We have all been affected in some way by the various lockdowns, and although IT has traditionally been well served by remote working, an occasional on site presence during a lengthy and technically complex modernisation project should not be underestimated. It is your opportunity to ask the difficult questions face to face to gauge the […]
Category Archives: Uncategorised
We were once again heavily involved with the MMU Live Projects initiative this year, with no fewer than four projects undertaken by the students at Manchester Metropolitan University. The first of these was the Yorg Q & A website – information on this will follow shortly. The second of these was an application for the […]
“BIT/RC: Back to IT-basics / Refresher Course” is primarily intended for those wishing to refresh their knowledge about Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Willy Van Remortel
My legacy modernisation company had started well, but not without some sizeable bumps in the road. It was time for some consolidation… By mid 2015 the Proof Of Concept had drifted towards an unsatisfactory though predictable conclusion, but I was getting several leads from Microfocus. These were all COBOL users that had no idea how […]
After leaving a safe and well paid job the brave new world of Legacy Modernisation awaited. However, it did not all go according to plan… Things started slowly for the new company. I had a couple of minor engagements, including changes to the website of a wholesale fruit and vegetable merchant. Of course, I didn’t […]
With seven graduates integrated into the IT department I was free to move on to other things, but first I had to persuade the new management team that “The Training Guy” could do more than just teach… As the graduate training programme came to an end in the autumn of 2008, and the new management regime […]
After eleven years as a freelancer I was given the option to take a permanent role at a place I knew well… In truth it was not a difficult decision. The COBOL gravy train was showing signs of being derailed, and IR35 was a threat to the contract profession everywhere. I went to the pub […]
New century, new start. Or in my case, not so new as I returned to familiar ground in the centre of Manchester… Agencies can be a rare and strange breed. Even when you decide that you want to switch contracts they rarely help you, its almost as if they are in denial. This appeared to […]
After three contracts travelling to Leeds, Chester and Oldham, it was a welcome change to head back to the easily commutable Manchester city centre… By Spring 1996 the fashion retailer had ditched Mantis. The 4GL that worked particularly well with the hierarchical database Supra was causing all sorts of problems. Performance, record locks, unfamiliarity; it […]
After years of familiarity it can be a big step out into the unknown swimming with the sharks, but I needn’t have worried. The big wide world of contracting was not exactly a showcase for excellence… I marketed myself as a senior analyst programmer, with skills in COBOL, CICS, VSAM, Supra, and if push came […]
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