Christelle, Developer And WP7 Addict

Christelle Thiry isn’t the only girl at CampusPlex , but she has the honor of being the only female developer. Although immersed all day in her two 24-inch screens, she no longer counts the passing hours in IDEs*. And therefore, she’s in charge of two platforms: Android and Windows Phone 7 . It’s a sizeable challenge that this young computer scientist accepted without any complaints. The daily juggle between Java and C Sharp doesn’t scare her.

I first focused on networking skills, and received a BTS diploma in Computer Science Management and Network Administration. After that, I focused on development by studying computer science at the University of Corsica and attaining an IUP degree in New Technologies of Information and Communication, and Master’s in Information Systems Integration. Before joining the GoodBarber team, I left my native island to begin a job in Java/J2EE development with Capgemini Financial Services in Paris. I then moved to Marseille for a job as a design and development engineer at Gyptis International. When I had heard that a company specializing in mobile development opened in Corsica, I applied for a job, because I’m always interested in mobile development. While I love the Java language and Android platform, WP7 captures my full attention.

No, I have a beard myself! But all jokes aside, since I decided to jump into a career in computer technology, I have always been surrounded by a strong male presence, which has never been a problem. And let’s be honest, the GoodBarber team isn’t too bad : ), there’s a great relationship within the group.

Since its release, everyone here was impressed with the Microsoft platform, especially me. When the company made the choice to extend its expertise to WP7 in 2010, I took responsibility for the developments of this new platform very naturally. I think it’s a very innovative platform that has a promising future.

For Microsoft’s new mobile operating system, they decided to base the SDK on tools already widely used. This eliminates any confusion for developers already working with Microsoft. WP7’s SDK is a simplified version of the Silverlight framework with specific librairies for mobile development, including: optimizations, touch screen, multitouch, microphone, etc… For the development of mobile games, again, Microsoft decided to use an already existing framework. XNA allows the development of Xbox 360 games and more. We develop our WP7 applications in .Net with #C and Silverlight. Thanks to this, from the beginning, a large developer community already existed. Help, improvements and updates are growing continuously. Among the SDK tools, Microsoft provides Expression Blend , software allowing easy design of applications. In short, the SDK is consistent and easy to use. However, one issue that does need to be addressed, and will be overtime, is that the features are still not as diverse as the two other major competitors.

Indeed, WP7 has had a difficult start because of its delay on the two major platforms, Android and iOS. Windows hopes to anchor its system on the market with the help of Mango’s more accomplished, stable, and faster system, but above all, through this partnership with Nokia.
WP7 deserves to succeed. The Metro user interface is innovative, unique, and well planned. Although trailing behind its two large competitors, Marketplace should also be expanding rapidly. From a developer’s prospective, it’s great using Microsoft’s tools. Everything is very intuitive.

Microsoft has a trump card to play on the tablet market. Android is still struggling to establish its user base, and as of now Apple is leading by far. But the tablet market is only just beginning. With the upcoming release of Windows 8, optimized for touch screens, Microsoft will offer an interesting alternative to Android and iOS, especially with the Metro interface. This will provide consistency with Microsoft products (just like Apple has done with iOS).

*Integrated Development Environment
**Software Development Kit