The World of Computer Software/The World of Computer Software.iso/nba102.zip/DONTREAD.ME

Text File | 1992-07-31 | 6KB | 111 lines

   Well, you had not listened...  so, you'll have to read this blatant
advertisement.  You have being warned!

   I am currently seeking programmer's job somewhere outside Russia,
preferable in English-speaking country, but will not mind learning new
(european) language.  Tiny bit of information about myself:

   I am 23, single.  Graduated from chemical department of Novosibirsk State
University in 1990, with specialization in physical chemistry and excellent
grades.  Not what they did me any good at all ;-) Now I am working at the
Institute of BioOrganic Chemistry in Novosibirsk as computer programmer.

   ■ What can I do as programmer?  I'll just list some of my little projects
during last three years.  Although I had some experiences with PDP-11s and
System/360s, now they should be considered to be a bit rusty, so I'll limit
myself to PCs.

   Code name:  DEMO.  This is the biggest one, and not yet complete.  It
consists of 35,000 lines of 'C' code and supposed to draw pretty pictures of
various molecules, containing up to a few thousands of atoms in real time on
good 386 PC.  It is based upon analytical solution of problem of two spheres
intersection and can therefore generate realistic quasi-lighted pictures of
objects consisting of spheres and cylinders really fast.  Includes a set of
gadgets built around drawing engine (i.e., simple molecular structure
editor, interface modules for various external data formats, etc.)

   Code name:  DDRIVE.  It is just simple MS DOS block device driver written
in C (I wished to understand just how these things work in DOS.  Disgusting
sight it was.) It makes file located on any FAT device to appear as DOS
drive.  Only 3,000 lines in C, but still worth mention.

   Code name:  HDBIOS.  It is hard disk driver supporting two MFM
controllers.  Saved me two 40M MFM drives then I had upgraded to IDE, but
cost almost a month of hard work despite of it's tiny 2,000 lines in
assembler - it is not simple to write device driver without documentation on
hardware at all...

   Code name:  LOADER.  Yet another specialized and very dumb overlay
loader.  Decompresses overlays on the fly, thus saving disk space (and,
curiously, loading time).  I used it to collect together semiempirical
package developed in our group.  (Code name:  DEMO was part of that project,
too).

   Code name:  ~ZEN.  Tape backup software for TEAC MT-IIST streamer (60M
one.  Now they are making 660M ones...) 5,500 lines in C written after a
month of desperate struggle with software package (ANZEN) supplied by TEAC.
It was Ok, but refused to work on anything better then 10 MHz AT.  Although
I had no specs on MT-IIST tape drive at all, and was forced to use exactly
the same command set as ANZEN, my program performs 3 to 10 times faster...
Well, it is not a wonder - ANZEN was written by team of at least 6
programmers and God knows how many managers, as anyone could see from it's
coding style...

   Code name:  CM.  One plain 4,500 lines file in C containing floppy
bit-copier.  Sure, bit-copiers are out of date all around the world, but
Russia is a bit different in this respect.  Just remember how it was with
PCs seven years ago.  Got a touch?  As the bit-copiers are not produced
anywhere outside Russia anymore, and nonspecific copying algorithms of my
one perform better then anyone else I'd seen, I consider myself as a sort of
worldwide leader in this area ;-)

   Code name:  EDB.  PC software emulator running on PC - 9,500 lines in C.
External devices emulation is in rudimentary state, but CPU emulation is
good - it accepts most of undocumented PC instructions and reproduces some
very peculiar details of older (808x, 8018x, 80286) Intel CPU operations.
Why would anyone wish to develop such a strange thing?  Just remember '85
again ;)

   Code name:  TRUEVIEW.  Low-level software simulation of 18-bits per pixel
(262144 colors) video mode on plain VGA.  It is not dithering - it
implements 'true' 336x240x256K video mode by programming VGA hardware on
very non-standard ways.  Includes interface modules for reading external
graphics files in GIF, TIFF, PCX and BMP formats.  Fine mix of 4000 lines in
C++ and 500 lines in assembler.

   Code name:  NBA.  You had seen this one and can say by yourself.

   As I believe, this list says for itself - I can do any medium-sized
lowlevel project on PC, provided that you know exactly what you want to get
from it.

   ■ What I (probably) can't do as a programmer?

   Although I had written small programs in non-procedural languages (such
as Prolog or Mathematica), I had never produced complete project in them, so
they are still terra incognita for me.

   Although I know how to write low-level programs (such as device drivers)
to make them compatible with Windows and use this or that Windows feature
provided for such purposes, I had never written code for Windows GUI.

   I have none experience whatsoever with Unix operating system apart from
using VI from time to time.  I have no experience with NetWare, even as
user.

   And, most important, I had never worked as a part of a big (more then
two-three men) team and can't predict how I will perform in such situation.

   ■ What should you do if you feel what you could need my services?

   Just write to my Internet address:  [e-mail].  I will be glad to
answer you.

   Thank you for the patience with which you had read this boring opus of
tired programmer (me) :-)

   Take care!

/Serge.P aka Serge Pachkovsky,                              July 31, 1992