Welcome to the Markland Central
This was once a website which was a notebook for my programming efforts. There were 2 sections
- Mark-lo-pedia Program-mi-ca - a collection of programming notes, generally focused on Visual Basic.
- Mark-lo-pedia Error-ot-ica - a collection of errors that I’ve had, and ways to get around those errors.
By trade I am a programmer. I manage some legacy Visual Basic code, and I work on applications being written in C Sharp and Angular for the UI. Most of these applications connect to a SQL Server database.
If I have to solve something using Google, in all likelihood I’ll create a topic on this website.
Really - this is a notebook. It’s not a blog, or a refined source of information. It’s actually pretty raw, as when I solve a problem, I’ll post the essential information here - in case I need to get back to it.
I suppose I aspire to one day write a book, so occasionally I’ll stuff in more text, or basic stuff, but the reality is, this is just notes.
Here are topics I am starting to build out
—- Generation 6 —-
Microsoft released the Framework (1.0 - it’s now at 4.8, it’s being retired for the AspNet Framework Core), it was a monsterous framework which was pretty cool. It rendered ASP/ADO/CDO obsolete and replaced those with the Framework. I still programmed in VB, but in VB.Net instead.
[[Actuate|Actuate|home]] - This was a report generator, which I learned while we were setting up Maximo. I did not use it a lot. It has since been replaced by BIRT, another report generator by the same company. (Actuate Inc)
[[AspNetForms|AspNetForms|home]] - A programming language used to create applications web based. It was an attempt to make programming for the web, very similar to programming windows 32 applications.
[[Bootstrap|Bootstrap|Home]] - Once you start learning html, and css, you start to bring in libraries like Bootstrap. Bootstrap gives the web developer a standard set of CSS classes to give your program that bland, professional look that you see on a lot of websites.
[[Framework|Framework|Home]] - Microsoft’s framework came with a LOT of objects.
[[GIS|GIS|Home]] - For awhile I did some programming work for the GIS department. I learned a bit about the ESRI software suite. Especially ArcPad and the ArcGIS server.
[[JavaScript|JavaScript]] - A programming language used by programmers in Web Forms
[[SqlServer|Sql|Home]] - A database product sold by Microsoft to hold information.
[[VBNet|VBNet|Home]] - A programming language used to create applications, either windows based or web based. I think Microsoft is trying to get people to stop using VB in favor of CSharp or any of a number of other languages. Many of the topics in this section also apply to the [[AspNetForms|AspNetForms|home]] page as well
—- Generation 8 —-
Generation 8 is starting around Jan 2023. For excitement I’m going to study AI, maybe I’ll bring lessons learned to the office.
A lot of my instruction is coming from TicTok. At least that’s where my research comes from - groups of 1-2 minute videios
- [[AI|AI|ArtificialIntellegence]] - AI topics
—- Generation 7 —-
Generation 7 started around 2019. I am working my way out of VB.Net Framework 4.6-8 over to ASP.Net Core 3.1 (and above), using C#.
[[Architecture|Architecture|home]] was always important with computer development. This new generation requires a higher degree of computer architecture then past generations.
[[Setup]] - The latest technologies makes use of a lot of open source projects. You end up with lots of things to install, lots of things to learn, but still a few core technologies like the programming language for the UI, another language for the API, and maybe some middle layer technologies inserted into each of the layers.
Other [[ProgrammingLanguages]]
[[Angular|Angular|Home]] - Angular is a framework for creating Web user interfaces. It is considered Opionated, which means there are specific ways of doing things. It has a high enterprise adoption rate. It ?might? be losing popularity to React and Vew which fit the same marketing nitch.
[[API|API|Home]] - API topics, or integration topics.
[[CSharp|CSharp|Home]] - C# is a programming language created my Microsoft. It’s an enhancement to C++ and quite nice.
[[Docker|Docker|Home]] - a virtual computer management system. Used by Developers and Admins.
[[EntityFrameworkCore|EntityFrameworkCore|Home]] - this is a technology which abstracts the database from the application. It underwent a rewrite for the Core technologies, it’s evolving but I dont think it’s perfect. .
[[Git|Git|Home]] - A source control tracking program with a huge following.
[[Hexo|Hexo|Hexo]] - Hexo was a diversion. It is a open system designed to create static websites using Markdown files. Actually it’s quite nice.
[[Markdown|Markdown|Home]] - Markdown, is a popular Markup language people use to create documents with. Unlike Word, it’s an ascii language, and includes ways of adding special formats to the document like Headers, Tables, Links etc.
[[NetCore|NetCore|Home]] - .Net Core is Microsoft’s replacement to the .Net framework. I think it was tuned to run in multiple environments including Apple, Linux, and Mobile. It’s been evolving as more and more of the .Net framework is updated in the .Net Core techologies
[[NodeJs|NodeJs|Home]] - Node.JS is a javascript runtime which runs on a server.
[[Powershell|Powershell|Home]] - Powershell replaces the microsoft command window. It’s object oriented. Ideally system administrators will use this rather than DOS to do their work.
[[SCSS|scss|Home]] - Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets. A CSS precompiler.
[[Tools|Tools|Home]] - With all these new technologies, comes the need for new tools. (Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, ect). This link discusses tools usually associated with programming.
[[TypeScript|TypeScript|Home]] - Typescript was developed by Microsoft. It’s a precompiler. You write TypeScript code, it will compile into JavaScript. Typescript is nice because it allows to declare data types on methods, functions, classes, variables, etc. It also act’s as a compiler so will looks for coding errors.
—- Generation 5 —-
I eventually made my way to Sacramento County as a programmer contractor. I programmed in Visual Basic, Dbase, Oracle, Asp.Net, Excel, Access, and whatever else I could get my hands on.
Over the years I’ve changed my programming focus several times.
[[ADO|ADO|Home]] - ADO (Active Data Objects) was a technology that you used to access a database when you wrote ASP pages. It’s used to access a database.
[[ASP|ASP|home]] - ASP was Microsoft’s first venture into Web development. ASP consisted of a bunch of technologies that were slowly (or quickly) retired after Asp.Net forms came out.
[[CSS|CSS|home]] - CSS is the layout language of the web.
[[Excel|Excel|home]] - Excel is included with Microsoft Office. Besides being a spreadsheet, it has a nice Macro Language and a full fledge programming language similar to Visual Basic. It’s evolved over the years quite nicely.
[[HTML|HTML|home]] - HTML is the language of the basic website. It starts with HTML text, followed by [[CSS|CSS|home]] for layout, and then [[JavaScript|JavaScript]] for the button activation and other controls.
[[VBScript|VBScript|Home]] - VB Script was a stripped down version of Basic. I think this is the language of ASP and was used in a lot of Microsoft technologys. There was also a VBScript runtime that would execute scripts written in VB.
—- Generation 4 —-
My forth job another 10 years (90’s and early 2000’s) was at a software manufacturing business known as Aldrich Computer Systems. At the beginning, I spent most of this time programming in Access. Eventually we switched to Visual Basic, We used Sybase, and SQL Server databases. Somebody else set up the office website.
- [[Microsoft_Access|Access|Home]]
—- Generation 3 —-
My third job was at the Money Store. I was a system administrator that leaned towards programming. I played with Unix scripting languages .
—- Generation 2 —-
I then spent about 10 years (the 80’s) working in a computer store. I used all kinds of products like databases, spreadsheets, accounting systems, business systems. Many of these I wrote because in those days, products just weren’t available.
—- Generation 1 —-
My first job was as a assistant programmer for the energy management department at Beale AFB.
I got this job right out of high school, I stuck with this job until I graduated with an AS degree. (A 2 year degree)
I programmed using languages like Fortran, and Assembly language.