Going IT Alone: The Handbook for Freelance and Contract Software Developers

Leon Brown is a software developer and trainer from Liverpool in England. His mantra is that he practices what he preaches and preaches what he practices. With over 20 years of experience in software development, Leon has developed software for legacy and modern platforms ranging from the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Amiga through to the Web and smartphones. Leon has a diverse range of commercial experience, including the delivery of Internet systems and training for household names, including UNICEF, the NHS, SAGE, and The University of Manchester to projects for small businesses, start-ups, and charities. His experience of working with such a diverse range of organizations has allowed him to understand how to approach the different types of situations affecting software development projects. His projects ranged from the creation of websites and apps to CRM and the use of AI for reporting and decision-making. Leon regularly writes for web industry magazine Web Designer from Imagine Publishing, in which he has written feature articles and tutorials covering web development. His most notable articles for the magazine provided detailed insight into securing websites against common methods of hacking, such as session hijacking and SQL injection. These articles gained highly positive feedback from the magazine's readers in the following issues.