Ashesi’s students got a chance to receive hands-on application development training for Microsoft’s new Windows operating system, Windows 8. Windows 8 represents a new direction for the age-old Windows operating system. The week-long workshop aimed at preparing students for the shift in software development for Windows and allowed them to begin exploring ways to innovate for the new platform.
The workshop, organised by Ashesi’s Computer Science Department, was led by Haseeb Ahmed, a Lead Engineer at Microsoft. Haseeb, who has worked with Microsoft for over 10 years, explained the differences in software development between the new Windows 8 and its predecessors.
“Teaching at this workshop has been a great experience for me,” said Haseeb. “The students I worked with during the week had a lot of energy, and they approached the workshop with a lot of enthusiasm. I also like that they explored a lot more outside of what I was teaching them, and it speaks to the kind of culture Ashesi encourages. This is what allows for people to be innovative.”
According to Haseeb, it is anticipated that a lot of new companies will start developing applications for this new version of Windows, and he believes there will be a big demand for developers with the skills for it.
“I think Windows 8 is fascinating,” said Stephen Aggor, who participated as a student in the workshop. “Knowing that we had someone who works as a part of the Windows team come teach us how to build applications for the Windows Webstore was a huge plus for me. I have really come to understand the development and design philosophy of Windows 8, and I am looking forward to using the platform!
