Excite, learn and interact: three actions exercised at the #GX22 Meeting #GeneXus
Following the news announced at the opening of the XXII GeneXus Meeting, including Windows 8, offline and cloud applications, and GeneXus’ new version called Tilo to be released in 2013, the event was closed with lots of excitement, where Nicolás Jodal spoke of opportunities and the significance of ideas. In his speech, Breogán Gonda invited all to think about education and the transformations that technology brings along, and in closing he appointed Mr. Jodal as the company’s new CEO.
GeneXus X Evolution 2, successful migrations, the generation of applications for mobile devices, development for Windows 8, GeneXus Tilo and the GeneXus platform in the Cloud were some of the news presented during the XXII GeneXus Meeting held last October 1st to 3rd. However, the greatest surprise of all came at the end of the event, when President Breogán Gonda announced his leaving operational activity behind for which purpose he appointed Nicolás Jodal as the new CEO at GeneXus.
GeneXus Tilo, GeneXus for Windows 8, offline apps and cloud applications
Over 3,500 professionals from the technology industry gathered to discuss trends, be part of workshops and labs, and attend interesting lectures delivered by experts from the region in the area of technology, as part of a Meeting that included several emotional instances and countless exchanges of knowledge and learning.
Nicolás Jodal presented the main news during the first day of the Meeting. This news included the announcement of the beta test stage of GeneXus for developing applications for Windows 8. It is the prototype of the new GeneXus version, known under the name of Tilo, which according the current schedule should be released in 2013. During his presentation, Jodal invited Technology Director for Microsoft Latin America, Mr. Eduardo Mangarelli, to join him on stage in order to offer a live demo of the outstanding features of Windows 8 using applications generated with GeneXus.
Jodal also spoke of the current work under way for offline applications, and also the new scenario implied by the GeneXus platform in the Cloud: the idea is for developers to select in the site the their desired options and start the distribution with just one click.
In case you missed them, or if you want to see them again, all the presentations are available at www.genexus.com/meeting.
Conference closing speech by Nicolás Jodal*
Jodal started by mentioning that the name of this GeneXus Meeting – "Growing Pass" – was the result of a pun with the common expression from the travel industry "Boarding Pass". "We feel that GeneXus is currently at its highest peak, with a Community that is stronger than ever, and the time has come to use GrowingPass".
"And which would be the path towards growth? It has always been clear to me that growth always starts at making a better GeneXus every day. But if I had to start from scratch, what would be the first step to take?", he questioned, as he recalled an anecdote about the Chairman of Getty Oil, Paul Getty, when he was asked about the secret for success.
"Getty said the secret lied in a combination of three things: one was 'I have always been an early bird, the first one to arrive in the office', a second aspect 'I have always worked a lot, the last one to leave the office'. And what was the third condition? 'Oh, yeah, the fact that I found oil'", revealed Jodal, amidst laughter in the audience.
"Think of it! It is indeed an interesting story. He found oil when it was a worldwide issue with new applications for the fuel every day, he was riding the wave. Today, there are other things that have overwhelmed the world and we could apply this story as well. It is very clear to me that algorithms are the issue today."
“It is specifically algorithms that rule financial decisions today. 60% of the stock traded in New York is subject to autonomous robots that make decisions, and that is one of the most sophisticated things that are happening these days in the world of algorithms," said Jodal.
"Another element invading the world is data. In Uruguay, an example was the program designed in Uruguay in 2006, known under the name of Ceibal Plan which implied providing each student in all public schools with a personal laptop. Uruguay was pioneer in this programme. And at the same time, another plan was designed for identifying each cow in the country with a mark, in a country of 3million people where the cow population amounts to ten million! Each one with its own ID ring. This is the traceability system applied for the first time to a whole country. This enables the possibility of having a large amount of data on cattle, allowing for a series of improvements in the sanitary state of Uruguayan beef which led to one of the highest prices worldwide. This evidence is so clear that a number of countries are already trying to attain this status."
The third topic considered by Jodal was the concept of "exaptation", which implies the application of an element developed for a specific function, for another, different purpose where it has proven to be extremely useful. “This technology is becoming increasingly popular," he explained, as he provided an example in mentioning iPhone telephones, whose latest model, 5, has a longer-lasting battery, and despite its lighter weight has a more powerful processor, besides including a GPS, accelerometer and a powerful video-cam."As someone wondered: Why not use this hardware to do what you are seeing now?", said Jodal as he introduced an autonomous flying device with a built-in camera that browsed through the conference. “This device is an example of an industry inexistent until 2007. A whole industry was created from nothing, and that is the industry of autonomous vehicles to accomplish missions. These devices, called “drones”, were the result of development work done for cell phones."
"I would surely like to repeat the Paul Getty story, saying that I found an algorithm, or a great amount of data, or an exaptation. In the end, what we expect to find is an idea. At Artech we have always been clear on the fact that our GrowingPass is functioning as a corporate incubator, for individuals with ideas to generate their own companies within Artech. We believe that to be one possible way. In the end, who is to make ideas happen? The world has changed and we are the ones responsible for discovered those ideas. And the way to them is by asking an important question: WHY NOT?”
Conference closing speech by Breogán Gonda*
Artech’s CEO, on his part, also brought up a number of subjects that he had been reflecting on during the past few months. He started by commenting on the Apple-Samsung suit, considered the “lawsuit of the century”, despite the fact that Gonda suggested the idea that "there are bigger cases yet to be seen".
Gonda said that the consideration of this case as an ordinary justice proceeding led to a number of consequences: "Battling is not convenient to anyone, and we, the IT community and the GeneXus Community want to stay away from conflicts. There is only one company with the option of peace, and that is Apple," he explained, and stated that “patents should protect property and investments, but are meant to be made public for others to use and pay for them, but are not meant to create monopolies."
During his speech, he also mentioned the technological advances impacting education today. "This is an issue subject to constant debate by all Uruguayans and apparently impossible to find an agreement on. However, if we take into account the position of the different political parties and the working sectors, we end up concluding that there is no such disagreement as far as conceptions are involved, for everybody suggests practically the same thing, with some divergence as to the different balances proposed. But, has anyone suggested a change? Not really.”
"Should we continue educating by providing students with an encyclopedic knowledge covering as much as possible? Some things from reality indicate we should not. So, is knowledge so important? Actually not. The important thing here are the mechanisms to acquire knowledge and comprehend it (...) Teaching is just a way of helping others to learn," he pointed out.
In this regard he pointed out some representative enterprises such as the KHAN Academy, which created and uploaded in the Internet brief videos with math lessons and other disciplines, and the Ceibal Plan in Uruguay, whose purpose is to "provide as much assistance as possible to enable children and young people to learn, to the largest extent possible, on their own."
Gonda explained that the Director of the Ceibal Plan, Mr. Miguel Brechner, contacted the KHAN Academy to request authorization for the translation of videos in order to include them in the Ceibal Plan. "Having ideas is a good thing, but most of all when those ideas are actually implemented. Miguel made it possible for 1,300 of a total of 4,000 videos to be translated, and he also managed to have others participate in the translation process, as Intel and the InterAmerican Development Bank became interested and involved, and that’s a fact today," he explained.
Also in relation to this topic Gonda mentioned the initiatives of university centers like Harvard, Stanford or the MIT, which began sharing their courses on the Internet, some free of charge and others not. He pointed out that this was replicated by over 150 universities worldwide. "This has become an irreversible trend, and has reached a point of no return. It is a good thing, and we should take due note," he said.
"Technology is important, of course, but attitude is much more important," said Artech’s President.
And lastly, he made reference to "the world sending us external incentives to do things". One of such incentives, according to Gonda, is Microsoft 8, which has come on stage again and will generate lots of work for developers. Another incentive is Genexus, which, following the three days of the Meeting, has led to some very important conclusions by Gonda: "The world is rapidly changing and we encounter new needs every day. Businesses must be continuously reinvented, and our opportunity is now."
"Our Community is well aware of all this, and I believe that we all share my idea that the time is now. The question is: WHAT are we willing to do to benefit from such an opportunity now?," he asked, as he went on to comment on his personal experience.
"With Nicolás, we founded this company 28 years ago, on the basis of half a dozen very good ideas, which are still very good. And then came work and more work, a lot of work. At all times we have focused on the “here and now”, and thought a little about the future, when possible. And that’s how we coined numerous ideas which are not part of Genexus. Now, 28 years later, what I question myself is: what do I want to do now? Should I securely believe that everything’s fine and go on with it? Do I want to spend a large portion of my life signing checks? Actually not, that’s not what I aspire to. I have done it, with great pleasure, in fulfilling my duty. But I think it is time to face a new start. And when we decide to start again, there’s a time perfect to do it, and that is NOW!" After a pause, he made a very important announcement: he will remain in the company as the Chairman of the Board, but with no operational functions and he will be working exclusively on research, strategies and training, as Nicolás Jodal takes over as the company’s new CEO.
"I believe my best years are yet ahead of me! It has always been my plan to die young, as late as possible. And I reconfirm it. I have many years of work ahead of me yet, and I want to enjoy every day of work. My plan is not to engage in any operational functions but rather focus on research and strategies, trying to aid you all with your ideas. I look forward to it. There is so much still to be done, so let’s get to it! Let’s do it all together, for you, and with you," he concluded.
To go over this and other conferences from the XXII GeneXus Meeting visit www.genexus.com/meeting
* Partial texts extracted from Montevideo COMM
GeneXus Tilo, GeneXus for Windows 8, offline apps and cloud applications
Over 3,500 professionals from the technology industry gathered to discuss trends, be part of workshops and labs, and attend interesting lectures delivered by experts from the region in the area of technology, as part of a Meeting that included several emotional instances and countless exchanges of knowledge and learning.
Nicolás Jodal presented the main news during the first day of the Meeting. This news included the announcement of the beta test stage of GeneXus for developing applications for Windows 8. It is the prototype of the new GeneXus version, known under the name of Tilo, which according the current schedule should be released in 2013. During his presentation, Jodal invited Technology Director for Microsoft Latin America, Mr. Eduardo Mangarelli, to join him on stage in order to offer a live demo of the outstanding features of Windows 8 using applications generated with GeneXus.
Jodal also spoke of the current work under way for offline applications, and also the new scenario implied by the GeneXus platform in the Cloud: the idea is for developers to select in the site the their desired options and start the distribution with just one click.
In case you missed them, or if you want to see them again, all the presentations are available at www.genexus.com/meeting.
Conference closing speech by Nicolás Jodal*
Jodal started by mentioning that the name of this GeneXus Meeting – "Growing Pass" – was the result of a pun with the common expression from the travel industry "Boarding Pass". "We feel that GeneXus is currently at its highest peak, with a Community that is stronger than ever, and the time has come to use GrowingPass".
"And which would be the path towards growth? It has always been clear to me that growth always starts at making a better GeneXus every day. But if I had to start from scratch, what would be the first step to take?", he questioned, as he recalled an anecdote about the Chairman of Getty Oil, Paul Getty, when he was asked about the secret for success.
"Getty said the secret lied in a combination of three things: one was 'I have always been an early bird, the first one to arrive in the office', a second aspect 'I have always worked a lot, the last one to leave the office'. And what was the third condition? 'Oh, yeah, the fact that I found oil'", revealed Jodal, amidst laughter in the audience.
"Think of it! It is indeed an interesting story. He found oil when it was a worldwide issue with new applications for the fuel every day, he was riding the wave. Today, there are other things that have overwhelmed the world and we could apply this story as well. It is very clear to me that algorithms are the issue today."
“It is specifically algorithms that rule financial decisions today. 60% of the stock traded in New York is subject to autonomous robots that make decisions, and that is one of the most sophisticated things that are happening these days in the world of algorithms," said Jodal.
"Another element invading the world is data. In Uruguay, an example was the program designed in Uruguay in 2006, known under the name of Ceibal Plan which implied providing each student in all public schools with a personal laptop. Uruguay was pioneer in this programme. And at the same time, another plan was designed for identifying each cow in the country with a mark, in a country of 3million people where the cow population amounts to ten million! Each one with its own ID ring. This is the traceability system applied for the first time to a whole country. This enables the possibility of having a large amount of data on cattle, allowing for a series of improvements in the sanitary state of Uruguayan beef which led to one of the highest prices worldwide. This evidence is so clear that a number of countries are already trying to attain this status."
The third topic considered by Jodal was the concept of "exaptation", which implies the application of an element developed for a specific function, for another, different purpose where it has proven to be extremely useful. “This technology is becoming increasingly popular," he explained, as he provided an example in mentioning iPhone telephones, whose latest model, 5, has a longer-lasting battery, and despite its lighter weight has a more powerful processor, besides including a GPS, accelerometer and a powerful video-cam."As someone wondered: Why not use this hardware to do what you are seeing now?", said Jodal as he introduced an autonomous flying device with a built-in camera that browsed through the conference. “This device is an example of an industry inexistent until 2007. A whole industry was created from nothing, and that is the industry of autonomous vehicles to accomplish missions. These devices, called “drones”, were the result of development work done for cell phones."
"I would surely like to repeat the Paul Getty story, saying that I found an algorithm, or a great amount of data, or an exaptation. In the end, what we expect to find is an idea. At Artech we have always been clear on the fact that our GrowingPass is functioning as a corporate incubator, for individuals with ideas to generate their own companies within Artech. We believe that to be one possible way. In the end, who is to make ideas happen? The world has changed and we are the ones responsible for discovered those ideas. And the way to them is by asking an important question: WHY NOT?”
Conference closing speech by Breogán Gonda*
Artech’s CEO, on his part, also brought up a number of subjects that he had been reflecting on during the past few months. He started by commenting on the Apple-Samsung suit, considered the “lawsuit of the century”, despite the fact that Gonda suggested the idea that "there are bigger cases yet to be seen".
Gonda said that the consideration of this case as an ordinary justice proceeding led to a number of consequences: "Battling is not convenient to anyone, and we, the IT community and the GeneXus Community want to stay away from conflicts. There is only one company with the option of peace, and that is Apple," he explained, and stated that “patents should protect property and investments, but are meant to be made public for others to use and pay for them, but are not meant to create monopolies."
During his speech, he also mentioned the technological advances impacting education today. "This is an issue subject to constant debate by all Uruguayans and apparently impossible to find an agreement on. However, if we take into account the position of the different political parties and the working sectors, we end up concluding that there is no such disagreement as far as conceptions are involved, for everybody suggests practically the same thing, with some divergence as to the different balances proposed. But, has anyone suggested a change? Not really.”
"Should we continue educating by providing students with an encyclopedic knowledge covering as much as possible? Some things from reality indicate we should not. So, is knowledge so important? Actually not. The important thing here are the mechanisms to acquire knowledge and comprehend it (...) Teaching is just a way of helping others to learn," he pointed out.
In this regard he pointed out some representative enterprises such as the KHAN Academy, which created and uploaded in the Internet brief videos with math lessons and other disciplines, and the Ceibal Plan in Uruguay, whose purpose is to "provide as much assistance as possible to enable children and young people to learn, to the largest extent possible, on their own."
Gonda explained that the Director of the Ceibal Plan, Mr. Miguel Brechner, contacted the KHAN Academy to request authorization for the translation of videos in order to include them in the Ceibal Plan. "Having ideas is a good thing, but most of all when those ideas are actually implemented. Miguel made it possible for 1,300 of a total of 4,000 videos to be translated, and he also managed to have others participate in the translation process, as Intel and the InterAmerican Development Bank became interested and involved, and that’s a fact today," he explained.
Also in relation to this topic Gonda mentioned the initiatives of university centers like Harvard, Stanford or the MIT, which began sharing their courses on the Internet, some free of charge and others not. He pointed out that this was replicated by over 150 universities worldwide. "This has become an irreversible trend, and has reached a point of no return. It is a good thing, and we should take due note," he said.
"Technology is important, of course, but attitude is much more important," said Artech’s President.
And lastly, he made reference to "the world sending us external incentives to do things". One of such incentives, according to Gonda, is Microsoft 8, which has come on stage again and will generate lots of work for developers. Another incentive is Genexus, which, following the three days of the Meeting, has led to some very important conclusions by Gonda: "The world is rapidly changing and we encounter new needs every day. Businesses must be continuously reinvented, and our opportunity is now."
"Our Community is well aware of all this, and I believe that we all share my idea that the time is now. The question is: WHAT are we willing to do to benefit from such an opportunity now?," he asked, as he went on to comment on his personal experience.
"With Nicolás, we founded this company 28 years ago, on the basis of half a dozen very good ideas, which are still very good. And then came work and more work, a lot of work. At all times we have focused on the “here and now”, and thought a little about the future, when possible. And that’s how we coined numerous ideas which are not part of Genexus. Now, 28 years later, what I question myself is: what do I want to do now? Should I securely believe that everything’s fine and go on with it? Do I want to spend a large portion of my life signing checks? Actually not, that’s not what I aspire to. I have done it, with great pleasure, in fulfilling my duty. But I think it is time to face a new start. And when we decide to start again, there’s a time perfect to do it, and that is NOW!" After a pause, he made a very important announcement: he will remain in the company as the Chairman of the Board, but with no operational functions and he will be working exclusively on research, strategies and training, as Nicolás Jodal takes over as the company’s new CEO.
"I believe my best years are yet ahead of me! It has always been my plan to die young, as late as possible. And I reconfirm it. I have many years of work ahead of me yet, and I want to enjoy every day of work. My plan is not to engage in any operational functions but rather focus on research and strategies, trying to aid you all with your ideas. I look forward to it. There is so much still to be done, so let’s get to it! Let’s do it all together, for you, and with you," he concluded.
To go over this and other conferences from the XXII GeneXus Meeting visit www.genexus.com/meeting
* Partial texts extracted from Montevideo COMM