Ask the Programmer

James King and Steve Greenblatt welcome guest Leon Prather, an industry veteran and co-host of the brAVe Skills podcast, to share his AV journey and discuss what is simple.

Leon Prather can be found at his website, leonprather.com, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/leon-prather-cts/, or on the brAVe Skills podcast at higheredav.com.

Leaon's article What is 'simple', anyway? can be found at https://www.leonprather.com/blog-2-1...

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss what we wish more people understood about AV programming.

Here are some ideas that were discussed and debated:

- Saying one system is just like the other except for a few things is does not mean it is easy to program

- Programming involves much more than writing code

- Scope creep and ongoing changes ead to unexpected problems

- Programming is not as easy as good programmers make it look

- No...

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss our thoughts on the toughest part of being an AV programmer.

Here were some ideas that were discussed and debated:

- Dealing with vague or changing requirements

- Getting blamed for things that aren’t code issues

- Not being included in the design process

- Explaining complex systems to non-technical clients

- Helping everyone else do their job so that programming can be verified

What are you...

James King and Steve Greenblatt welcome back Mike Krejci, Director of Programming for CTI, to discuss the importance of version control and source control for AV programming.

Mike's previous episodes are 222, 111, 34, and 35.

Here are some resources that Mike mentioned in the episode: https://git-scm.com

https://github.com

https://bitbucket.org

Mike can be reached on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/themikekrejci/, and CTI...

James King and Steve Greenblatt welcome back Mike Krejci, Director of Programming for CTI, to discuss using C# as a programming language in AV. This episode was inspired by a request from  ⁨@jamesbond-lb7se⁩ from YouTube.

Mike's previous episodes are 111, 34, and 35.

Here are some of the resources Mike references for learning and leveraging C#:

https://www.youtube.com/@nickchapsas

https://www.youtube.com/@IAmTimCorey

https://coddy....

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss a question from the mailbag about the best way to debug a system when it works "most of the time."

What tips can you share for other community members? What are some of your memorable stories?

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a future episode, join the Ask The Programmer group on LinkedIn and post a message, leave a comment, or reach out to us @AV_JamesKing or @steve...

James King and Steve Greenblatt answer a question from the mailbag about the importance of getting certified and, if so, which certifications matter. This episode is recorded after InfoComm25.

Which certifications do you have that provide you value? What are some of your goals for certifications?

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a future episode, join the Ask The Programmer group on LinkedIn and post a mes...

James King and Steve Greenblatt welcome Chi Hang Lo, Manager of AV/IT Solutions at UCLA, to discuss his insight and tips for modern AV software development, including the use of containers, "no touch" or turnkey solutions, maintenance and support considerations, scalability, and what's next.

Chi Hang Lo can be reached via email at chihanglo@it.ucla.edu or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chihanglo/.

To join the conversation ...

James King and Steve Greenblatt welcome Chi Hang Lo, Manager of AV/IT Solutions at UCLA, to share his AV journey, perspective on AV systems and solutions, and enterprise approach to AV programming and software development.

Chi Hang Lo can be reached via email at chihanglo@it.ucla.edu or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chihanglo/.

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a future episode, join the Ask The ...

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss when to prioritize getting something done, doing it right, and working toward perfection in AV programming.

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a future episode, join the Ask The Programmer group on LinkedIn and post a message, leave a comment, or reach out to us @AV_JamesKing or @stevegreenblatt on X/Twitter or Bluesky and be sure to include #AskTheProgrammer.

The Ask ...

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss InfoComm25 and programmers' involvement in AV events in general. Going to events is not just about visiting the booths. It's about networking, education, speaking opportunities, and having in-person conversations.

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a future episode, join the Ask The Programmer group on LinkedIn and post a message, leave a comment, or reach out to us @A...

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss whether touchpanels are becoming less desirable in AV systems. Why is this the case, and what is being used as an alternative?

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a future episode, join the Ask The Programmer group on LinkedIn and post a message, leave a comment, or reach out to us @AV_JamesKing or @stevegreenblatt on X/Twitter or Bluesky and be sure to include #AskTheP...

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss the differences between AV control system programming and general software programming. Although general software programming has many advantages, the challenges of AV control system programming are what make it unique and a specialized niche for those who become skilled in it.

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a future episode, join the Ask The Programmer group on Li...

James King and Steve Greenblatt welcome back Dan Ferrisi, Group Editor, Commercial and Security with Emerald, to discuss his question about whether AV programming will be approached with a Software-as-a-Service (SasS) model rather than traditional custom programming. Dan Ferrisi can be reached on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-ferrisi-55675a7/), CommercialIntegrator.com, and Securitysales.com.

He encourages you to attend...

James King and Steve Greenblatt welcome back Dan Ferrisi, Group Editor, Commercial and Security with Emerald, to discuss whether control system programming will be approached with a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model rather than traditional custom programming.

Dan Ferrisi can be reached on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-ferrisi-55675a7/), CommercialIntegrator.com, and Securitysales.com. He encourages you to attend CEDIA ...

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss the growing trend toward implementing user interface designs that are simple, clean, and follow a templated, pre-developed, or product-based look and feel. Is this the new norm and the end of fully customized designs? Is there still a place to blend a common look and feel with custom?

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a future episode, join the Ask The Programmer grou...

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss the pros and cons of having dedicated vs. centralized hardware and processing. While this may seem like an easy decision, beware of the impact it can have on programming, maintenance, and future upgrades. Experienced programmers should be consulted before deciding to design systems innovatively, whether centralized or distributed.

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a f...

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss the impact of client requests and scope changes while a programmer actively works on code or configuration. It's not easy for programmers to say "no," but it is also crucial for the health of a program to manage changes and client expectations effectively.

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a future episode, join the Ask The Programmer group on LinkedIn and post a mess...

James King and Steve Greenblatt discuss highlights from the past four years of the Ask The Programmer episodes. including the value of programmers, the different types of programmers, coding vs. configuration, and AI. Since the beginning, we have focused on building community and helping programmers find their voice in the industry.

To join the conversation or have your question answered on a future episode, join the Ask The Progra...