Why application development in South Africa is more than a job: Mbuso Ngcongo interview transcript

For some, developing database applications is just a job. But for Mbuso Ngcongo, Systems Specialist at Infomas in South Africa, it has the potential to create wealth where there isn't any. It's one of the reasons why he's starting an Alpha Five training school in South Africa.

Melissa talked to Mbuso about his training school in a video interview last week. Now this week I'm giving you the transcript of the interview in case you prefer to read it. Scroll down to read the exciting plans Mbuso has for his Alpha Five training school and potential it can bring his students.

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Melissa: Hi, everyone. I'm Melissa and I'm talking with Mbuso Ngcongo. Sorry if I didn't pronounce that right, but he is the system specialist at Infomas in South Africa. How are you today? Thank you for joining me.

Mbuso: I'm pretty well. Thank you, Melissa, and hi everyone.

Melissa: And just for the audience, what was your name again? Because I know I didn't pronounce it correctly and I apologize.

Mbuso: It was very close. Mbuso Ngcongo.

Melissa: All right. Well, thank you, Mbuso, for joining us. Mbuso is actually one of our Alpha Five developers in South Africa who is starting a training college focusing on database application development using Alpha Five.

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The most popular Alpha blog topics of 2010

It feels like only yesterday I sat down at my keyboard to reflect on 2009. Time really does fly when you're using Codeless Ajax. We have lots of new things coming to you in 2011, especially in the mobile arena (hint, hint). But I'm not going to dive into them just yet.

Instead, I'm going to take a step back. I compiled a roundup of our most popular topics on our blog based on the number of page views these articles received in 2010. Take a few minutes and thumb through the topics that created buzz on the blog.

Podcasts: This was a real surprise to me. I've heard some people say that podcasts are dead. Meanwhile, podcasts were one of the most popular topics on our blog in 2010. I think I know why. It's real developers sharing real stories of what it's like building Web apps in Alpha Five. Plus, we don't sugarcoat these interviews. We share the problems that the developers encountered, how they worked around them, as well as the advantages they found in the tool.

Feature tips: Everyone likes a helping hand, so we dished out as many helpful hints we could. We took tricks we learned from Alpha Five developers and ones we stumbled upon ourselves to help you speed up the developing process. By the way, you can contribute to our feature tips. If you have a neat trick that solves a problem, please share it with us. I'll make sure that your tip gets the chance to be featured on the blog. Developers helping developers -- that's what it's always been about.

Feature packs: Thirteen Alpha Five Version 10.5 feature packs debuted this year. One of the reasons we think they were so successful is because we wrote extensively about them. We wanted to show developers what they do, how they can help, and why they matter. Rather than just putting them on sale, it was important for us to give developers deep insight to help them decide which feature packs, if any, were right for them.

Press coverage: The media has no loyalty to Alpha Software. And as a result, they tell you exactly what they think when they review Alpha Five. I tell you all the time the benefits Alpha Five gives you. Then we work hard to get the product in front of reviewers who will confirm or invalidate the promises we make. I'm really gratified to say 2010 was a fantastic year for reviews. We received nothing but outstanding ratings from all of the reviewers, and you can read them all here on our blog.

Microsoft Access: Did you blink twice yet? This is the Alpha Software blog, but apparently you love reading about Microsoft Access. I think I know why. There's a move of foot among Access developers to see if there's a path for them to get their apps on the Web without the high cost and complexity of the current Microsoft model.

There's no question that Access developers aren't happy campers. And frankly, we are going to do all we can to help them migrate to Alpha Five. Part of that is making sure we have a rich array of blog posts that provide them with the support they need to understand how to get from Access to Alpha Five. Lots of man hours have been spent showing you how easy it is to migrate, and apparently you're finding it helpful. Is there something more you'd like to know? Let us know in a comment.

Comparison grid: Since August 2008, we've been maintaining a grid that compares Alpha Five, Microsoft Access, FileMaker, and Iron Speed. It was originally intended just as a tool to help developers who were trying to make a decision see how these products stack up. It's turned out to be an evergreen that developers turn to again and again.

That's my wrap up of 2010. Be sure to bookmark the topics you want to learn more about in the New Year. And I'll be telling you what to expect in 2011 in my next post.

Comparing FileMaker Pro's Web capabilities to Alpha Five

CORRECTION: Apparently I'm the one who hasn't been getting enough sleep. I neglected to give Jeff Cogswell credit for this brief. He put it together with the support of Dr. Martin Heller. My apologies for the confusion, I've updated the post below.

I suspect that Dr. Martin Heller hasn't been getting much sleep lately. Over the past couple of weeks, he was busy putting together his latest tutorial on how to register Web users, which he shared with you last week.

No sooner had he finished that then he got to work on a marketing brief with Jeff Cogswell comparing FileMaker Pro's Web capabilities to Alpha Five, which we're posting today.

In "FileMaker Pro vs Alpha: A Clear Decision," Dr. Heller they look at the two options FileMaker Pro gives its users when they want to deploy an app to the cloud -- Instant Web Publishing or Custom Web Publishing. The brief also weighs FileMaker Pro's customization capabilities, time and resources it takes to build a Web app, costs, and more to Alpha Five.

I won't tell you what they found in this post. Instead, you'll have to read the marketing brief to see how FileMaker Pro stacks up against Alpha Five when building Web apps.

But I will leave you with this. If you're a FileMaker Pro developer looking to customize your Web apps without having to write code, I think you'll find this brief to be very useful.

Government Computer News compares Alpha Five to FileMaker, Access, others

Government Computer News just published its annual roundup of database software. This year, as in years past, GCN compared Alpha Five, FileMaker, Microsoft Access, and several other tools.

Two main points the reviewer makes (I'm quoting verbatim):

• "[Alpha Five is] the only participant in this roundup that can compete with larger databases."
• "Alpha Five beats FileMaker and even Access when it comes to advanced features such as script building and Web application development tools."

Amen!

Here's the entire review. And if you haven't tried our latest version, you can give Alpha Five Version 10 a test drive right now.

Comparing Alpha Five Version 10 to Microsoft Access, FileMaker, and Iron Speed

Since August 2008, we've been maintaining a grid that compares Alpha Five, Microsoft Access, FileMaker, and Iron Speed. This is a decision-making tool for developers who ask the question, "How does Alpha Five compare to other database products?"

It's a very important question. We pitched a lot of people in the media to publish a comparison. Unfortunately, we weren't able to pique anyone's interest in doing a tough head-to-head test of the leading tools on the market. Frankly, we think it's because the trade magazines are under-resourced these days.

Well, we took it upon ourselves to invest in creating this grid, because we think it's important to potential customers. It's maintained for us by an industry analyst.

To reiterate what we said when we first published the grid, the reviewer's marching orders are to make sure he keeps the features list up to date and accurate. That's it. There's no effort whatsoever in this process to make Alpha Five Version 10 come out ahead of any other products. Rather, we leave it to you to decide.

So take a look at our fancy PDF version of the comparison product grid. You can also go to CompareAlphaFive.com to see a shareable, online spreadsheet version.

Please let us know if you see anything that's inaccurate in the grid. We'll correct any inaccuracies or errors immediately. And please feel free to share this with everyone you know. If you're a blogger or journalist who wants to use our grid, go ahead. Just let us know when you do so.

Codeless Ajax in action

If you're a regular here, you're already well aware that we're knee deep in our latest series of feature peeks, highlighting some of the great new and improved features of Alpha Five Version 10. We put out a press release earlier this week announcing the series, and I wanted to share it with you here.

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See Codeless Ajax in Action on Alpha Software’s Blog

The real-time Web is coming, where online apps look and feel like desktop apps. Codeless Ajax makes building real-time Web apps nearly effortless for developers, consultants, businesses, and Web designers.

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Calling all developers, designers, and entrepreneurs! Hit the Alpha Software blog right now to see how codeless Ajax lets you create rich Internet applications, without having to write or debug any code. Watch how easy it is to assemble custom Web apps that look, feel, and perform like desktop apps, but run entirely in the cloud. Witness Web databases that take user input and update screens in real time, without reloading pages or having users click “submit.” See how you can spend less time bringing killer ideas to life, and more time making money with them.

“The era of slow Web applications is ending,” says Richard Rabins, Co-Chairman of Alpha Software. “With the emergence of rich Internet experiences and the drive to cloud computing, businesses want desktop-like functionality for their workers and customers. This is a huge market opportunity for any developer, designer, or entrepreneur who can deliver next-generation Web experiences quickly and efficiently. And you won’t find a programming tool on the planet that can build rich Internet apps faster than Alpha Five Version 10, with codeless Ajax technology. You must see it to believe it.”

Invented by Alpha Software, codeless Ajax is the hallmark of the upcoming Alpha Five Version 10, an award-winning rapid development platform with visual editor, database designer, reporting engine, support for major SQL databases, Xbasic language, app genies, dozens of prefab functions and controls, and more. Now in beta, the platform is slated to ship this year. Developers can request a copy of the beta by writing to Marketing@AlphaSoftware.com. And everyone can see Alpha Five Version 10 in action by visiting the Alpha Software blog, and watching the company’s New Feature Peeks. New Feature Peeks are being added every few days, so check back often to see the latest demos of codeless Ajax in action. You can also subscribe to the Alpha Software blog to be alerted whenever a New Feature Peek is posted.

Beta tester and professional developer Jim Dusoe used Alpha Five Version 10 to build a student information tracking and reporting system in just 24 man hours. This would have taken him at least three man weeks using other development platforms, such as Visual Studio, IronSpeed, FileMaker, Servoy, PHP, or Java.

“I was able to prototype the app and get my client’s buy-in in minutes, literally,” Dusoe says. “I had the system finished and delivered three days after first contact with the client. I’ve never used anything as productive as Alpha Five. In fact, I was so impressed with the results, I dropped IronSpeed as my development platform and switched to Alpha Five.”

Rabins characterizes codeless Ajax as a true breakthrough in the history of development tools. “In the 80s, Borland’s Turbo Pascal revolutionized programming by introducing the integrated development environment,” he says. “In the 90s, Microsoft’s Visual Basic raised the bar with visual programming for Windows applications. The bar will be raised again when we unleash our codeless Ajax technology in the next quarter, and developer productivity will take a flying leap forward. No matter what you use to build Web apps, if you care about productivity, keep your eye on Alpha Five with codeless Ajax.”

Dusoe agrees. “Users want Web applications that perform as well as desktop apps,” he says. “Designers want to add database features to their sites without having to get a computer science degree. Entrepreneurs want to launch their killer app in weeks, not months. And the faster developers can prototype and deliver solutions, the more revenue they can earn in a year.”

For more information about Alpha Five Version 10 please visit the Alpha Software blog, Web site, or contact Richard@AlphaSoftware.com.

ABOUT ALPHA SOFTWARE

Since 1982, Alpha Software has been providing developers with award-winning tools that make it easy to build business applications. Today over 1 million developers and tens of millions of users rely on Alpha Software’s Alpha Five. The company is privately held, and based in Burlington, Mass. Alpha Software can be found on the Web at http://www.alphasoftware.com. The company’s blog is located at http://blog.alphasoftware.com.

Media contact:
Kate Ritchie, 610-642-8253, ext. 162
KateR@GregoryFCA.com