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| <h1>With Help from NetBeans, Teaming Up to Curb Drunk Driving</h1> |
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| By their count, the developers at <a |
| href="http://www.cpbinc.com/">C. Pitman Baker & Associates</a> |
| handle a roster of 10 software development projects at any given time, |
| of which six or seven are Java-based and built solely using the |
| NetBeans platform. It would not be a stretch to call them enthusiastic |
| fans of the NetBeans IDE.<br> |
| <br> |
| “NetBeans is the only environment we use,” Chief Operating Officer Chris Gamble said in a recent interview. “NetBeans runs the gamut on |
| flexibility and complicity, which is why we continue to use it for |
| every project in Java. It gives us everything we need to get projects |
| done regardless of the skill level of the developer. It’s a great |
| system.”<br> |
| <br> |
| Based in Irving, Texas, CPBinc is a software consulting and design firm |
| that provides e-commerce solutions, enterprise resource planning (ERP) |
| systems and custom software development to small and mid-sized companies |
| in a range of industries: Telecom, Banking, Oil & Gas, |
| Manufacturing, and more. The company and its team of developers have |
| been NetBeans users since version 3.6.<br> |
| <br> |
| “We’ve occasionally looked at other IDEs—Eclipse and Jbuilder—to see |
| where things stand, but what we keep coming back to is that the |
| NetBeans tool set is extremely mature and very stable.”<br> |
| <br> |
| Gamble’s opinion of the NetBeans IDE was echoed by lead developer |
| Kabilan Makendra and Mark Hughey, head of Sales & Marketing, when all |
| three gathered to discuss the experience of using NetBeans 5.0 to build |
| an integrated business application system called SMARTRAC for a client.<br> |
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| The client, <a href="http://www.smartstartinc.com/">Smart Start</a>, a |
| leading provider of ignition interlock |
| systems, works with judicial agencies around the United States to |
| monitor the driving habits of convicted drunk drivers. The interlock |
| system is an in-car alcohol breath screening device that disables the |
| vehicle if the driver is intoxicated. When Smart Start teamed up with |
| CPBinc, it wanted a single operating system that would streamline all |
| aspects of its business: from tracking the manufacture, sale, |
| installation and repair of the interlock devices, to collecting data |
| from installed devices and creating reports for the court systems. They also |
| wanted a web interface that would give judges and probation officers access |
| to the reports. The main |
| objective, according to CPBinc, was to enable Smart Start to |
| concentrate on the task of "separating drinking from driving". |
| <br> |
| <br> |
| Lead developer Makendra and his team credits the NetBeans Profiler tool |
| for helping with a particular challenge during the Smart Start project: |
| the company’s low-power computers.<br> |
| <br> |
| “When we rolled out the project they still had machines running on 64MB |
| of memory,” the developer said. “We had to create a system that could |
| operate under those constratints. Profiler showed where we were taking |
| more memory and time and we knew where to make improvements.”<br> |
| <br> |
| Makendra also gave high marks to the IDE’s refactoring tool, calling it |
| a timesaver for moments when adjustments need to be made mid-way |
| through projects. <br> |
| <br> |
| Smart Start has been running the new ERP system across its 400 service |
| centers since August 2006, and has seen improvements in its |
| operations. In a written statement about the new system, the company president, |
| Jim Ballard said: “SMARTRAC has given us much more process control at |
| our service facilities and ultimately will help us provide better |
| service to our customers and the courts."<br> |
| <br> |
| CPBinc recently ported over from NetBeans 3.6 to NetBeans 5.5 and with |
| minimal difficulty or retraining needed for its developers. Citing |
| positive feedback from clients, the company plans to continue using the |
| NetBeans IDE for future projects.<br> |
| <br> |
| “For one client, using NetBeans we built a system that runs their |
| entire company,” Gamble said. “After, the owner told us his company |
| could lose everything, but the system we built would still be |
| functioning. It’s always good to hear things like that about your work.”<br> |
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