Bio: Dennis Evans

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Bio: Dennis Evans
16-Jan-2002 -- Susan Pichotta
 
This week, we're pleased to present a bio of one of San Antonio's newest residents (which we didn't know about when we asked him for an interview;). A Clarion programmer of some experience, he also likes tanks (the armored kind), and has some experience with them, too. Read about that and more, including his astute observation of problem-solvers.
 
Who do you work for?
Currently I work for myself. I retired from the military about three years ago. After I retired I started doing contract work and pursuing some personal goals. The goals are now completed and I have recently accepted a job with a company that develops software.
 
Editor's note: This week, Dennis started his new job working for Jim Kane at ProDoc in Universal City, Texas (a suburb of San Antonio).
 
What do you like best about what you do now?
Problem solving, someone else mentioned this in an earlier interview. Most of the people I have met in the industry over last ten to twelve years that enjoyed the work, enjoyed the problem solving aspects. Some were programmers, DBA's or network and communication types, but they all enjoyed taking large problems, sometimes complex problems and breaking them into small, simple problems that can be solved.
 
What has been one of your biggest challenges in using Clarion?
Learning how the language and tools operate together. When I started with the 2.1 version for DOS there was a lot of new stuff. Tables, at the time a table was another name for an array, not something that displayed on the screen. Then there was the 'point' statement and in the update forms ?FirstField and ?LastField, but there weren't any fields with those names. Model files, that took a while. After a few weeks, I learned how the different parts fit together and then came the 3.0 version for DOS, but that is a different story.
 
What has been one of your biggest challenges in business?
Learning to talk with and understand business people. People in the IT field have a language filled with jargon, often too much jargon and entirely too many acronyms. Sometimes I think we should all get together and outlaw acronyms. Business types also have their own language and jargon. I'm often surprised that anything useful gets done, most of the time the two groups don't have any idea what the other is saying.
 
Do you use any computer languages besides Clarion?
Right now everything I am doing can be accomplished using Clarion with an occasional touch of C. In the past I have worked with C, Pascal and a little Modual-2. Modula-2 is my personal favorite after Clarion. I try, not sure that I succeed, to stay somewhat current with other tools and languages. Java and C# are currently at the top of the list. Java is a good language but there are several areas I personally dislike. Java does not support bit fields, constants have to be placed in a class and some of Java's scope issues are a real pain. I have a couple of C++ compilers that I use more for study than any real work. Delphi is another tool I try to keep up with; again I don't really do a good job of keeping current. Delphi's main advantage is my original training and education were in Pascal and I have always preferred the Algol derivatives (Pascal, Ada) over the various members of the C family.
 
When did you start using Clarion?
I started with Clarion early in the 90's. I had recently completed a project in C that caused a lot of stress. The project was not what I would call large but it was not trivial. We had libraries for the files, screens and other utilities that were supposed to help, not sure if they helped or caused problems. Anyway, it seemed that almost every day something broke or some piece of code had to be changed. After the project I wanted to try something new. Clarion was offering was a competitive upgrade for the 2.1 DOS version. I purchased 2.1 for DOS and after a few weeks of frustration I was hooked. I have been using Clarion ever since and hope to continue using the product for several more years.
 
What's the coolest project(s) you've worked on using Clarion?
I don't know. I have worked on everything from small simple utility applications, to large fairly complex systems. To me all programming is cool.
 
Have you done anything for a living other than software development?
Oh just a couple, I started college after high school and lost interest about 3/4ths of the way through my freshman year. Education is important, but there has got to be a better way to accomplish the task. After that I pumped gas for a while, worked for three weeks in a foundry, spent a couple of months on an assembly line and then I joined the Army, where I spent the next twenty years. I was in the Armor field for almost twelve years, spent six months as a recruiter and eight years in information systems.
 
What are your hobbies/what do you like to do when you're not using Clarion?
I have three hobbies, not in any order, reading, war games and programming languages.
 
I will read just about anything except dime store romance or smut novels. I read a lot of the popular escape literature, I love a good story. History is probably my favorite subject, although I tend to concentrate on specific regions and times.
 
War games were my first hobby I started in high school and have been playing and collecting ever since.
 
Different programming languages are my other interest. I enjoy studying programming languages, how different languages can be applied to different problems or in many cases the same problem.
 
Married, children, grandchildren, other close family you want to mention?
I married my high school sweet heart 24 years ago. We have two children. I am the one with the real beard in the picture. I have four sisters and one brother.

Where were you born?
Galesburg, Illinois. I grew up in a small town in central Illinois called Fairview, population 550. Beverly grew up in Maquon, a small town a few miles to the north.
 
Where do you live now?
Currently we live Marion, Illinois but that is going to change in the very near future.
 
Editor's note: As of Friday, Dennis is now living in San Antonio, Texas. Welcome, Dennis! We just may have to revive that Clarion Users' Group after all. <g>
 
What's interesting about where you live?
The Shawnee National Forest. There are locations in the forest, during the spring or the fall that you just have to see to believe. The Trail of Tears passes a little south of here, not one of our shining moments, but part of our history.
 
Have you lived any other interesting places?
Well, spend twenty years in the military and you get a chance to live at a couple of locations. I was stationed in Germany for five years total, two trips. One year in Korea and about six months in Sweden. On this side of the oceans I have been stationed in Texas, Iowa, Kentucky and Georgia. One of the advantages of the military is the travel, in addition to living in different places I have had the opportunity to travel and visit many locations around the world.
 
Which person, from past or present, do you most admire and why?
I would have to say my father is number one. Number two, I don't think I can select any one individual, there are just too many fascinating people in history to choose. I mean look at a brief list, Lincoln, Adams, Peter the Great, Newton, Alexander, Churchill and dozens of others, how can you select one or two from that list?
 
What is your favorite food?
I don't really have one, maybe chocolate. I eat simply because it is required.
 
What is your favorite drink?
Coffee.
 
 
What is your favorite type of music?
Rock and Roll would be my favorite, although I listen to classical and on very rare occasions a little Jazz. As I get older I listen more to groups like, Steely Dan, Yes and the Moody Blues. I listen to some of the old ballad style groups and I still have my days when some Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin are needed.
 
If Clarion never existed, what do you think you would be doing at this time?
Writing code with a different language, Clarion is a good language but I have never understood the emotional attachment some people have to Clarion. Programming languages come and go, use the one best suited to the task at hand.
 
Tanks are the only other area I can imagine spending any time with, but that is a business best left to the young and the strong.