Welcome to the blog.
Hi, my name is Peter Collins. My aim in launching this blog is to provide more information related to the metaEngine SharePoint 2010 solution (soon to be solutions...). The articles will aim to support the install, configuration and customisation of the solutions and publish answers to any common issues customers have.
For the last 10 years I’ve been working with SharePoint and its associated technologies in a range of roles including developer, consultant, project manager, software architect, etc... For the last 7 years I’ve been responsible for metaEngine solutions (SharePoint 2003, 2007) that have provided add-ons to SharePoint for taxonomy based labelling, categorisation and navigation.
With SharePoint 2010, taxonomy labeling is provided out of the box by the Managed Metadata feature so the metaEngine solutions for SharePoint 2010 focus on extending the Managed Metadata capability and generally improving findability and information access.
For the past year or so I've worked a lot with SharePoint 2010 user (sandbox) solutions. For all the restrictions they place on developers I really think they have the ability to deliver enhancements in a timely and safe manner.
Obviously from a small business point of view they also have the benefit that they can be used on Office 365 and installed by site admins so they can be easily evaluated and installed.
They also provide plenty of scope for blogging as there are a lots of workarounds and “inventive” techniques needed to get things done in the sandbox...
Other motivations for blogging are probably common with many others, a general shame that I've been reading various SharePoint blogs for the last 10 years and never shared my own pearls of wisdom when I manage to solve some weird SharePoint configuration problem or development bug....
As a person whose obsessed with learning new things (and fiddling with technologies) I’ve had fun setting up this new site on Google App Engine, using Python, integrating PayPal and checking out the skeleton based web site on my phone. Its cool to a have a modern web site at last, that I can easily open and update on my phone. I'm finally creating a new, more current online identity for myself and the metaEngine products.
Having now flirted with the dark side (Google Apps, App Engine) its good to get back to the comforts and familiarity of the SharePoint and .net world...
Peter Collins.