Today’s Technologies:

As you know, technology changes by the moment.  How was the technology in your business 10 years ago?   5 years ago?   As soon as you buy your Pentium III they’ll announce a Pentium IV.  You are finally comfortable with XP and now Windows Vista is a new learning curve with its own issues. 

Although software languages are now at the 5^th generation, good programming techniques and a thorough understanding of programming and database design are a base that doesn’t become obsolete.  Thank goodness!  J  Object Oriented programming became the standard over the 3^rd generation High Level Languages – and now web programming is what is required.

Pennington Technical Arts can design and develop secure Internet, Intranet, or locally based database/application specific custom systems for your needs. 

Databases behind your Web site:

Now that most businesses have a fast connection to the Internet the trend now is to have your programs and data on the Internet so that your customers, remote staff, and inner office communications can do business quickly and without duplication!  There is more to the web  than HTML.  Web pages that used HTML alone are great for showing pictures of your family and pets.  Programming languages such as PHP/MySQL, ASP/Access, Flash, Visual FoxPro, Visual Basic, Java, Jscript and VBscript open the door to making your web page do any programming needs that you would have done on your C: drive or network drive.

A major piece in this is having a database and programming language combination behind your web page.  This allows you to have your remote salesperson look up an inventory.  It allows your customer to check the status of an order.  This allows a form to be filled in at one end of the building and be incorporated into an information system down the hall in another department – with no data entry!  Tied into a merchant account it allows your customers to buy off your web site, E-commerce.

History of Pennington Technical Arts: (as told by Jay Pennington)

I started programming in the mid 70’s….starting with Punch Cards..yippee!!!   Mainframe computers and mid-range, back when you had to sit in a frozen room with raised floors for all the cables.  The term PC has not been invented yet.  COBOL was king and PL/1 wanted to take the crown away.  FORTRAN was there for the scientists. 

Also in the mid 70’s I took a darkroom course in college.  After a couple days I realized that the darkroom could be my paintbrush.  I got a C in the class because I wasn’t following instructions and making straight prints with white borders.  J 

Only a few years of my nearly 30 year career were as an employee. A majority of my years have been in the contractor software and database design programming role.  Writing programs and keeping up with the technology…..always looking for the rewarding creative project!  Working at NASA in building 17 and 31 was very rewarding – creating software and databases for the scientists.  During the unfortunate Challenger Shuttle accident (1986) I was selected as part of the investigation team doing Image Processing and database design for storage/retrieval/research of all forms of imagery of the launch.

Programmer by day and artist by night.  As my darkroom results are more “paintings” than straight photography I’ve created/displayed my work in many galleries.  Some solo exhibits and others part of an artist co-op or open call.  But my search to continually be creative has had me adding more and more medias to the mix – video, film, projections, computers, music, even moving the visual art onto the stage….. I’ve had my work be projected onto actors and had music drive my imagery.

Pennington Technical Arts is an effort to morph programming with the Arts.  Web pages are a good example of this mix.  Landsat and hand-help photography out of a NASA shuttle window is another form of the visual and technical together.  Stage special effects being driven by computers….Video games and animation….

Today Pennington Technical Arts works on a project by project hourly contract basis.  Depending on the level of the job it may be a one man task or may be a team of known and trusted independent programmers.  Let us know what your needs are!!!!!

If it ain’t broke….

            We have a core belief in being honest to the customer.  We are not salesmen!  We try to fairly analyze the needs of the customer and then recommend solutions that we feel would be best for you.  You may not need the latest massive relational database system with the most robust server on the market.  You may just need a line in your program adjusted!  We always try to educate the customer in what we did….be it a program bug fix, a new program, a new system.

Local Support:

            Pennington Technical Arts is based in Boerne, Texas and supports San Antonio, Boerne, and the Texas hill country for in-house development and world wide software development for Internet-based database systems design/creation.  Work does not have to be limited to a geographic region nowadays.  Several of our current on-going contracts are in the Pennsylvania, California, and Hawaiian Island areas.  With the Internet / SFTP / 1-800 numbers, programming development can be done remotely.

(830) 230-5115

304 Horseshoe Bend
Boerne, TX 78006

PTA@PenningtonTechnicalArts.com

Message from Jay Pennington regarding local San Antonio / Boerne / Texas hill-country in-house support:

I have been working as a software designer / programmer / consultant for nearly 30 years with most of those years as a software contractor.  I fulfill numerous client’s software needs on a project by project or an as-needed basis.  There are many benefits for the client when done in this manner: the client pays for my time as an invoice/expense…the client does not have to pay employee benefits… I am only at the client site when needed and the client pays only for hours worked rather than 8 hour day segments.  I work on a project / problem basis and so am able to work with several clients at the same time. I respond to clients quickly and am able to take on new customer’s needs while continuing excellent quality service to my existing customers.  I work with large and small companies in business and scientific arenas and I have many years experience in most hardware/software platforms and applications.

Some of my clients are the smaller companies that do not have a programming or technical staff.  For those companies I will help with their complete software and hardware needs – fixing problems, creating new software programs to help make their company more efficient or to expand their abilities and visibility, and I will also consult on future growth and help guide them in new purchases.

For the larger companies that have an on-site programming staff, I will help with your programming needs on a project by project basis when the work load is more that the staff has time for.

My rates are reasonable but do vary depending on the type of task required.   Jobs, large or small, are billed "by the hour" and not fixed flat project bid. Progress reports are typically done weekly (sometimes daily) so that commmunication is 100% and the client always knows what has been done and what is left to do.

For a number of years I was a member of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce but not a member of the San Antonio Better Business Bureau.  For a history of clients/references please click the link below.

PTA@PenningtonTechnicalArts.com   (830) 230-5115