Next Step For Developers?

[bclover]

Hey guys!

Great new technology! I love it! From what I've seen, I like it much better than Macromedia's FLEX.

I had a GREAT talk with Alec Morgan today. He was really helpful and suggested I submit a few of my questions here. My questions are as follows:

1. What's the best way for me to get more involved with Laslo? I want to become an expert? How long will this take? What training resources are there besides the "Laszlo in 10 minutes?"

2. All the Macromedia tools have lots of books and training resources...why doesn't Laslo? I've posted a proposal to O'Reilly books...suggesting that I would like to write a book on developing Laszlo applications. Again, how do I get to an expert level to be able to write a great book?

3. Is there anyway to team up my company with potential customers that come to you asking for developers? Can I get on a list of registered developers for the NC region?

4. Have you considered offering a certification?

5. Can you point me to a printable version of the Laszlo documentation / development manual?

I'm looking forward to learning more and moving away from all that complicated Macromedia stuff.

If you have any other good training materials...please point me to them. If not, maybe I can use my instructional design knowledge to help you guys build some better training samples and materials.

What do you think?

-BC

[antun]

Great to have you on board! I've answered your questions in order.

1. What's the best way for me to get more involved with Laslo? I want to become an expert?

Start with the tutorials:

http://www.laszlosystems.com/lps-2.1/tutorials/index.html

Look at the apps on mylaszlo.com and maybe browse through the code for both them and some of the sample apps. If you've downloaded the LPS you'll have all the source for most of the apps.

Next try building some small apps. Try to get an app ready to be posted on mylaszlo.com. Ask as many questions as you like on these forums. We're working on a developer's guide which will have a lot of good information. Any questions that come up on the forums get fed into the developers guide.

2. All the Macromedia tools have lots of books and training resources...why doesn't Laslo?

Laszlo will - in time.

3. Is there anyway to team up my company with potential customers that come to you asking for developers? Can I get on a list of registered developers for the NC region?

Email partners@laszlosystems.com.

4. Have you considered offering a certification?

Not yet - we have done developer days and there will be a how-to webinar coming up.

5. Can you point me to a printable version of the Laszlo documentation / development manual?

That would be the Developer's Guide, which as I've said is still under construction. There is a very early form of the guide here:

http://www.laszlosystems.com/developers/learn/documentation/developers-guide/index.php

... but it's not printable. I'm not sure if the upcoming one will be a print version, though I have requested that.

-Antun

[jsundman]

Let me define "printable documenation" as PDF-formatted books with headers, footers, numbered pages, cross-references that reference page numbers, and "screen-capture" images of running programs.

We do not plan to make documentation printable for the next release. The main reason is that there is no easy way to handle the hundreds of in-line examples--but there are a few other issues as well. We have decided, at least for now, to put all of our efforts on creating more and better documentation for online delivery. We will revisit the issue of printable docs in the next-following release.

So in other words, "no" to your request for printable docs. At least for now.

However, the next release of LPS, coming "pretty soon", will have greatly improved documentation. By the rough metrics of "English words" and "LZX examples", the Developer's Guide will be at least 8 times "bigger" than it is now. And I am confident that it also will be better organized, better edited and more consistent than it is now. I think it will go a long way to answering your main question, "how do I become an LPS expert?"

Thanks,

John,
The doc guy

[bclover]

I've created an MS Word version of the online help as it appears on your website. Screencaps of the editable code samples are included as a reference.

Now I can sit and read through the developer documentation AWAY from my computer.

Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of this printable documentation can send me an e-mail.