John R. Pattison
Custom software developer. IT consultant. Geek.
New Version of Microsoft AntiSpyware being deployed today
Jun 29th
If you have Microsoft Antispyware loaded on your machine, you’ll notice that a new version got pushed out today, as evidenced by the little box in the bottom-right corner of your screen nagging you to download and upgrade to the latest and greatest. This is another beta release — sorry, not the real thing yet. However, you may be excited to know that Microsoft has extended the Beta period through the end of 2005, which means that you have at least another half year of free spyware protection coming your way, complements of the big guys at Redmond.
There’s not much More >
Great Time at DevTeach
Jun 27th
I had a great time at DevTeach last week (June 19-21, 2005) in Montreal, Canada. It was held at Le Centre Sheraton, which is just an absolutely beautiful hotel. I would definitely recommend this conference to anyone looking for an affordable alternative to DevConnections or TechEd. I am hoping to attend next year as well.
Of course, I was there armed with my Tablet PC (albeit usually plugged in because the battery has been performing so poorly), taking copious notes. If anyone is interested in obtaining a copy of my notes, just drop me a line using the feedback for at http://InfoMgt.us.
More >John Passed 7th Microsoft Certification Test and Achieved MCDBA
Jun 11th
Roughly a year after achieving my first major Microsoft certification, I have achieved my third — Microsoft Certified Database Administrator. This certification built on my previous testing required to achieve Microsoft Certified Application Developer for .NET (May 1, 2003) and Microsoft Certified Solution Developer for .NET (Aug. 28, 2003).
This seventh test was 70-290, Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment. This test served as an elective to the MCDBA certification. Previous requirements were satisfied by 70-228 (May 26, 2003), 70-229 (Jul. 22, 2003, elective for MCSD .NET), and 70-305 (Apr. 11, 2003, core for MCAD .NET).
This certification opens More >
John Passed 6th Microsoft Certification Test on the way to Next Major Certification
May 26th
Today I passed Microsoft Certification test 70-228: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition. This test focused on configuring SQL Server — Microsoft’s enterprise-class database software. Topics included both hardware and software.
This test builds on my work achieving Microsoft Certified Solution Developer for .NET, and is one of two tests that I need to achieve Microsoft Certified Database Administrator. I plan on agressively working towards the next certification test, as databases are core and essential to my work.
John Achieves New Microsoft Certified Solution Developer for .NET certification
Aug 31st
Exactly five months after I passed my first Microsoft certification test, I passed my fifth test, achieving my 2003 continuing education goal to achieve Microsoft Certified Solution Developer for Microsoft .NET status. As of August 11, 2003, there were 2,160 people in the world with this certification. That makes me approximately the 2500th person in the world to achieve the MCSD.NET certification. In addition, since I achieved the certification before September 30, 2003, I am distinguished as an “Early Achiever,” which reflects a commitment to rapidly learning and adopting new enterprise software development technologies. The fifth test was indeed the More >
John Passed Fourth Certification Test
Jul 22nd
In April, after completing three certification tests, I achieved the Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) status. Today, I passed my first test toward my next certification goal — the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD). Today’s test was test 70-229: Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition. Topics included database design, database tuning (for optimal performance), and various case study-style questions. As usual, the test was multiple choice, with at least half of the questions having two right answers but only one “Microsoft” answer.Over the next two months, I will be studying for my final MCSD test. More >
John Pattison achieves third certification in Microsoft .NET technologies, achieves MCAD status
May 1st
Today, I finished the third test in the series of Microsoft .NET certifications, achieving the status of Microsoft Certified Application Developer.Test 70-310, “Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework,” covered topics dealing with distributed systems and enterprise-level application architecture. With this new certification, I can now offer much more robust solutions to my clients, including systems that easily span local and Internet applications, as well as business-to-business communication.I look forward to using these new skills to help your company soar above boundaries and reach its full potential.John R. Pattison
More >John Pattison Achieves New Certification for Microsoft VB.NET for Web Applications
Apr 11th
I am proud to announce today, that after 700 pages of textbook reading and an intense period of studying, I have passed Microsoft exam 70-305, Developing and Implementing Web-based Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.In my March 28, 2003 new release, I told you a bit about Microsoft’s new .NET certifications, and the value of hiring a contractor or employee with industry certifications. Today, I would like to touch a bit more on the new .NET platform.You may have heard about Microsoft’s .NET initiative in the news recently, but you are likely thinking what I More >
John Pattison Achieves New Microsoft VB.NET for Windows Certification
Mar 28th
After an intense two months of studying, today I passed Microsoft exam 070-306, Developing and Implementing Windows-based Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Micrososft Visual Studio .NET. Microsoft’s .NET initiative is very exciting, and I am happy to be an official participant of its rollout. Please feel free to talk to me about what exactly .NET is, and how upgrading your company’s systems to .NET, or implementing new .NET applications, can help streamline your operations and increase B2B synergy. This exam alone now categorizes me as a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). It is also the first in a series of three exams More >