From: xena@crl.com (Starflight Corp.)
Subject: Contract Wanted: S/W Devel: Unix, C/C++: Database, Scientific, AI, Lang
Followup-To: poster
Summary: Anywhere, but prefer CA, TX: 6 min to 6 years: principal below
Keywords: Unix, C, Progress, Eiffel, AI, GUI, downsizing
Organization: CR Labs - Internet Dialup Access (415-389-UNIX guest)
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 07:17:31 GMT
Email: jdr@crl.com, jdr@starflight.com

PRINCIPAL: JON ROLAND

1. Summary 

Has done design, development and consulting in database management and
applications, in systems engineering, in languages, operating systems, and
tools, in graphics and user interfaces, and in artificial intelligence,
full-time since 1977.
 
Has developed more than 100 accounting and management applications, mainly in
Progress and other 4GLs, but also in some of the other languages listed below.

During this period, has also done consulting, in descending order of emphasis,
on business management, on systems analysis, integration, and administration,
on technical writing and training, on program and data conversion, on numerical
and statistical analysis, and on simulation modeling, using most of the more
popular makes and models of computers, from micros to mainframes.

Has sold and supported many computer systems involving most of the more popular
makes and models of micros and supermicros, terminals, printers, and communica-
tions equipment, a few of which are listed below. This has provided extensive
experience with the problems of end users and sensitivity to their concerns and
limitations. Has done hardware design, modification, maintenance, and assembly
on many such products.

Has written for journals and trade publications, including several product
reviews (list available on request). 

Has ported, modified, and enhanced a number of software products, such as the
Q'Nial implementation of the Nial language, written in C, onto various computer
systems.  

More detailed lists of projects related to Unix and C, to business applications
and database management, to communications and networking, to graphics, simula-
tion, scientific, and AI, to CASE and object-oriented development, and to
mainframes and minicomputers, are available on request.

Can assemble development team of up to 12 programmers on short notice

2. Hardware (in descending order of experience using)
 
Micros and supermicros: Intel-based systems from 8088 to 80486, Sun 3 & Sparc,
Altos 3068 & 1086, Arix (and Unisys 5090), Fortune 32:16, many Z-80 & S-100
machines, Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, Apple MacIntosh & II, NCR Tower, IBM
RS/6000, Convergent Technologies, HP 9000, AT&T 3B2, Motorola VME, Apollo.

Non-micros: IBM 360/370/30XX, DEC PDP/11 and VAX, IBM Sys/3X, Wang, TI 9900,
Data General Nova & Micronova.
 
3. Software
 
   3A. Languages & Development Tools (in descending order of experience using)

     Systems: C/C++, Forth, Postscript, various CASE tools, assemblers for
       Motorola, Intel, Zilog, and National Semi processors and for DEC PDP &
       VAX and IBM 370/30XX. Unix shells, PERL & awk, sccs & rcs, make.

     Business application & database: Progress, COBOL, PL/I, dBase III,
       Rubix/Logix, Dataflex, R:Base 5000, MDBS IV, Lotus 1-2-3, Informix,
       Unify, Empress, Ingres, Oracle, Sybase, ZIM, XDB, DB2, SQL/DS, ADR/Ideal,
       Magic PC, TM/1, Hypercard, Basic, RPG.

     Scientific, AI & CAD: Q'Nial, APL, LISP, Eiffel, Modula-2, Pascal, Ada,
       Prolog, FORTRAN, Actor, Smalltalk, SNOBOL, Icon, KnowledgePro, FastCAD,
       DesignCAD 2D & 3D.
   
   3B. Operating systems (in descending order of experience developing under)

     Unix/Xenix, MS-DOS, Mac V6, CP/M, AppleDOS, GEMDOS, Tripos (AmigaDOS),
     VMS, VM/CMS, MVS. Has written device drivers for first four.

4. Communications, networking and windowing products

Has installed, debugged, and supported Ethernet LANs using TCP/IP and NFS,
LANs of PC compatibles using Novell, IBM Token-Ring, and Banyan Vines, and
LANs of PC compatibles and Apple MacIntoshes using AppleTalk and TOPS. Has
developed under X-Windows/Motif, MS-Windows, OS/2 PM, and NextStep.

5. Education and Research Interests

Graduated University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, June 1967. National Merit
Scholar. BS in mathematics, minors in physics and philosophy. Some post-
graduate study in computer science at Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas,
in 1976, and at the University of Texas at San Antonio, 1979.

Founder and President of the Vanguard Research Institute, which researches
scientific and policy problems. Some research areas include the following:

   Pynthantics -- the theory of inquiry. Ultimate aim is computer programs
that ask intelligent questions. Extension of knowledge representation theory
and genetic algorithms.

   Nanonics -- also called nanotechnology. Emphasis on new techniques for
molecular modeling with a focus on eventual manipulation at the level of
single atoms.

   Arcology -- designs for very long-term life-support systems for civilized
humanity that support the preservation of the natural ecosystem.

Main objective of business has been the support of this kind of scientific
research.

6. Experience

Has done consulting and research in the computer field, part-time from 1965
through 1977, and full-time since 1977. In 1975 he founded the Starflight
Corporation, the first of several corporations engaged in the computer
business, including the first computer store in San Antonio, Texas. He is
currently President and owner of the Starflight Corporation, with offices
in California and Texas, which has had more than 600 clients since 1977.

7. Some recent contracts (in reverse chronological order)

Sun Microsystems. May 92-Dec 92. Develop and maintain database application
called Catalyst for management of ISV program, written in Progress, C, and
shell scripts under SunOS 4.1.2 and OpenWindows 3.

Inn-Syst. Jun 90-Feb 92. Lead programmer-analyst for development of hotel
property management system in C and the Progress 4GL on 386/486 systems running
SCO Unix/386 ODT. Product acclaimed by industry experts.

Pacific Gas & Electric. Part-time Nov, Dec 90, Jan 91. Solved various problems
for large system running application written in Progress on a Banyan Vines
Token-Ring LAN, involving every aspect of the hardware, operating system,
language, and application.

IBM Corporation. Dec 89-Feb 90. Enhanced application for control of manufac-
ture of hard disks, involving programming in C under PC-DOS, with use of EZ-VU
II, and under OS/2 EE 1.1, and in SQL/DS under VM/SP over a Token-Ring gateway.

Arix Corporation. Nov-Dec 1989. Modified their Resource Tracking System
package and modified own Task Management Package, both written in Progress 4GL,
running under Unix V.3.

Hunter Systems. Oct 1989. Set up an NFS LAN consisting of two Sun 3/80s, an
Arix 825, a Sony NEWS, and a Compaq 386/25, all running Unix V.3, installed
and tested their XDOS product on it, doing binary cross-compilations of several
MS-DOS packages onto the various machines under Unix.

Altos Computer Systems. Mar-Apr 1989. Modified a work-order processing
application for the MIS Department using Informix, C, and Unix shell scripts.
Solved several systems administration and kernel problems involving system
performance, data corruption, version control, security, and backup.

8. Personal Details: First job was martial-arts instructor. Private pilot. Ran
for U.S. House of Representatives in Texas in 1974. Well-received public
speaker at several conferences. Active environmentalist.
Xref: sparky misc.jobs.contract:4903 atl.jobs:626