Everything is Moving too Fast

Yes, it does feel that way sometimes. Our industry is constantly changing. So much so, that it is difficult to keep up sometimes. Last week at Tech Ed, I heard the same comments from many attendees; "Which technology should I use?" "What should I be learning?" While there is no easy answer to this, and none of us has a crystal ball, there are a few things that are tried and true and have always worked in our industry.

Stick with the Basics
Remember that no matter what new tools are introduced, or regardless of which language you use, there are a few core disciplines that you need to know.

• Structured Programming
• Object Oriented Programming
• Avoid copy and paste
• Security
• SQL / Set Theory

This may seem like a lot to know, but these are the basics upon which you should base all your programs. The new tools, languages and technologies that appear will most likely just be syntax that you have to learn about.

PDSA's Crystal Ball
OK. So of all of the technologies that are coming out, which ones have we been working with or are looking at? We have found uses for all of the following:

• ASP.NET
• WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation)
• WCF (Windows Communication Foundation)
• Silverlight
• Team System

We have been doing project development in the above technologies for quite awhile, or are starting new projects using them. While, we certainly do not have a crystal ball into the future, these are technologies that we think will be core for quite awhile to come.