Svilen Dobrev ... making software - by people, for people

g'day.

i've been programming, inventing, leading, mentoring, negotiating, hacking for last 20 years, on 3 continents, making projects of all sizes and levels of impossibility. Seen many different terminals, languages, designs, projects, customers, organisations and cultures, and have met even more different attitudes.

So i found that the more difficult and interesting part in the making of software are the people, while the technicals are somehow solvable. Software is just a limited and twisted way of storing and communicating knowledge between people , through space and time - and it's people who cause anything. Respectively, making of software is a cooperative game , an exercise in correct thinking, and all the participants on the chain are actually translators - and Trust is the most important feature.

And i found i can successfully mediate between the western and eastern thinking, between the extremes, technical & applicational, experts & newbies, gears & art, real & virtual. i put passion in my work, and i do trust people and this way weigh them.

So... i make (software) projects from ideas, people and software. Be it possible or not, and regardless what has to change - software, organisation, people, or... me.

Hands-on software advisor, CTO,... maybe. i love idea-generating, nice software (inside and outside), mentoring, team making, steep changes, organisational building, cultural diversity. i can help efficiently make effective software, and tune the community and culture to allow for it.

i'm interested in shaping a software shop/school in Varna, of real assignments, outsourcing or not - work together is the best medium for teaching. A team is ready, more later. Agile, TDD, python... - scalable, flexible tools.

Apart of that - consulting, coaching, leading, architecting... all else. An Impossible Dream project? What about?

More about me (and software) at www.svilendobrev.com .

Personals

1970 Bulgarian, family+kids; sworn non-smoker; hiker

Fluent Bulgarian, Russian, English

Living in Varna; Bulgarian and Australian citizenship

Specialties and interests

- python, sql/alchemy, C++; 20+other languages: java php C asm perl make linux; XML html-javascript-http; OOP, functional, event-/rule-/dependency- driven, markup, behavioral/HDL; middleware - soap/corba

- design of languages; using general languages as carriers of higher-level applicational ones; generators of code; self-interpreting objects; grammars, interpreters, virtual machines; interfaces, protocols, frameworks; aspects

- modelling, architecture, flows, UI, efficiency and effectiveness, optimisation, persistency/databases, MVC

- 2D/3D graphics, maps+image processing; sync/async threads/ networking, access control+tracing; protections; licensing; digital signatures-smartcards; www web as runtime env - cloud services replace libraries of the past

- reverse engineering; requirements engineering, use-cases; testing; usability; SDLC, project management, estimation, negotiation; configuration/ version managmt

- methodology, agile CrystalClear, CMMi, lean, formal/ informal process; team-nurturing, cultural differences, mental gears; organizational patterns/health; global development, outsourcing; search + anonymity

- the team as live, self-tuning instrument for translating human knowledge into software form; proximity and communication patterns, de-hierachization

- workflows of documentation' creation/ maintenance

- artistic design and layout; apply knowledge across fields

- reflecting, exchanging ideas, DIY, learning & teaching

- caring about what i do

motto-s

+ Find a friend to be your senses

+ One can't make decent tool/thing if has never been user of it

+ If you make something usable by idiots, only idiots will use it

+ Languages are tools. If there is suitable, use it. If not, make it!

+ Association's great thing - trust your common intuitional sense

+ Software is actually about people, not about machines

+ Trust is the essence of making software. M achine s trust 100% , at other end people don't trust each other. One has to see hirself in this chain - how much trust and distrust you can handle?

+ www-web makes the global village - so _everything_ and everyone is at near-zero "distance". But NEVER zero. And sometimes one needs just that - a warm touch - or good kick...

Experience

owner, Svilen Dobrev Consulting; 2008- ...
freelance advisor, methodologist, architect,.. programmer

- 2009 - mercenary developer at Wyplay.com, Marseille. UI optimization+refactoring, python in embedded linux, garnished with a bit extreme organisational-architectural independence for my taste. Viva la liberte! yeah but without communication, software just ain't edible.

- csend'2009 for bozosoft.biz: end-user client software for the new http://Customs.bg B2B system, to digitally sign, exchange and keep messages + document states/flows, SOAP-XML-smartcards. Like e-mail, but the hard way.

- a study of SIStechnology about organisational culture, technological- and work- flows. Diagnose is.. nevermind

- dbcook.sf.net - "language" for abstract description of DB-schemas - render into sqlalchemy, or non-sql

linuxteam leader, SIStechnology.com; 2003-2008 -
linux+outsourcing team/department leader, architect, methodologist, manager, mentor, ... programmer

- HOR - Human Resources +payroll management system, enterprise, 90Kloc python, sql, 8people 2.5+years; replacing legacies of long history. Represents an ever-changing, very complex/entangled reality+relations, life-expectancy of least 10 years - max flexibility , notion of legislation changeable hierarchically, bitemporal code and data, business language, dbcook. Leading ... Agile Crystal-Clear methodology; teaching, mentoring, managing; requirements engineering; restructuring software, project, workflows and team; fighting ...

- two smaller projects, trying above frameworks: budget-control/ prognosis system; small-store

- STC- Singapore Turf Club's betting terminals-kiosks renovation - "big-money" global outsourcing effort; our end-user-app: 130k C++, 15k py/make/java, 6people, 2+years; core dev, architect, team leader/manager, all relations to other 3 teams - WN-Konstanz, WN-Singapore, STC; difficult cultural mix/communication. Psychologically the most difficult and most rewarding project so far - hey i made a Team, survived crossing 4 cultures, and "end-users said they like your software"! >1000 machines are live now.

* resurrected trust in company for outsourcing from WincorNixdorf and covered all relations thereof

* built successful united self-organising team/culture

* teaching 5 fresh grads into top-devs, product manager into Business Analyst; 3 weeks training to STC onsite

* pushing new culture of trust, responsibility & self-discipline, and technologies for it (wiki-trac-svn) into overall company... why oh why

* analysis of organisational/work patterns, WN-Konstanz

senior sw engineer, Vintech, Bulgaria; 2002-2003 - same company as below, wannabe market, trying other field

- subsystem for topologic parametric modelling + control of mechanical technology - in CAM/CAE plant system

- graphical 2D backend API from python into C++

- cassowarypy - Cassowary constraint solver into python

senior software analyst, Petrosys, Adelaide, Australia; 2000-2002 - small, fast company (geophysical maps/ software), worldwide presence

- drawing framework - 2D graphical hierarchies, polygon-processing-pipe and calculations

- visualize map-data from arcinfo SDE data source/ GIS

* some success in changing company culture and way of thinking - both as usage of technologies and improved communication between people

* first steps into organisational patterns

tech lead/ test lead, Motorola, Adelaide, Australia; 1999-2000 - EDA - multi-cultural env in huge global corp...

- making new compiler for analog/mixed-signal Verilog-A/AMS; maintenance and merge of legacy compilers

- automate build + testing systems for above compilers

* first time beyond iron curtain, another language-culture-continent, "noone in nowhere", tasting the new society

* learning about software made industrially - "pipelines"+ CMM4, and teaching about software made efficiently

software engineer/consultant, Vintech, Varna, Bulgaria; 1997-1998 - small company in a narrow, chaotic market

- creating Sceti / Finix (40k c++) - accounting system, human-terms/document oriented, internal scripting languages, fully user-programmable. 10y later, still used

- prototype of a hospital system and country-wide paperless health-system infrastructure

* most of my db/report/document/ui stuff stem from here

sysadmin/ software+accounting analyst, Biochim Bank; 1995-97 - strategical midsize branch of a big state bank

- software for accounting scheme changeover (on-the-run-translation - all input and output)

- accounting infrastructural sw - rule-based accounting correctness, ledger systems conversions

- LAN maintenance- 50PCs, Novell, dos/win/os2, clipper

* automation of all bank system-administration routines

* reverse engineering of available system/process

lead programmer, Inmeco & Navel, Varna; 1992-1994 - small international companies, naval & military stuff

- Danube river map system - own GUI+map technology

- mobile big accurate digital maps: technology/ end-user system - input/compress/show; +radar/GPS; i386/penpad

- prototype for a river traffic control radar+map system (Gabcikovo-Nadmarosh channel)

- Missile launcher simulator - 3D real-time engine for simulation of combat/physical environment for soldier training - real weapon + overhead projector, radar simulation, trainer's workplace; i486, 3ppl/3months (!)

* c/c++, asm, GUI, reversing dos extenders+compilers

publisher and programmer, Tehnotronica / Algorithm 5; 1992-93 - desktop publishing... Besides designing heaps of books, papers, logos etc:

- initiate+grow an informal desktop-publishing club

- DTP software and tools - reverse, fix-adapt-enhance-localize-customize-make new, technology for papers

- fonts - reverse, localize, enhance, design of new; tools/process for it; sold generated cyrillic bitmap fonts

* no tool / printer driver understood cyrillic then... so i ate tons of assembler and data, and made them work

partner, Specialized Intelligent Systems, Varna 1990-92

- me + 2 schoolmates... Sell hardware, make accounting software, argolink modems between towns. clipper, C, asm. Later one of the guys formed... SISTechnology

Education

Technical university Varna (VMEI), 1986-1990

M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, special advancing course: Finished in 4 instead of 5 years, 5.71/6.00; twice more disciplines studied

Mathematical High college - Varna (2 MG), 1983-1986

"advancing education" group of 4 students, 7 years taken in 4, gold medal, competitions

Some community projects

my open-source software: dbcook.sf.net , statictype, timed:bitemporal, SAaggregator, cassowarypy

maintaining a public repository and a wiki of children audio-fairytales, from LPs etc - google "detski prikazki"

Contacts

e-mail: az()svilendobrev _ com

site: www.svilendobrev.com

work-related pages: www.svilendobrev.com/rabota

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