Issue: 2014 - May/June

Rod shares a bit of his knowledge over the last 20 years as an independent consultant/contractor.

Simplicity doesn’t mean more abstract: it means more basic and clear. Mike tells us how to manage projects without introducing unnecessary complexity.

If you want to develop code that’s flexible, extensible, maintainable, and testable, you’ll want to read Paul’s article about some basic things to keep in mind before you start.

John explains the dependency graph and the layer diagram tools in Visual Studio. Once you see how they work and what they can do, you’ll use them as part of every project.

Want a great way to tell prospective customers or conference attendees that you’re open for business? Wei-Meng explains how iBeacons work, tells you how to build one, and shows you many clever uses for iOS and Android mobile devices.

XAML properties don’t always behave as you think they might. Markus explains how they work and shows you some nifty ways to use these powerful tools.

Dino talks about the best possible layout for your project in MVC 5, and gives some great tips for helping you keep it all organized and effi cient.

You already know that using Visual Studio 2013 streamlines building business apps. Beth shows you how to use its Cloud Business App project template to improve collaboration between Office 365, SharePoint, and all your mobile devices.

If your users access your apps through social media, you’ll want to know all about OAuth. Michiel shows you how to connect with ease and speed using this protocol.

In this column Ted discusses real perils of being a part of a startup.