Robert Heath Development

The following is a list of software written by Google or by third-party developers to integrate with software and services provided by Google.

Third Party Applications

Document Management

DocSyncer (Beta) – Synchronizes your Microsoft Office Documents with your Google Docs account.

OffiSync (Beta) – GoogleDocs plugin for Microsoft Office

Email Notification

Gmail Notifier – The Gmail Notifier is an application that alerts you when you have new Gmail messages. It displays an icon in your system tray to let you know if you have unread Gmail messages, and shows you their subjects, senders and snippets, all without your having to open a web browser.

If you have the Google Talk client installed, you will automatically receive new mail notifications from Google Talk and you do not need to install the Notifier.

Google Browser Sync (Firefox Only) – Google Browser Sync for Firefox is an extension that continuously synchronizes your browser settings – including bookmarks, history, persistent cookies, and saved passwords – across your computers. It also allows you to restore open tabs and windows across different machines and browser sessions.

Email Backup/Archiving

MailStore Home –   MailStore Home keeps all your valuable e-mail messages in one persistent and safe place. Lightning-fast search, one-click backup, powerful export – all information from your e-mail is at your fingertips anytime. Never lose important e-mail again!

Firefox Extensions

Coming Soon!

Recommended Google Applications

Google Talk – Instant messenging client

Picasa – Photo management and editing tool

Google Toolbar – Toolbar for you web browser that provides easy access to Google services

Google Earth -  Google Earth combines the power of Google Search with satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips. It also has a built in flight simulator.

SketchUp -  Developed for the conceptual stages of design, Google SketchUp is a powerful yet easy-to-learn 3D software tool that combines a simple, yet robust tool-set with an intelligent drawing system that streamlines and simplifies 3D design. From simple to complex, conceptual to realistic, Google SketchUp enables you to build and modify 3D models quickly and easily. If you use Google Earth, Google SketchUp allows you to place your models using real-world coordinates and share them with the world using the Google 3D Warehouse.

Google Desktop –   Search your computer as easily as you search the web with Google. Find and launch applications and files with just a few keystrokes. Add Google Gadgets to customize your desktop and iGoogle New!Get news, weather and more anywhere on your desktop.

Migration Tools

OggSync – Synchronize Outlook calendar with Google Calendar

Note: Mail can be migrated to Google by connecting to Gmail via IMAP and simply dragging and dropping mail into the Gmail folders

For several months now I’ve been evaluating Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 as a solution for my office. Initially I setup the software on a development server and started migrating our current business processes and data into CRM. The initial setup went pretty smooth. I created “custom entities”, one of the core concepts of CRM 3.0, to accommodate the custom data types that exist in our current system.

The next step was to migrate the data itself from the old system. This was a little more time consuming and required some additional software. To speed up the data migration, and simplify my life, we purchased c360’s Import Manager which allows you to import custom data types into CRM from any ODBC compliant data source. Microsoft does offer a data migration kit to help migration from legacy systems however I found it to be difficult to use.

With the data types migrated and the data imported, the next step is to recreate your business processes or WorkFlows. Microsoft CRM’s WorkFlow Manager allows you to create rules that spawn activities such as emails or tasks to automate the process of managing customer relationships. In our case, our business processes had not been reviewed in several years. We knew we would soon be reevaluating our existing business processes but that we needed to make a clean break from the legacy system as soon as the data was migrated. To hold us over until the new business processes had been decided, I recreated our existing workflow, which consisted mostly of automated emails, within CRM.

Though we are still planning WorkFlow rules and fine tuning CRM to meet our business requirements it has become apparent the Microsoft CRM is a great tool. Companies who need a customizable solution to manage their customers but don’t have the resources to develop a custom solution from the ground up should consider CRM 3.0.

Robert Heath Development sponsors a number of discussion groups that promote new current and technologies.

Here are a few:

Ajax (also known as AJAX), shorthand for “Asynchronous JavaScript and XML”, is a development technique for creating interactive web applications. The intent is to make web pages feel more responsive by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes, so that the entire web page does not have to be reloaded each time the user requests a change. This is intended to increase the web page’s interactivity, speed, functionality, and usability.

AJAX Development Discussion Group

In software engineering (or computer science), a design pattern is a general repeatable solution to a commonly occurring problem in software design. A design pattern is not a finished design that can be transformed directly into code. It is a description or template for how to solve a problem that can be used in many different situations. Object-oriented design patterns typically show relationships and interactions between classes or objects, without specifying the final application classes or objects that are involved. Algorithms are not thought of as design patterns, since they solve computational problems rather than design problems.

AJAX Patterns Discussion Group

Java Design Patterns Discussion Group

If you’ve ever used a web statistics programming to analyze and track traffic to your website, you know how frustrating it can be to try to figure out how to improve your site. Google has addressed most user’s frustrations with their Google Analytics product. With a slick interface and powerful data analyzation tools it is among the top solutions and best of all, it’s free. To find out more visit analytics.google.com