instance. "A centralized log monitoring tool for J2EE applications". One would have to know how many companies in a target region develop or run applications based on J2EE technology. I have to this date not been able to find an accurate number for that.

Or another "A web based staff planning application for small businesses". In 2008, there were 29.6 million businesses in the United States but what percentage of those businesses would this product even apply to.

I am starting to think that the market analysis included in most business plans is somewhere between magic and pulled from thin air.

Can anyone offer some resources to help me better understand how you can accurately size a market for a particular product or service.