Java Troopers is NOT ...

... an IT "body shop". We avoid run-of-the-mill projects and only work with developers who have less than 5 years or 50K lines decent programming experience when our clients insist. Our idea of decent programming experience is self-derived logic for commercial, industrial or military use implemented in C or any OO language that wasn't IDE or wizard-generated. We find it much more productive to partner experienced developers even if they cost several times more than rookies. You'd be amazed at the savings derived from getting it right first time.

... a team of website designers. We feel that talented graphic designers and web UI specialists should easily be able to outperform us.

... a Java-only company. We have mission-critical experience in C, C++, Expect, Perl, PostScript, multiple shell scripting languages, SQL, Tcl/Tk etc. and will use the right tool to get the job done. Our preference for Java is due to our strengths as well as the inherent advantages of the platform. We look forward to developing hybrid Java/scripting solutions with the FCS release of Java SE 6 and beyond.

... a charity. We believe in providing great value for our clients. This is very different from offering to "meet your basic requirements at the best price". The concept of TCO (total cost of ownership) is often lost on IT management. Software has the following costs: acquisition, operating, support, enhancement and termination. Many organizations only consider acquisition cost and fail to realize that the other cost components are usually much greater through the life of a system. So when products or applications are not built for usability or to last, users often ending up paying for it in many ways. If you know that you want an interim or throwaway hack job (and we recognize there are occasions for these), let us know upfront so we can price and build it accordingly. And don't be too surprise if we decline your business because we won't take hack jobs unless there is a technically challenging aspect to it.

... a products company, though that may change over time. We have no product ambitions of our own but we love to help you develop yours because we believe products require more quality from architecture through implementation. We build class libraries for our own as well as clients' use, and if time permits, we will open source them.

... into providing armed escort through the perilous Straits of Sumatra. We are against piracy both software and maritime ;-). But for the latter, you should consult my friend Bryan Toki of Background Asia Risk Solutions.