About Me

My name is Ian Michael Jones, hence the ianmjones.net domain! I would have used ianjones.com, but for some reason that was already taken, can’t see why, surely Ian and Jones aren’t that common? ;-)

Who am I? Well, I could answer this question with some deep insights into my psyche. But, um, I’m just not that deep (some would say shallow, but I’m way above responding to that).

I was born and spent my formative years in East Sussex, England, which for those a little rusty on your English geography is on the South Coast directly below London. Eventually I went to University in Hull to do a degree in “Mechanical And Electrical Applications Engineering With Airframe Structures Option”, so in theory I know all about the technologies that help keep those flying machine thingies in the air, but I didn’t end up putting that theory into practice…

After Uni I got myself trained up in Informix 4GL and started contracting (in Manchester) as my real love was software development, not mechanical engineering (although I do still love all that technology goodness).

I eventually ended up on a contract in Dunfermline, Scotland, where I met a beautiful lady called Mandy. Try as I might to move on to new contracts I just couldn’t bring myself to leave her for any length of time, every weekend I made my way back to her come Hell or high water. So eventually did the logical thing and married her (that sounds like she had no choice about it, but I asure you, I did ask her and she said yes) :-). This was the best thing I could have ever done as she makes me happier than any man has a right to be.

By day I’m a freelance Informix 4GL/SQL/SPL developer, writing bespoke database applications for my clients. I’m very good at picking up new technologies so often get involved in writing other things for my clients, such as Ab Initio graphs, quick and dirty VBA things and so on, I’ve done quite a lot of stuff, never a dull moment. Check out my company’s Services page if you’re looking for some developer/analyst help.

But recently I’ve been following the microISV dream, since August 2004 I’ve been working towards developing and selling my own software, rather than writing for private clients. This blog is mainly about that, my quest to be an ISV (Independent Software Vendor), my ultimate goal being to be able to go full time developing and selling software, hopefully giving me a better quality of life as I’ll be able to spend more time with my family. This is going to take some time, years infact, I have no illusions about that, but the dream is there to be realized.

You can check out my company’s products at http://www.imijsoft.com, my first product being CaseDetective for FogBugz, a desktop reporting tool for Fog Creek’s FogBugz bug tracking system.

Not sure what else I should write here, so if you want to know anymore about me, why not write me an email at ianNOSPAM@ianmjonesNOSPAM.net (remove NOSPAM) and I’ll update this page.

Cheers,

Ian