InnerWorkings Blogs

Dublin, Ireland & Pleasanton, CA - June 6, 2005 - From TechEd 2005 in Orlando, Florida, InnerWorkings today announced its plans to provide comprehensive learning programs for developers moving from Visual Basic 6.0 to Visual Basic .NET and Visual Basic 2005. Based on the company’s unique structured practice methodology, the new programs are designed to introduce developers to key technique and language changes in Visual Basic .NET.

Developers using the new programs will write Visual Basic .NET code as they work through a structured series of coding challenges, each augmented by the coaching, support, and extensive reference framework that is a hallmark of InnerWorkings’ developer learning programs. In addition, immediate feedback is provided to developers by InnerWorkings’ real-time code judging engine, Inferent. Challenges increase progressively, ultimately requiring developers to work in a full n-tiered enterprise application. As a result, developers gain confidence in the Visual Basic .NET language and the Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment, as well as the competency to tackle significant business issues in software using the .NET Framework.

With an estimated 3 million Visual Basic 6.0 developers in North America alone, there is a clear need for solutions to facilitate the transition to Visual Basic .NET. Among the factors currently bringing this issue into focus for enterprises is the end of free mainstream support for Visual basic 6.0 in April of this year.

“Visual Basic .NET provides real advantages over Visual Basic 6.0,” said Greg DeMichillie, Lead Analyst for Directions on Microsoft. “However, developers will require additional assistance to learn the new .NET Framework architecture in order to successfully make the transition and tap into the power of the .NET Framework.”

“For one thing, developers familiar with programming in Visual Basic 6.0 face a learning curve moving to Visual Basic .NET. The availability of integrated tools such as InnerWorkings Developer will ease the pain and speed the transition for developers.”

“Visual Basic has a tremendous and passionate developer community,” said Jay Roxe, Product Manager for Visual Basic at Microsoft. “We welcome InnerWorkings’ commitment to helping Visual Basic developers upgrade their skills and ease the transition to Visual Basic .NET. The company’s structured practice methodology and tight integration with Microsoft Visual Studio are unique and will help developers leverage their skills and solve new challenges using Visual Basic .NET and the upcoming Visual Basic 2005.”

“Skilled developers face increasing demands to make a successful transition to the .NET Framework and leverage its enormous potential,” said Francis McKeagney, CEO of InnerWorkings. “Our understanding of the issues facing Visual Basic developers as they strive to use the power of the .NET Framework in their enterprise applications enables InnerWorkings to offer wide-ranging and rigorous learning solutions to Visual Basic developers and their managers as they tackle this core business challenge. We are heartened by the positive response to our solutions among the software development community.”

Initial Practice Sets demonstrate how to develop Web-based applications using ASP.NET and Visual Basic .NET. ASP.NET topics include Web controls, state management, input validation, exception handling, and user controls. Other topics covered in the Practice Sets include server controls, globalization, localization, ADO.NET, and deployment. In addition, several techniques, best practices, and design patterns are identified and applied in the context of a multilayered application.

At TechEd 2005, InnerWorkings can be found within Microsoft’s Partner Pavilion in booth 845, and the company will be providing a CD with sample Practice Sets to developers at the show.

About InnerWorkings
InnerWorkings is a pioneer of learning and performance solutions for software developers and their managers. The company specializes in the delivery of practice-based learning solutions that address key coding techniques and enterprise application needs, thereby providing true visibility into developer performance. Inferent, the company’s real-time code judging engine, lets developers evaluate their performance and provides corrective feedback to advance the learning process. InnerWorkings’ goal is to transform the way software developers learn and are supported in the workplace, as well as enabling the accurate measurement of developer capabilities throughout an organization.

InnerWorkings’ Research and Development facility is based in Dublin, Ireland and the company maintains its corporate headquarters in Pleasanton, California. For more information about InnerWorkings and its services, visit www.innerworkings.com.

All products and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Contacts

Brian Finnerty
InnerWorkings
bfinnerty@innerworkings.com
+1 925 737 0600

Allie Burns
Financial Dynamics
aburns@fd-us.com
+1 (617) 747 3604

Add this post to: