Formal PICK BASIC programming training - Who can help please?.

[Neil Pratt]

Hi there,

We have a PICK/D3 environment with some PICK programs dating back to 1983 which was two years before I started working in the MV arena. Some GUI interfaces have been developed using AccuTerm GUI and also some web interfaces.

Our President/CEO is concerned that a time will come when he won't have anyone to maintain the PICK software etc. A valid concern in my opinion as I do want to retire at some point. We have two young chaps in their 30s who we are trying to convince that PICK is the best thing since sliced bread.  One in particular keeps mumbling about SQL and about how much information is on the internet about that topic whereas there is hardly anything when it comes to PICK and MV. He also has a valid point.

My boss who is not the CEO is looking for someone who offers PICK BASIC training, who could assist us in not only convincing our youngsters of how exciting PICK is but also give them a foundation in BASIC programming. They have written some PICK BASIC code and I help them when time permits and I come up for air.

Thanks.

Neil.

PS Our CFO (Smart guy also in his 30s)  has shown some aptitude when it comes to understanding PICK and has even written some PICK code. His predecessor wrote some of our custom code and passed on the info. but he , our current CFO,  is to busy to support the software as well as perform his CFO duties.

PSS. I did a count of all the source code in our 30 plus different BP program files and came up with 1.2 Million lines which excludes comment lines and blank lines.  Of course how much of the code is actually still used is another thing altogether. :).

[Nathan Rector]

Neil,

International Spectrum has been doing Pick Training and Mentoring for
several years.

http://www.intl-spectrum.com/

-Nathan Rector
International Spectrum

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[JJCSR]

Neil:

I had to train a "newbie" to PICK about 10 years ago, and I used JES & Associates (Jon Sisk), who had done a lot of training for me over the prior years.   This latest training course was done, remotely, and proved very successful, as well as cost-efficient.   I didn't have the travel expenses that were incurred with previous training.

Jim Cronin

Director MIS, Kittery Training Post,

Kittery, Maine

[Tony Gravagno]

Neil, I've done a lot of training with business people of all ages and levels of experience. I've scaled down my MV efforts but perhaps we can work out something for near-to-mid-term mentoring and support. We can work your guys into D3, show them how to use it with RDBMS reporting tools and how to code into it with other mainstream tools, and perhaps I can help with some of the older code until the company gets someone else up-to-speed for the longer term. That should completely eliminates the "you must go SQL" mentality.

Please feel free to email at your convenience.
Good luck, however things work out.
T

TG
at
Nebula-RND
dot
Com

[jes]

Neil -

First off, want to thank Jim Cronin for the plug. He's been a stalwart client and friend for more than 30 years.

I've been doing Pick/D3 training since 1981. I personally wrote the works that form the basis of D3's online help,

and for the past decade or so have been training people who exactly fit your request, remotely and on-site.

It's actually pretty rare today to train coders who are younger than the code they are tasked with.

So if you want someone who literally knows every nook and cranny of D3, I would put my name in the running.

Jon Sisk

jes.com

[Drew Conboy]

Neil,

We have MANY years of experience in D3/Windows/.Net/Accuterm Gui...

Over the years we have found and written many utilities to provide a modern graphical user interface, while preserving the business rules built into the existing dabase.

we can provide onsite or web based training utilizing tools for browser based interfaces, graphical printing, pdf conversion, PCI compliant Credit card proccessing, emailing and faxing, etc

Please feel free to check out our website, email, or call me directly

Drew Conboy 610.653.1022  www.drexelcs.com

On Monday, April 10, 2017 at 8:44:08 AM UTC-4, Neil Pratt wrote:

[jes]

On Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at 3:00:56 PM UTC-4, Drew Conboy wrote:

Neil,

We have MANY years of experience in D3/Windows/.Net/Accuterm Gui...

If I may add something here, I would absolutely endorse Drew and crew (esp. MB)

on their Accuterm prowess. 

I should also add my coverage stops at the D3 border.

But I can arrange coverage for pretty much anything you may need, maybe even

getting MB in on the effort. He's still the first guy I call with questions.

j.

jes.com 

[Will Johnson]

Why would you *hire* "two young chaps" who have no training in BASIC programming?

That seems to be the bigger issue here.

[bcam]

I personally took JES training around 1986 (I was 24) and it was great.  Thanks again Jon and Harvey.

Oh, and tell your SQL guy to look up No-SQL and Linear Hashed based systems and to think about mobile apps/phones.   If he gets it, keep him.   Nothing like having a unique ID and finding the device or record quickly.

No-SQL was the future and the future is now.  :)

HTH. 

On Monday, April 10, 2017 at 8:44:08 AM UTC-4, Neil Pratt wrote:

[Kevin Powick]

On Tuesday, 11 April 2017 15:28:34 UTC-4, Will Johnson wrote:

Why would you *hire* "two young chaps" who have no training in BASIC programming?

1) Try to find them.

2) It doesn't matter.  A decent programmer can pick up different programming languages quite easily.  Especially something as simple as mvBASIC which has no: objects, pointers, memory management, threading, parallelism, generics, polymorphism, maps, structures, templates, macros, etc., etc., etc.

 

That seems to be the bigger issue here.

Wouldn't even register as on issue on my list.

--

Kevin Powick 

[Ian Harper]

As a young chap in their 30's I support your hiring decisions :)

My training consisted of reading Sisk's book and another one that I can't remember the name of. I also poured over the International Spectrum website which contains a lot of info, some basic some more advanced. You'll need a subscription to get the really good stuff. Going to the Spectrum conference helped a lot too, tons of valuable information from presenters.

[Neil Pratt]

Appreciate your input. Thanks.

[Neil Pratt]

We have Jon's book. I have passed this info. on to my boss. Thanks.

[Neil Pratt]

Thanks Jon as I mentioned our guys are using your book and I have passed on your info. to my boss .

[Neil Pratt]

Appreciate your response Drew.  As I said above I have passed your info up the line to my boss. :).

On Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at 3:00:56 PM UTC-4, Drew Conboy wrote:

[Neil Pratt]

Will, the two young chaps were not originally hired with the goal of training them to be PICK programmers but they have shown some interest in learning and hence my post.  I for one am all for young blood in the MV arena. :).

[Neil Pratt]

Thanks for your response. We will be taking your ideas into consideration. 

[Neil Pratt]

Thanks for your input Kevin. I'm all for encouraging our 2 young chaps to learn PICK . There are a limited number of folk who work in the more mainstream systems and use more modern programming languages that understand MV.  The more the merrier in my opinion.

I have worked with Oracle gurus and it was fun trying to explain the PICK database to them.  

[Neil Pratt]

As always Tony , thanks for your input. You were one of the first people I mentioned to my boss. I would love to have you take a look at what we're doing and give us your suggestions but it's not my call. :).  Take care.

[ERNIE VEGAS]

I can help with training as well, although my approach is different.
Rather than just do solid training, I prefer to assign them projects
from the project pool, starting with the small ones. Then monitor
their work, and train and guide as needed. All the way up to the
bigger projects.

Please email me for more information.

Thanks,

Robert Norman
ROBERT NORMAN ASSOCIATES, 951-541-1668

On 4/10/17, 'Neil Pratt' via Pick and MultiValue Databases

[JJCSR]

Hi, Robert:

Interesting you should mention your concept of "...assign them projects" as a method of training programmers.   I discussed in an earlier reply to Neil that I had employed the services of Jon Sisk some time back, to train a "PICK newbie" here at KTP.    Jon and I kicked around a few options, the first of which was for me to send my guy to California.   It was Jon's suggestion, though, that we do a SKYP, one-on-one, and use an actual "project" that I would find useful to have out of the way.   I could eliminate any travel costs, and have the new guy here for other emergencies.

It happened that we had been wanting to merge a series of files' names-and-addresses together, into a "common" mailing address.   Over many years, we had gathered such information from Special Orders, Holds, POS Transactions, Used/New Firearms and Archery serial number files, etc.   It was this application that Jon used to begin my new hire's PICK programming career.   He is still here, almost 11 years after the training.   And, today, that contains file contains over 402,000 customers for us to tap into for receiving our flyers and post cards.    

We didn't waste time using the newly-merged mailing file, which not only included demographics, but told us, as well, what type of merchandise (Classes) the customer had spent their money on.    Consequently, as special promotions come about for fishing products, camping or hunting gear, archery equipment, or clothing/boots/shoes specials (by men, women, and children categories, we now have a huge list to start with to concentrate advertising.   Not only by region (zip codes), but by actual customer mailing addresses.  

I can't even begin to estimate ROI from having Jon's superior knowledge put to use for training, using a pre-existing need for application.

Jim Cronin

Director, Management Information Services

Kittery Trading Post  (KTP.COM)

Kittery, Maine