The Jelastic Client and Application Spotlight - June 15, 2012
This week's Jelastic Spotlight is on our friend Praveen and his application CollegedIn. He's been using Jelastic pretty much since we started and we are excited to be able to share his story with you.
If you are interested in being featured, or know of someone that should be (maybe a client's app that you are running for them) featured in the Spotlight, please let me know at judah(at)jelastic.com.
The Spotlight
So, where are you currently based, Praveen?
My wife and I live with our 3 month old son in Fairfax, VA. He keeps us pretty busy.
I bet. Is Virginia where you are from?
Originally from, and grew up in, Hyderabad, in India. It is actually known by a few names: the Cyber city of India, the City of Pearls and the City of Nawabs. It is one of the oldest cities in India. It was established in 1591. The city offers a great mix of the laid back as well as exciting metro life. It is also known for it’s spicy cuisine. The famous Hyderabadi Biryani is not to be missed when you are in Hyderabad.
Okay. Putting that on the bucket list. So, did you study in the US?
Yeah. I actually have a Master's in Computer Science from the University of South Alabama.
What are you doing now?
I work as a Java/J2EE Software Engineer, something I’ve been doing for the last 7 years.
Very cool. So, what made you move into the startup scene?
I always wanted to have something of my own, but never took the jump. I was afraid if my idea would work or not. While I was working as a Consultant in Manhattan last year, I attended some tech meetups where I met a lot of talented people doing amazing stuff and turning ideas into websites/products. That's what motivated me to start working on my own ideas, ignore naysayers and to give it a shot.
What do you like most about your work?
I have been working as a J2EE Consultant for most part of my career. Being a consultant gave me a an opportunity to learn various business domains. I think this is the only profession where you get to eavesdrop on various businesses like Investment Banking, Digital Marketing, Health Care, Government sector, etc. It also gave me an opportunity to travel and explore some wonderful places. I also like the challenges you run into everyday trying to solve problems for your clients.
Can you tell us a little about the app that you have running on Jelastic?
CollegedIn is an online college resource guide for colleges in India.
Users (prospective students, current students and alumni) can take a virtual campus tour and also connect with classmates and alumni. CollegedIn also allows students and alumni to post photos, videos, events and reviews of their college.
CollegedIn's goal is to provide users with unfiltered information, which is traditionally not found on the college website or campus guides. CollegedIn is now in pilot release with only a few colleges.
What are your thoughts on Jelastic?
Having tried a couple of other Java PaaS providers, I finally decided to go with Jelastic because it was like a one stop shop for me. The enviroment was unbelievably easy to configure with just a few clicks. The web ui or console is very user friendly and intuitive to use. It has everything I needed to configure my application. I also like the usage graphs, which show memory usage, disk usage and also billing information. I really liked the billing model, where I pay 2 cents for a cloudet per hour for everything my application uses. That way I didn't have to worry about finding MySQL or MongoDB provider separately.
What’s next for your app?
I am planning to build more features into the application, which will enable users to connect, collaborate and share information.
Why Java?
My love for Java goes all the way back to my college days. I liked the idea of "Write once, run anywhere". The best part of Java platform is the access to many wonderful open source libraries and frameworks out there. The support of vast open source community behind it is one the reasons why I like Java.
Do you have a favorite website?
stackoverflow.com is my favorite website. Information on that website is amazing. No amount of books can offer such information.
Do you have a favorite quote or motto that you live by?
My philosophy of life is based on Mark Twain's quote. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain.
Other than working and programming, is there anything else you like to do, like to relax?
Well, my favorite hobby is running and I do enjoy good music. On the weekends, I like to enjoy some quality time with family and friends. Game a little on my PS3. Go on a long run and also work on my projects.
Thanks for your time.
