Lee Smith. Software Engineer

Transcription

1 Lee Smith Address: Software Engineer Websites: Software Engineer with over 9 years experience developing applications with a keen focus on standards, accessibility, interoperability and re-use as well as Open Source. For an example of my abilities please see my website which is written in ASP.NET with a VB back-end running on Apache with Mono. This site also contains an SVN repository with some of my home developments. Developed many applications using C#, VB.Net, ASP.Net, SQL, XML/XSL and (X)HTML/CSS/Javascript core technologies. Have the ability to work individually on my own initiative as and when required while simultaneously working as a member of a team of between 3 and 8 developers. Introduced new technologies and techniques such as XML, Control Inheritance, Control Libraries, Dynamic Code, Generic Types, and Click Once Deployment. Extensively used Source Control systems (Source Safe and Source Forge/SVN) Developed many dynamic systems for both presentation and execution. Created central library for code re-use. Developed algorithm to resolve long standing problem. Worked on both greenfield and existing applications adhering to team coding standards. Extensive hardware experience having built and maintained PCs/Servers for many years. Employment History Software Engineer London Oct 2008-Current EIRIS LTD (Experts In Responsible Investment Solutions) Software Solutions Developer London 2002-Oct 2008 ACXIOM LTD. (Global Marketing Services Company) Other Relevant Experience Began Open Source experience with SuSE Linux 7.0 in Gained experience in a number of different distros, including several Alpha versions. Developed a number of applications now released under the GPL Open Source license Most recently become involved with the open source xwax Digital Vinyl System. Educational Qualifications A-Level in Computing (B), Physics (B), Maths (C) GCSE Level in 9½ subjects including IT, Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English(2), Music and German Work And Character References Available On Request

2 9 Years Of Professional Development Experience: I have been writing applications for as long as I can remember, My first programs in QuickBasic. I moved on to VisualBasic (5.0) around 2000 but continued to use QuickBasic for a good few years after that. Under Linux for home use I used C/C++ for a few years which helped me to maintain one of the core applications for Altwood LTD. (now Acxiom). I started to teach myself C# in 2002 and in 2003 I moved into using VB.Net at work. Everything I write is now done using VB.Net or C# either using (at work) Visual Studio or (at home) plain text files with a Makefile for build (using Mono). I started using SQL (MS SQL Server) in 2003 and am now adept at creating complex queries, sometimes including CTEs and SQL which writes SQL (although I try to avoid this where possible). I have used many source control systems during my employment including MS SourceSafe, CVS and SVN. 12 Years Of Open Source Experience: My first experience of Open Source Software was at school with FT Linux in about I was hooked pretty quickly and soon installed SuSE Linux 7.0 Since then I have tried many distros including Knoppix, Redhat, Fedora, Gentoo, Kubuntu and Ubuntu, Mandrake, alpha/beta versions of Open SUSE and countless more. I now maintain our home network of 2 PCs, 1 Laptop and 2 Servers all running various versions of Open SUSE from 10.0 to 12.1 I recently made some enhancements to an open source software called xwax (written in C using SDL) and it is my intention to contribute these changes back to the authors and become an active participant in development of the software (this was my first exposure to developing with SDL). Projects Worked On: Professionally I have worked on many projects, ranging in size from small utility applications to massive projects with ongoing development. EIRIS At EIRIS I have worked on a complete re-write of the companies primary internal application. This development involved some complex logic with countless 'IF's 'BUT's and 'who knows?' It also includes a dynamic data entry system which has the configuration defined in itself. As part of this project I created a number of Abstract base controls designed to take away the pain of some common tasks. An example includes a document tabbing system similar to the ones found in Web Browsers and Visual Studio. I have written a Visual Studio Add-In to assist in common tasks (such as turning a For-Each loop into a For-I-Loop and creating public properties to wrap private members). This add-in sped up my developments significantly.

3 I wrote, from scratch, web based bug tracking software to replace the Excel Spreadsheet previously used (which was struggling with 3 developers and a tester constantly updating it). The biggest project to-date is a complete re-write of the companies' flagship client application. This is a windows forms based application which requires significant volumes of data updates, the web service for which is one of the many parts I have written. During my time at EIRIS I have created numerous flow charts and database diagrams to clarify processes and complex data structures. I have also written detailed documentation to assist the team in understanding the interface and workings of various (often complex) components. More recently this has taken the form of a Wiki to which all members of the team contribute. At EIRIS I have also developed: A Holiday Booking System: A web based Asset Tracking System (incorporated into the bug tracker) A centralised permissions admin system (all the projects use a common permissions model which I created). Acxiom The biggest was the hugely dynamic web application which would be used by internal staff and external clients alike in many countries throughout the world. As part of a team of 8 developers situated in Central London this project involved developing a skinnable, client facing, Website (including AJAX components) as well as a complex Web Service, multiple Windows Services, Windows Forms based support applications, 2 Metabases, and Gigabytes of flat file data, and I was privileged to be able to work on ALL aspects of this project. As part of this project I also developed a solution to a long standing problem by generating indexes based on some complex maths. This solution turned out to be many times faster (at run time) than any previous solution. I solely developed, as part of this project, a powerful dynamic data output engine which would quickly and effectively output data, from any given source, based on supplied data bitmaps and indexes. This engine was core to the function of the entire project. It would also, if required, reformat data on-the-fly before writing to the output file, which could be in one of many formats, as well as generate reports, layouts and documentation to accompany the file. During my time at the same company I also developed, from scratch, another highly dynamic application for use by several external clients which contained a dynamic admin system, which defines itself. Some other projects worked on during my time at Acxiom: A web based dynamic survey data collection site. This application had dynamic render. A Re-usable Code Library which ended up as part of just about every project big and small made within the team. It was my responsibility to make sure people used it whenever possible. An extensible tools application where new tools could be quickly and easily added by anyone in the team to assist in the creation/manipulation of data and/or code. The main purpose of this application was to reduce the myriad of support applications that the team had down to just one application; Which is far easier to manage and reduces duplication of code.

4 Home I recently picked up a 3 rd party Open Source Software, xwax, which is a Digital Vinyl System (control an mp3 by using a special timecoded vinyl as if the mp3 is on the vinyl itself). This software utilises SDL a technology which is new to me and within a few hours I had made tweaks to the user interface adding more columns of information to the user display and tweaking the search function to work with these extra columns. Recently I have also developed an online radio station stream switching application. This all in one solution contains an embedded http server which I have written from scratch as well as both a GUI and a comprehensive CLI for use on headless systems. It also includes both a shoutcast server and client. The source for these, and some of the other projects mentioned below can be found in my SVN repository accessible from my website ( licensed as GPL. Other personal projects I have worked on include: An audio file tag scanner This is a drop in replacement for the one which ships with xwax (which was inadequate for my needs). A Multi-platform executable generator which can create a single binary that will work on both Windows and Linux without requiring the user to manually run external software. A vinyl recording application with ID3 tagging features and automatic track separation (work in progress). An Image sideshow application with a complex rating system and XML config store. An audio identification system (work in progress) All my projects utilise Makefiles for build. Key Qualities: I am a strong advocate of adhering to standards (e.g. W3C, WCAG), creating accessible applications (particularly important for websites) and applications which function across many platforms (also particularly important for websites). I appreciate that employers/clients are often more concerned by fast development than adherence to standards. However I believe it is possible to stick to these principles without significantly adversely affecting development time. I am keen to develop good, clean, code which is easy for another developer to follow. I add comments where necessary but avoid cluttering the code with them. Doc Comments are a great way to document the usage of a re-usable code library and I think it is important to keep these up-todate. I am also a strong advocate of code re-use, Creating (at both of my employments, and in my private work) a re-usable library which contains a great number of functions not specific to any one application; which all team members contribute to. I believe my experience in maintaining the hardware of the computer gives me a better understanding of the interoperation between the various components of the PC thus enabling me to write more efficient code more quickly. My ability to think outside the box often means I can come up with a simpler solution to an otherwise complex problem. Conversely it can sometimes result in a complex solution which will run many times faster than straightforward methods.

5 Development Technologies Used: Languages Web Visual Basic.NET Strong XHTML Strong C# Good CSS Strong Javascript Good ASP.NET Strong C/C++ Good Javascript Strong Visual Basic Good AJAX Basic Excel/VBA Good HTML Dom (firefox and IE) Strong Shell scripting (bash) Moderate Web Services Good Techniquies Platforms Reflection Good SDL Basic.NET 1.1 Strong Other.NET 2.0 Strong Clickonce Deployment Strong.NET 3.5 Good Content Management (CMS) Good Mono Good Indexes Strong Data Bitmaps Strong Data Windows Services Good XML Strong Makefiles Moderate XSL Strong Windows Forms Strong MS SQL Server (2005, 2008) Strong LINQ Basic Operating Systems Windows XP Strong Methodologies Windows 7 Strong Scrum Good Linux Strong Agile Good Other Interests I have a passion for DJing and currently have a regular weekly show on a fast growing global internet based House Music radio station which I broadcast from my own professional studio at home. I also assist with technical problems and the general running of the station, helping new DJ's with the configuration of their systems across many platforms. Build and repair PC's on a part-time basis. Initially this was for family and friends but I have also built PC's for a Charity Shop at no cost using recycled/repaired equipment. Also repaired ageing Compaq 1200 laptop. Upgraded RAM, HDD upgraded CDROM to CDR/DVD, installed SuSE Linux 9.2 with Open Office Suite and generally kept it running well beyond it's sell by date. Long time member of Tatsfield Badminton Club. Space exploration.