Brian Cole introduced himself to the group in this talk by presenting some of his projects and hobbies. The notes from other group members are presented below:

Brain was an original contributer to the Blackbox linux window manager. There’s an equivalent bb4win port for Windows (similar to WindowBlinds.) He’s currently involved in a software project through Stockton called the “Integrated Management System,” which allows technology workers and staff to easily manage and track workstations within the school. It tracks every computer on campus by pulling information on login, with assistance from a C++ app he coded. Some of the features include

• automatically generated service sheets in PDF form
• an improved ticket system
• emailed error reports.

It was originally served from a standard LAMP stack and was eventually migrated to all Microsoft products and rewritten in C# and ASP (using the MVC framework.)

The ECAdmin project is another ongoing Stockton project under Brian’s control. Designed for classrooms using the .NET framework, the ECAdmin application allows users to control projectors in all rooms of the campus. Brian was able to WireShark the original software to discover the control codes and design a more intuitive interface.

Brian also commented on his use of Resharper, a code completion tool for Visual Studio that offers enhanced completion of code, along with many other useful suggestions. Brian finished the talk with a discussion of his home server setup, including a server-rack with a Cisco router and a few 1U hosts, complete with a battery backup.

Brian Cole’s website is available at http://www.bcole.net/