We talk to the First Runner-up in SilverlightShow Eco Contest Levente Mihaly on his impressions from the Eco contest, the application he submitted in the contest, and his expectations towards MIX10. Though unexpected circumstances prevented him from attending MIX, he is looking forward to watching the MIX sessions online.
Meet the First runner-up Levente Mihaly!
Q. Levente - please introduce yourself for those of SilverlightShow community who haven't had the chance to meet you.
A. I'm from Hungary, studied Computer Engineering/Science at Budapest University of Technology and Economics, finished Msc. in 2009. I started working for Régens in 2006.
At the university my main area was new generation mobile networks, but here at Régens i'm developing software in the Microsoft .NET environment, including ASP.NET Ajax, Winforms, WPF and Silverlight.
I first met Silverlight 2 (and XAML) in 2008, and immediately loved it.
Q. How did you get the idea about the green application EcoLight you submitted in our contest? What kind of information sources did you use, did anyone help you with the idea or the implementation?
A. As I have little time to master in practice the rapidly developing Silverlight platform, I think these contests are really good opportunities to learn. I wanted to create something fun and interactive.
I told my fiancée about the contest, and one night when i was already sleeping, she woke me up and told me her idea about presenting the efficiency of different light bulbs. She was very anxious about us forgetting the idea until morning...
She did the nice graphics - this was her first xaml design, since she is a beginner in web design/development, and I did the programming stuff.
In Silverlight 3 the custom pixel shader is a really great addition, it has great potential, i enjoyed playing with it.
Q. You got the First Runner-up award in quite a tense voting competition. Did you expect this voting result, and why?
A. It surprised me quite much, I did not expect to win anything. We started building the app late, only 2 days before submission, so I thought it needed a bit more polishing but i felt the main idea is strong. I used Wikipedia and Google to find the exact parameters of the different light bulbs.
Q. What do you think about the Eco contest in general? Was it a good idea, or the Eco topic is perhaps not that close to the heart of the average developer?
A. I care about the environment, but sadly it is not very common in Hungary. The eco-contest theme was very good, I think everyone should care about the environment and also it is our responsibility to promote environmental awareness. We have better, more efficient technology now than say 20 years ago, so we should use it.
Q. MIX10 in Las Vegas will open in a few hours. What are your professional expectations towards the event? We understood you would be unable to attend the event, but would watch the sessions online.
A. Yes, i didn't have the opportunity to do such a big trip to Las Vegas this year, but maybe next year will be different! Luckily the sessions will be online, I'll be able to follow the event.
Since I still have my mobile roots, I'm really excited about WinPhone Series 7 and to develop mobile applications using Silverlight. I started mobile development just a few months ago, and I hope Silverlight will give us a whole new level.
Q. Do you already have a list of sessions you would like to see? Any specific topics you are impatient to hear about?
A. I'm especially looking forward to the mobile, and the social web applications sessions. The technology is already shifting towards these two areas, and I don't want to be left behind.
Q. SilverlightShow will be announcing more contests very soon. We are also currently running a draw for a free pass to Vancouver Silverlight Tour event. What is the next professional event you would be really enthusiastic to attend?
A. I'm always up for a good contest. There will be some events about Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 4 in Hungary I'll attend. Of course Vancouver is a nice place too...
So, thanks for your work, I hope we will meet next time too!
Thanks, Levente, for this interview. The whole team at SilverlightShow wish you success in your professional development and in the next SilverlightShow contests you might join!