The Bright Side Blog: Project News and Events

Browse through our blog! Get the latest news about activities, developments and projects on behalf of our customers, as well as updates about the BSL team and events.

Our blog pages reflect our passion for software development. Our skills. Our Agile approach. Our commitment to deliver on-time, and on-budget. We demonstrate our passion time after time, as our project portfolio shows. Our blog tells you what interests us, and our clients. How our engineers and designers work closely with clients - large and small - to deliver reliable, innovative custom solutions. Learn how we create responsive web sites, and great mobile apps for iOS and Android. Whatever the challenge, our passion for software can help you to achieve your business goals. So get in touch, and find out just how the Bright Side of Life can help with your next project.

Goodbye 2021 and COVID-19 lockdowns – It’s time to look back

by bsl | Jan 22, 2022

If I were running a bar, restaurant or hotel, I can imagine that I’d be pulling my hair out right now. So who, in early 2020, thought that we’d still be operating under COVID-19 lockdown measures in January 2022? Luckily, my skill set has given me a better understanding of software development and technology than catering or hospitality. As director of an IT company, I’m happy to say that Bright Side of Life has taken to remote working as a fish to water. Let me tell you about our year. (more…)

Canon of the Netherlands apps now available in stores

by bsl | Jan 13, 2022

As you may already be aware, the new Canon Committee, led by Professor James Kennedy, updated the Dutch Canon in 2020. The Committee retired ten topics and added ten new ones. We had already updated our Entoen app to include this new content, but we wanted to do more. So, in our blog from November last year, we described our plans to develop an entirely new app – the Canon of the Netherlands app. Previously known as the Entoen Nu app, the Canon of the Netherlands app contains lots of additional content and sports a completely new look! We’re delighted to tell you that the app is now available to download in the App Store and GooglePlay store. (more…)

Integrating powerful AI search capabilities within apps and web-services

by bsl | Dec 23, 2021

BSL has focused on intelligent search applications for more than twenty years. Search technology, intelligence and performance is continually evolving, which is why we also adopt a range of technologies within our software solutions. This blog outlines some of our experiences with Azure Cognitive Search – a Microsoft service that we will shortly be using to classify thousands of documents each day, delivering highly customised Corporate insights to subscribers. (more…)

Canon van Nederland apps coming soon!

by bsl | Nov 3, 2021

The Committee on the Development of the Dutch Canon (2005-2007) developed the Canon van Nederland in 2007. BSL developed the EnToen app a few years later. Since its launch in 2013, it has been a top-rated school app. In 2020 a new Canon committee, led by Professor James Kennedy, updated the Canon. The Committee retired ten topics and added ten new ones. While we updated the app to show the new content last year, we wanted to do more. So we’re proud to say that entirely new versions of the Entoen Nu and Entoen Lite apps are on the way! (more…)

Drupal 9 replaces Drupal 8. Long live Drupal 7!

by bsl | Oct 5, 2021

Drupal 9 came out late last year, and Drupal 8 reaches its end-of-life in November 2021. Nothing strange about this. But did you know that Drupal 7’s life has been extended to November 2022? Due to the high number of active users, it’s in remission and will remain in use longer than Drupal 8. A unique state of affairs in software upgrade paths. Nevertheless, with just over a year to upgrade from 7 to 9, it’s time to make a plan to migrate to Drupal 9. (more…)