Curriculum Vitae

Dr Martín R. Raskovsky

Born November 28th, 1949, Argentina.
E-mail: mail@martinR.com
URL: http://martinR.com
Tel: (+44) 1934 822 983
Address: Rookery Farm; Puxton; North Somerset; BS24 6TL; England



Resume

I am a software engineer with more than 40 years experience. Coming from an academic background: First Class Honours in Computing Science; Philosophy Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Computing Science; Lecturer at Essex University; Research Fellow at Oxford University.

I left the academia in 1982 and have been working as a contractor and employee in the Industry ever since.

The academic background forms a substantial strength in my work. Trained as a compiler writer first, capable to relate high-level theoretical issues to implementations at a programming level - as my doctorate thesis shows.

In the industry I have worked mainly in a UNIX environment in areas such as word processing; printing; laser printers; scanners; graphic environment with page layout and design; conversion of programs from one programming language to another and from one operating system to another; electronic commerce (e-commerce); web design; and many, many others.

During the last four years I have worked in the Internet, as an architect, application designer, programmer and web design in e-commerce. In this area I have been able to show my main skills:

  • Architect/developer of systems that have an extremely low error rate and perform as promised.
  • Exceptionally quick problem solver, seeing the ‘obvious’ that others cannot.

 

 

 

Academic Qualifications


1978-82 Doctor of Philosophy.
University of Essex.
A correspondence Between Denotational Semantics and Code Generation.
Description of a method for the systematic derivation or automatic generation - from the formal denotational semantic specification - of an efficient compiler's code generation phase, producing efficient code for real machines. The method has been successfully implemented and tested with languages as complex as Gedanken!

1975-77 First Class (Honours) in Computing Science.
University of Essex.

Academic and Industrial Work

2004 - present
Teradata -- Rainstor Software Limited
Senior Software Architect

·        Senior role in research team. Working on innovative, cutting edge C/C++ based database technology. Designing, architecting and coding a parser, expression system, compiler and planner for SQL92.


2004
Consultant to WoW Films

Major developments:

·        Architected and implemented a HTTP driven remote on-line office for a film production company. The system can be accessed by perspective clients during the preliminary “find a locations process” when scouts survey potential locations and producers remotely make their choices. During production, all relevant production data can also be entered remotely and made immediately available to different teams in different locations.

·        Architected and implemented an image search system. An extremely fast mechanism was architected to enter, edit and retrieve a large disk driven data base of images and their keywords. Found images are made visible through standard web-based pages or printing via PDF. The system was implemented in Perl and a simple but effective merge of data and presentation mechanism was used via an extension to the Apache web server providing a flexible and easy to use interface for non technical operators to produce on line reports.

·        Architected and implemented tools for the automatic generation of C/C++ code to interface to SQL. The same SQL code used to define tables is used in the generation process. The complete the circle of automation, the system – written in Perl - was interfaced to a “N-Tier-Server” factory written in C/C++ and running under Unix/Linux.


2003
TSO - The Information Management Company
Web Services Technical Architect

Designing the Web Service Architecture to implement common components in more than 65 web sites. Involves .NET and J2EE in both NT and UNIX environments. Implementing such an interface in C++, C#, Vb and Java.

Re-architected a large E-Commence bookshop with more than 2 two million publications.

 

1999-2002
QXL.com plc.
Chief Software Architect

Reporting directly to the CTO. Attending all aspects of Architecture and Programming support in the dynamic ever-changing environment of QXL.com, the pan-European online auction community. QXL.com simultaneously conducts consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer auctions in eight languages and currencies. The QXL.com online auction community facilitates trading 24 hours a day, seven days a week in an efficient, convenient and entertaining environment.

Major developments:

  • Re-architected the entire system: The original electronic platform architecture was based on a single monolithic poor performing third party application server functionality which weakly communicated with the data base at one end and delivered HTML to the web servers at the other. An application server “factory” was developed to replace it with own functions to handle, balance and service user requests significantly increasing system performance, robustness and increasing headroom. The resultant system is an extremely efficient, easy to develop and maintain set of small units, each one capable of inter process communication and delivering data which is merged with presentation at apache/stronghold web server time. The flexibility of the system allows XML or HTML to be delivered depending on the caller.
  • Langedit: Architected and implemented a tool which enables content to be managed/translated by the appropriate local country resources. A full workflow process ensures that such resources are notified when content translation is required and builders are notified when this is done. This tool significantly reduces the amount of time required to build a new site (we would not have integrated 12 Countries without it) and eases ongoing maintenance.
  • URL wrapper for associate branding: Picked up a fundamentally flawed design and has produced an Apache based solution to replace it, which after considering exactly what it had to do within the constraints of current systems is significantly less complex and more architectural pure than the original.
  • Up loader: an example of where was able to quickly identify problems (memory allocation) which were causing this to crash regularly – this was after others had developed/looked at this and had been unable to offer any solutions.
  • PageMaker: Instrumental in ensuring that this tool, which takes load off the site by pre-generating sub cat listing pages, can cope with the changing profile of our system as we build more sites and grow.
  • Homemaker: Implemented this essential tool to enable promotions to be rotated on a number of key pages on the site.



1988-1999
Atelier de Software
Managing Director, System Analyst and Programmer.



1999 Major developments:

  • Adapted Perl extensions for a Graphic CGI interface.
    Platform: UNIX (Solaris 2.x) (Client: Atelier de Software)
  • Wrote Perl/JAVA utilities for Internet remote access.
    Platform: Windows95/98/NT UNIX (Solaris 2.x) (Client: Atelier de Software)
  • Automatic generation of Electronic Card Mail Delivery Systems
    Designed and implemented in HTML/Perl/CGI:
    An electronic bilingual post card system.
    Details in http://www.abcard.net/
    Platform: UNIX (Solaris 2.x) (Client: Atelier de Software)


1998 Major developments:

  • Designed and implemented in JAVA: A data entry and automatic HTML/Perl/CGI generation program for a Bilingual Web Shopping Page. The front end aids in the entry of all data and tuning parameters. The back end generates the complete and appropriate HTML and Perl cgi-scripts. The system was written in JAVA, allowing platform independence.  
    Platform: UNIX (Solaris 2.x) (Client: Mercado del Plata, California, USA)
  • Designed and implemented in HTML/Perl/CGI: An electronic bilingual post card system.
    Details in http://www.abcard.net/
    Platform: UNIX (Solaris 2.x) (Client: Atelier de Software)
  • Designed and implemented in JAVA/HTML/Perl/CGI: Tools and utilities for the manipulation of files and images across the Internet.
    Platform: UNIX (Solaris 2.x) (Client: Atelier de Software)


1997 Major developments:

  • Web Shopping Page (HTML, CGI-Scripts, Perl, Credit Card).
    Platform: UNIX (Solaris 2.x) (Client: Mercado del Plata, California, USA)
  • Web Page Design.
    Platform: UNIX (Solaris 2.x) (Client: Atelier de Software)
  • Translation of a DOS large system into UNIX (SCO, Lang: C)
    Platform: UNIX (Solaris 2.x/SCO/DOS) (Client: Print Soft.     Melbourne, Australia)
  • A WYSIWYG multiple font, multiple colour text editor for a print-mark-up system.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C++) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)


1996 Major developments:

  • Implemented all aspects of multi-plane colour raster manipulation including allocation, storage, rotation scaling and combinations.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C++) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)


1995 Major developments:

  • Designed, implemented a multimedia mailer system, including word processing and inline images.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C)


1994 Major developments:

  • Implemented paragraph reorganisation in a print-preview system.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C++) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Interpreted Xerox FRM into composite elements.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C++) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Translated XEROX objects into Rasters.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C++) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Implemented a text visualisation system.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C++) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Implemented all aspects of single plane raster manipulation including allocation, storage, rotation scaling and combinations.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C++) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)


1993 Major developments:

  • Added colour to a word processing package using X11.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Ported a large system from Macintosh to UNIX and Windows.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C) (Client: Farukh Ltd. London)
  • Implemented a Driver for an IBM-AFPS-OGL printer.
    Platform: UNIX (Solaris 2.x, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. Germany)
  • Supervised the post production of a computer aided animated film. (Client: Flehner, Argentina)


1992 Major developments:

  • Implemented a kernel driver for the Epson colour scanner.
    Platform: UNIX (Solaris 2.x, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Implemented a driver for the Sun SPARCprinter.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Implemented a kernel driver for the Microtek scanner.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Implemented Rounded Boxes with Tints and Patterns on a form design system.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Implemented Pixel Font translators among HP, IPDS, Bull and Siemens formats.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. Germany)
  • Implemented a Driver for the Siemens Dquic off-line printer.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. Germany)
  • Implemented a Mail Shot Label Generation System.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)


1991 Major developments:

  • Integrated audio to a document composition system.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x lang: C)
  • Designed and implemented an interactive Open Windows interpreter.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x lang: C)
  • Implemented a Pascal to C translator.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, Solaris 2.x lang: C)
  • Implemented a kernel driver for the Epson scanner.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)


1990 Major developments:

  • Implemented Computing Aided Software Engineering Tools
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C)
  • Provided Consultancy in User Interfaces.
  • Provided a Feasibility study of the X-Windows system.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Mohawk Ltd. London)
  • Converted a large Window-based interactive system to X-Windows.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Mohawk Ltd. London)
  • Implemented a Driver for the Bull-Mathilde family of printers.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Mohawk Ltd. London)


1988-1989 Major developments:

  • Designed, implemented, and maintained a Desk Top Publishing System.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Implemented Tools for Automated Translation of programs among different Languages.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C)
  • Translated and developed a Pixel Font design system.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Implemented a Picture compression system for the XEROX 9700 Graphics system.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London)
  • Implemented a Driver for the Siemens model 2 off-line printer.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London/Germany)
  • Implemented Drivers for Canon-CX and HP Laser Jet printers.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Program Products Ltd. London/Germany)
  • Feasibility study of the Bull DPX1000.
    Platform: UNIX (SunOS, lang: C) (Client: Bull, France)


1982-87 Senior Software Engineer
Programming Research Group, University of Oxford.
Objectives: Provide advanced software support for teaching and research.
Duties:

  • Design, development and maintenance of high quality advanced software systems to support teaching and research. (Programming language compilers and interpreters, operating systems, typesetting systems, database management systems, etc.).
    • An editing system to support the production of high quality WYSIWYG multi-font documents, containing formal material and diagrams. It has been made available to academic institutions and successfully marketed commercially.
    • A functional interpreter for an interactive editor.
    • A polymorphic type checker for a functional programming language.
    • A driver for the Canon CX laser printer.
  • Management and supervision of software engineering staff.
  • Supervision of graduate students:
    • PhD.: Human Machine Interaction.
    • MSc.: Formal specification of a window system.


1980-82 Lecturer. Department of Computing Science.
University of Essex.
Lecturing final year BSc. and MSc. in Computing Science:

  • Compilers and Interpreters.
  • Programming Languages.
  • Denotational Semantics and Compiler Writing. It's relationship.
  • Supervision:
    • MSc.: Parsing Denotational Semantics


1978-79 Senior Research Officer
Department of Computing Science. University of Essex.
Implementation of:

  • A Pascal interactive system for a teaching environment using the DEC-10 system (written in Pascal)


1977 System Analyst
CAP: Computer Analysts and Programmers. London
Design of:

  • A Micro-COBOL compiler.


1977 System Analyst and Programmer
CORT commercial. London
Design and implementation of:

  • A commercial data base system (written in BASIC and MUMPS).


1972-74 System Analyst and Programmer.
Department of Computing Science. University of Buenos Aires.
Design and Implementation of:

  • An oriented language for the Matrix Calculus (written in MIT's ICES).
  • A parser for a Basic compiler (written in BCPL).
  • A simulator of the PDP11 on the IBM360/50 (written in BCPL).

Programming Languages

Internet:

HTML, XML, CGI-Scripts

Procedural:

JAVA, C#, C++, C, Vb, Perl, BCPL, PASCAL, SIMULA67, MODULA, ALGOL68, ALGOL60

Functional:

LISP, GEDANKEN, ORWEL, Q

Flat:

FOTRAN, ICES, BASIC, MUMPS

Assemblers:

PDP10, PDP8

Window M/G:

.NET, Solaris, SunTools, SunView, X11, XView, NeWS, OpenWindows

Natural Languages

 

Spoken

Written

Read

English

Good

Good

Good

Spanish

Good

Good

Good

French

Good

Poor

Good

Papers and Contributions

  • A Compiler Generated from a Denotational Semantics
    Internal memo. Department of Computing Science,     University of Essex, 1978.
  • Compiler Generation and Denotational Semantics
    Fundamentals of Computation Theory, 1979.
  • From Standard to Implementation Denotational Semantics
    Semantic Directed Compiler Generation,
    pp94-139, Lecture Notes in Computing Science 94.     Springer-Verlag, Berlin 1980.
  • Generating a Real Compiler from a Denotational Semantics
    Seminar Review: Languages et Traducteurs.
    Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique, 1981.
  • Denotational Semantics as a Specification of Code Generators
    Proceedings of the ACM-SIGPLAN'82 Symposium on Compiler Construction, pp230-244
    Boston, Massachusetts 1982.
  • A correspondence Between Denotational Semantics and Code Generation
    PhD. Thesis. Department of Computing Science,     University of Essex, 1982.
  • Qed - Using the Software Engineering Project Editor
    Programming Research Group,     Oxford University, 1983.
  • Separating Content from Presentation - QXL.com plc, 2001.
  • A N-Tier Architecture Server Factory – QXL.com plc, 2002
  • Monitor – A Tool to Visualize Server Activity – QXL.com plc, 2002
  • Reusable Components Architecture – TSO Ltd, 2003
  • Ka – The Interface [Java, C#, Vb] to Reusable Components Architecture – TSO Ltd, 2003
  • Interoperativeness between .NET and J2SE/J2EE – TSO Ltd, 2003