I admit: I’m a grumpy old man trying to keep up with all you young smart software gurus out there. But I have one thing going for me: I’ve been playing the development game for more around 25 years now, so I think I’ve earned at least some small right to give my viewpoint on stuff that’s happening in this crazy world of software.

To spare my family, friends and esteemed colleagues, I’m using this blog to comment – more or less @ random – on everything that catches my attention. Sort of a brain drain, if you like. I try to keep the focus on software and Information Technology in general, but don’t come complaining if I touch on other domains. If you don’t agree with what I say, there’s always the comment button.

I was born in 1959 – yes, I still remember punched cards - and I work as Lead Architect for Spikes NV, a Belgian Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and provider of absolutely the very best software and business process management approach in the whole wide world (I’m not kidding! ).

I try to keep an open mind, but I have to admit that professionally I’m biased towards the Microsoft side of the software world, and I’ve been designing and architecting solutions using Microsoft Windows, the .NET framework, Windows Workflow, Windows Communication Foundation, Microsoft Biztalk Server and Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server for just about as long as they have been around.

I’m a dad to Kim (the sweetest daughter any dad could want), and when I’m not working or studying to keep up with the breakneck pace at which the IT industry is going, you can probably find me cruising around on my Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, listening to Blues music on my iPod or even better: listening live at a concert.

I enjoy the occasional glass of beer, I love a good book, I’m learning to play the guitar, and I dabble a bit in photography (nothing great, just for fun)…

You can find me here on FaceBook, and here on Twitter. My “other” blog, where I write (in Dutch only) about things that are not related to to my work, is here: http://patrickv.be

Patrick.