Ian Smith
Parallel48: End-User Programming Has Already Won (But We Forgot To Tell You)
Postponed due to RER Strike to 30th June 2010, 14.30
LRI, salle 79 (how to get there ?)
Entrée libre et gratuite
Abstract
Act I: I'll give some short background on research in end-user programming in the literature and talk about its relationships to existing products. In this act, I hope to convince you that end-user programming already "won" versus traditional software development. (I may also try to convince you that the USA was *absolutely robbed* in the match against Slovenia.)
Act II: I'll talk a bit our product, Reverb, that is an end-user programming tool for iPhone application development. For the more technically inclined, I'll give you a short "under the covers" explanation of both how the system works and why some the technical choices were made.
Act III: I'll try to briefly suggest a few resources for potential start-uppers and entrepreneurs to exploit in the Paris region.
Whether this is a greek tragedy or a comedy will be left up to the audience.
Biography
Ian Smith is a general purpose software weasel and business entrepreneur who is the biz lead for Parallel48. He has made stops in the Sillycon Valley (Xerox PARC) and in Seattle (Intel Research, Transmutable Networks) before landing in Paris, 3rd arrondissement. He is currently trying to figure out what he'll do when he grows up. He spends a great deal of time complaining loudly about the poor quality of mexican food available in Paris, but also seems to be interested in the intersection of computer science, user research, macro-economics, new business models, and cool toys to play with. He is often found loitering in Silicon Sentier (Paris 2e) and, strangely, nobody has told him to go away. He spent 10 years in the general vicinity of Georgia Tech before they told him to leave in 1998. He may, in fact, have no qualifications whatsoever.