To show my age, long ago I got hooked on a computer games called simply "Adventure". The longer name is Adventure in Colossal Cave or something like that. It was a simple text-based game that let you explore a cave and interact with things and creatures. In one area, there is a maze. The description says something like "you are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike". I was musing about the twists and turns that life takes to get us to where we are. When I show my resume to people, I get one of two responses. The first is "What are you?". The second is "You have a lot of diverse experience." If we do one thing for our whole lives, then where is the excitement and richness of life?
Anyway, my latest job has dropped me into the world of networking, IP, telephony, and ATM. While learning about routers and such to program them, I decided to gather the knowledge that I have gained an get a CISCO CCNA certification. I love learning new things and networking certainly has a lot to learn. So, now there will be something else to question on my resume. But, would you rather work with someone who knows how to hit nails with a hammer or someone who has a full toolbox of tools to solve your problems?
Friday, September 17, 2010
DIscovered Gems
Every day I look for something. Sometimes I find it and sometimes not. Sometimes I find things that I was not expecting to find or looking for!
I have a need to create PDF files from my .NET application so I started looking for libraries. There are several out there and they are expensive. Without the budget, I postponed the decision. Then I discovered iTextSharp. It's a free PDF library that so far has been fantastic for me. The only downside I have found so far is that it comes with no documentation. Google searches for specific tasks have been successful so far, but I decided to lay out the $40 for the book (far less than the cost of the other libraries!). The book is written by the author and I am looking forward to reading it when it comes. The intro is available on Amazon, which gave me an introduction to the author, who is an intriguing person.
If you need PDF capabilities in your application, check out iTextSharp.
I have a need to create PDF files from my .NET application so I started looking for libraries. There are several out there and they are expensive. Without the budget, I postponed the decision. Then I discovered iTextSharp. It's a free PDF library that so far has been fantastic for me. The only downside I have found so far is that it comes with no documentation. Google searches for specific tasks have been successful so far, but I decided to lay out the $40 for the book (far less than the cost of the other libraries!). The book is written by the author and I am looking forward to reading it when it comes. The intro is available on Amazon, which gave me an introduction to the author, who is an intriguing person.
If you need PDF capabilities in your application, check out iTextSharp.
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