Experience

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Conrad Braam

The past, the boring bits that we would change.

DisplayLink Jan 2018 - June 2018

6 month contract ,Snr Test engineer. Role/Projects

Manual testing, test analysis and test automation.
Testing of prototype projects and defect verification

Skills and Tools

Python, Powershell and DOS scripting.
Subversion

Citrix Research: XenDesktop (2010 – 2017)

Joined as contractor to cover all the testing for a new device driver, but moved into a team created to develop a turn-key test-automation framework for Continuous Integration. We created a turn-key testing system; provisioning Windows AD and distributed VLAN hosts.

Accomplished

Designing, creating and deploying a testing framework to internal teams worldwide.
Created a system for managing virtualized Machines in mini test-farms.

Created and maintained fully-automated software test-suites for next 6 years of XenDesktop product releases.
Became a subject matter expert, providing training and helping teams design and build test environments.

Skills and Tools

Jenkins, Teamcity, Powershell and controlling virtualized infrastructure.
Jira defect tracking and Agile process.
Perforce and GIT.
Xenserver and CloudStack.
Agile: Scrum team and sprint planning.
Open-Cover code Coverage tool : Have also used Bulldog in the past.

Clear Com : Vitec Group (2008 -2009)

Clear Com design and market a complete hybrid digital intercom system. Customers include Live Performance, Broadcasters, Military, Aerospace and Government.

Experience gained

Both uC-Linux (Blackfin DSP) on digital audio “stations” a 8260 PowerPC processor card in ‘C’.
Design and develop C# .NET server components to perform configuration, control and monitoring of a PowerPC processor card and networked stations.

Tools

Open Source Tools: CPPUnit, N-Unit, and Cruise Control.NET.
Installed a MediaWiki knowledge base, and a Bugzilla bug-tracker.
Toolchain: Use of a cross-compiler, bash scripting, Makefiles, CMAKE as well as GDB.

Symbian Limited : Nokia (2006 – 2008)

Symbian developed the high-end smart-phone RTOS that evolved from the Psion portable organizers and powered many Nokia devices.

Roles

Defect fixer on USB and Bluetooth team.
Test designer + implementer to the USB project.
Created plugins for ROBOT framework.

USB stack on-the-go (OTG) embedded host test lead.
Maintaining integration test-farm, overnight project builds, and “real-target” tests and a reporting dashboard.

Skills

Tools: ARM tool-chain and GCC, Perforce.
C++, Perl scripting; CodeWarrior and Eclipse IDE.

Adroit Technologies (1992 – 2006)

Adroit Technologies develop an industrial control system on the Windows platform, in Johannesburg, South Africa. I started as a junior developer on a ‘C’ coding role and progressed to team lead.

Roles

Research and incorporate new techniques and technologies.
Perform technology presentations to customers.
Reverse engineer protocols.
Gather customer requirements. Produced designs and wrote user documentation.

Skills

Tools: Visual Studio, SourceSafe, Ethereal/ Wire-shark.
C++, Multithreading, MFC, STL.

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Early Studies

1991-1992 : My first full-time work involved installing LAN and WAN for a contractor. I ran a 2-3 man team, specialized in troubleshooting networks and tackling difficult cable installations.
1991: I trained in formal software development, with a full-time COBOL course at the well known Van Zyl and Pritchard institution, in Johannesburg.
1989-1990: Military service: Kept myself busy with basic radio maintenance working in the signal corps. Got hooked on programming her, after using a base admin computer at night to write a ration-ordering prediction program in Borland Pascal.
1988-1989: Electrical Engineering Light Current at the Cape Town Technicon (equivalent to a polytechnic).
1987: High school final year, taught myself 8086(Intel) MASM, and Borland ‘C’. I then helped write parts of a data-capture application on DOS.