There aren't many projects that don't have some sort of HTL5 and Javascript components in their client facing code these days.  Having progressed from Java proprietary technologies I've been writing user interface code in Javascript for the last few years. The vast explosion of frameworks and best practice alternatives are a potential minefield, but having a good grip of what magic is happening under the covers always helps understand how to use the tools we have effectively.

Since I moved from C++ back in the early days, Java has been my core language of choice.  This has been influenced by the organisations I've worked with - Java has always been a good fit for larger scale projects, and with the modern JVM and language improvements is going from strength to strength. 

There are very few things I haven't had a go at implementing in Java - I've designed and built very low level frameworks, and also composed large scale distributed systems processing tens of thousands of transactions a second. I've mentored all levels of developers, testers and devops in Java and its related technologies for the last 15 years, and feel confident I'll be able to lend a hand no matter your problem.

My first role in development was exclusively coding in C and C++, so I've got a strong practical knowledge of the core languages.  My more recent experience with Java and other OO languages have given me a strong understanding of the other aspects of developing in C++, from good OO design all the way through to low level performance and testing.

I've been deploying production services on to AWS for several years now - I've got a good grip of the various approaches to using the various core AWS services.

My core experience over the last two decades in the software industry has been on the server-side. I've been responsible for pretty much everything on the back end over the years, all the way through from really low level implementation to high level architecture and design of highly distributed asynchronous systems.

I have a wide range of experience in both function and non-functional aspects.  On the functional side I have a keen interest in testing best practice, for example when to use unit, component, and system level testing. On the non-functional side I've got a good awareness of security (how to avoid common pitfalls and implement according to best practice) and have a deep level of experience in performance testing of large scale systems.


Having moved into Javascript development for front ends in the last few years, I've tried out a number of frameworks to help make life easier for myself.  The one that has really resonated with me has been AngularJS - the simplicity of the two-way binding makes getting things up and running so simple, and you can build really good simple UIs quickly and painlessly.

The downside is larger and more complex projects get difficult quickly - structuring your code and not being overwhelmed by the shear number of pieces is a key challenge.  More advanced topics, such as implementing your own directives, transclusion, and the inner workings of the digest cycle can be a bit baffling until you've dug into it in more detail.  

The missing piece of the jigsaw for too long, devops has always been a vital role in getting things from code into something that is actually useful.  I've been responsible for managing source control repositories, coming up with branching and SC processes for large teams, defining build process in a massive variety of languages, and managing both manual and fully automated delivery pipelines.

My current tool of choice is Gradle, having moved on from Maven in the last few years, with more than enough shell and Ant in between.  I'm fairly confident I'll be able to help getting to the bottom of your problems or even just advising on best practice - there are often so many ways to achieve the same result it can be hard to know which way works well.

I've worked on a massive variety of projects, from very small focused frameworks through to massive sprawling banking systems.  Getting the design right, or at least recognizing where you have the potential to improve your design in the future, is key to building good systems.    

Personal details

James S.

Summary

Technical skills