In Russia, very few developers of software for mobile devices, so each - worth its weight in gold. As the forces HPCru trying to acquaint them with their readers. At this time we were lucky. In our office was the head of the Novgorod Addiction Antares Software Factory Dmitry Tsymbal. However, without cocked hat and a pink hippo:), but nonetheless it was very interesting to talk with the chief inspirer of the team, which considers software development for handheld computers promising activity.
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HPCru: How does a company Antares Software? D.TS.: Antares born within the walls of Novgorod University. Company's birthday - October 14, 2000. All employees of Antares Software - teachers, students or graduates of the university, almost all - graduates or students of the Department of the software. In total in the company of 25 people (though a year ago was 10). We began to engage in mobile development in May 2001. Our first mobile product - the "Guide to Great Novgorod" for Palm - fortunately, was very successful and took second place in the competition "Palmovaya branch. Encouraged by this success, we have made the direction of mobile development a priority. So we began to engage in mobile technologies, and for a short time were able to become leaders in the field of application software for PDAs. HPCru: That link to the university prompted the company to hold student contest developments? D.TS.: All of our employees are closely connected with the university, and we are including and teaching. Competition is developing software for mobile devices - is an attempt to make in the learning process some fresh impetus. In this guide we were supported by the Department Rept. We wanted to ensure that students were not making routine laboratory work - the same from year to year - and do something new and original, and with benefit to themselves. Thus was created the concept of student engagement in the process of software development under the guidance of professionals. Coincidentally, just the guys who finished second course was the old practice, and we decided to embody this idea. On this practice, students have been studying C + + language with a bias in the development of mobile applications (for Palm OS, Pocket PC and C-Pen), and eventually the guys have worked and continue to work on a variety of programs. We are probably the only Russian software company that launched an ambitious educational project related to mobile technologies. Once again I want to emphasize the spectrum of these programs is very broad: from technological nuclei (or "engines"), a variety of games to the software to operate the railway timetable. Strict deadline for submission of projects was not so for the New Year expect another half-dozen programs. All in all this tutorial project involved about 50 students who were able to combine business with pleasure: to fulfill an educational mission, to participate in the competition and gain professional experience. HPCru: And when will sum it up? D.TS.: By the New Year, when we see and can appreciate all the work. Now ponders a prize winner. Probably, it will be any model of PDA. We do not want this work to limit the scope of the competition, so in the future (spring), under the leadership of our guys will bring the project to completion, to the stage of "commercial release." Now I do not really prepared to say that it will be for projects and how they will be. However, first and foremost an educational project. Our goal was not to obtain a commercial benefit, and to involve students to the latest technology. Of course, we honor the most distinguished students, and I think after some time they will receive an invitation to work in our company. HPCru: And what company Antares Software is now engaged in yet? What commercial projects appear in your plans? D.TS.: As I said, mobile development - one of our priorities. Total of three directions, in addition to mobile technology - medical information systems (that is what we are particularly known in his Novgorod region), and games.Development of games we still have more of a "virtual" direction, but next year we plan skontsentirovat forces and attention on this side of our business. HPCru: A handheld computers in these solutions for medical use? In the West, the hospital - one of the main buyers of handheld computers ... D.TS.: We would first teach the staff contact c ordinary PC:) Nevertheless, we see the possibility of using the CCP - in terms of working with databases that are widely used in our medical systems. But today it only plans. HPCru: We return to the topic of mobile ... D.TS.: The assets of Antares Software four mobile platforms: Palm OS, Pocket PC, Symbian OS and the operating system handles the scanning C-Pen. For each of the platforms we have a number of projects. In this case, if for Symbian and C-Pen is any individual, experienced design, the Palm OS and Pocket PC are the priorities - between the two systems of our forces are distributed approximately equally. In general, mobile development - showcase of the company. With these products, we go beyond the Novgorod region and even outside Russia. We came to prominence precisely because of mobile developments. We have a number of fairly large customers whose orders we regularly perform. For example, we worked with the largest paging operator VessoLink. The details of the project, I do not want to talk, all information will be available in February next year. HPCru: What kind of products can already tell you? D.TS.: This is a difficult question. Under the terms of almost all the contracts we have no right to talk or even mention about our projects for some time. The only thing I can say that commercial products quite a lot and we have much to be proud of. Our programs operate in many countries around the world. Something that can be attributed to public information - is undoubtedly one of the most important projects, which will gain more popularity - "Preference". This joint project, born on the initiative of the Association of users of mobile devices and PDAs (Moscow Palmklub) and growing with the active collaboration of the Association and three companies - Antares Software, "Mack Center and the company's" Mariage. " We all have combined efforts to produce a version of the game "Preference" for handheld computers. The challenge for us to put very simply - "Porting the game to another platform - but in reality we are faced with many challenges. However, the engine and interface for Pocket PC is already ready and now we are working on a version of the game for the Palm OS. (About the Alpha version of Pocket "Preference" we are told in our yesterday's review - HPCru [ca. Ed.]) Obviously, we did a special version of the game for the fifth version of the operating system of Palm, with all its multimedia innovations. (The website of the Association of users of handheld and mobile devices, there is an official page dedicated to the project preference for the Palm [ca. Ed.])
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| So it will look like the final version of the Russian Pocket "Preference" |
HPCru: When can we expect the final release? While for the Pocket PC? D.TS.: I'm sure the New Year we will be able to present to all users of such a gift. HPCru: What company is proud of? D.TS.: First and foremost, we are proud of our credibility on the part of clients and partners. We are very sensitive otnositmsya to his name, and do our best to trust us. In business since it is one of the most important qualities of the company, is not it? We are the only Novgorod company that has moved beyond the region with its developments and has received wide acclaim. We have a great team, we are quite happy with all his works. Much effort has been expended on the establishment of a quality system, but we produce enough reliable products. Among our developments, for example, there is even a very sophisticated knowledge-intensive projects. One of those "interesting" - when working on projects, we found a number of undocumented errors Windows CE and were able to cope with them. In addition, discovered a few undocumented functions display an image on the screen.For Palm'a we may be the only (or one of the few, so it is exactly) in Russia have created a utility to display the text to print laser printer via infrared. Print function in Palm'ah in principle is not provided, so this task had to be tricky. HPCru: What are your plans for the near future? D.TS.: We will actively develop the division games. Within a month or two we select game developers in a separate division. Emphasis will we do in the game for mobile platforms, but is not limited. In particular, we carried out some time ago an order of a Swedish firm to develop a strategic game for desktop computers, something like "Civilization". The same department will be engaged and completing some of the "engines" that were submitted for the contest. In addition, we have great plans to work in the market CRM-systems (CRM). Finished products for Palm OS and Pocket PC, which will be used by corporate customers in these purposes. Product will have a modular system, so can flexibly adapt to the needs of the customer. Among the most requested features will be, we think, the registration of sales in the open field and the system of sales management / delivery. Naturally, the program will include support functions, wireless data, which is a modern handheld computers. In general, the main bet on the CRM system. PS From the Editor. Today Dmitry Tsymbal - birthday. HPCru team congratulates the head of Antares Software Factory and wishes a successful realization of all planned projects, and even those that at first glance seem impossible:) The authors, translation:
Konstantin Vorontsov