CV: Olof Ekström

Contents

Personal Data - Summary - Education - Employment - Consultancy - Courses - Focus - Interests - Contact

Denna sida på svenska (this page in Swedish).

Personal Data

Name: Olof Ekström

Date of birth: February 12th, 1967

Currently living in Bälinge (just north of Uppsala, Sweden).

Summary

Relevant areas of competence:

Tools and environments:
Experienced with numerous programming interfaces
Personal traits
Devoted to personal interests

Education

Aug 86 - Jun 92

Computer Science Program, Uppsala University (main pages in Swedish ) - DVP (Computer Science Program, no English presentation available). The program when completed leads to a M Sc in computer science, I quit before graduating.

Employment

Uppsala University

Sep 92 - Dec 92

Teaching assistant at Uppsala University, Dept of Computer Systems (DoCS) and technical resource for X Window System programming and Software Engineering.

Jan 93 - Jun 93

Teaching assistant, Software Engineering

Jan 93 - Jun 93

Teaching assistant, Algorithms and Data Structures with C++

Jan 93 - Jun 93

Creating course material for Introductory Course in X Window System Programming

All above at Dept of Computer Systems, Uppsala University.

Sorgente Business & Technology AB

Nov 93 - Sep 97

Employed at Sorgente Business & Technology AB

Projects at Sorgente:

Nov 93 - May 94

Software development. "Facts". Process modelling tool.

Technical environment: Windows 3.x application, MFC, MS Visual C++ 1.0, Symantec C++ 6.0, Integra VBD, Microsoft Access 1.0.

Apr 94 - May 94

Software development. Commissioned development of dynamic link library.

Technical environment: Gupta SQLWindows, Microsoft Visual C++.

May 94 - Jun 94

Software development. Prototyping, large account customer management system for Telia Mobitel (Sweden).

Technical environment: Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0, Microsoft Access 1.0.

Jun 94

Software development. Design of information management and presentation system for telecom operator.
Jul 94 - May 96

Software development: Development and refinement of large account management system for Telia Mobitel.

Technical environment: Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0, 4.0. Microsoft Access 2.0, Informix, MAPI.

May 96 - May 97

Software development. Analysis, design and implementation of project and sales support system with emphasis on personal efficiency and group efficiency (Project Ensemble).

Technical environment: Win32, Visual Basic 4.0, Microsoft Access 2.0, Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, ODBC, OLE.

Sep 96 - Sep 97

Software development. System integration and installation support, further development in EXKO, LM Ericsson Data AB (Sweden).

Technical environment: Microsoft Windows 3.x/Windows 95/Windows NT, OLE Automation, Microsoft Office 4.x/95/97.

The task included designing and implementing integration support between office applications, supporting migration between Office versions and operating system versions, and scaling database support to Microsoft SQL Server. Some technical advising also included.

Jun 97 - Sep 97

Software development. Consultant for Linda Call Centre project, Ericsson Data/Ericsson Telecom.

Technical environment: Windows NT, Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0, Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0, Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, Visual SourceSafe 5.0.

Linda Call Centre is a call center solution based on standard PC hardware running Windows NT, with clients running on Windows and Windows NT. Using standard interfaces and standard hardware Linda offers a very flexible solution. Tasks in the project included all steps from analysis and specification to implementation and delivery.

The system was based on standard components: TAPI (Telephony API), ISDN, Win32, Microsoft SQL Server and COM/DCOM. Several Windows NT services were part of the system.

Consultancy

Sep 97 - 

Independent consultant

Projects:

Sep 97 - Oct 97

Software development. Continued work in with EXKO. Finalizing and handing over code and platform.

Sep 97 - Dec 00

Software development. Consultant in the Linda Call Centre project (later customer interaction platform - cip), Ericsson Data/Ericsson Telecom, later Ericsson Radio Systems.

Technical environment: Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0, Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0, Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, Microsoft Visual SourceSafe 5.0 (and upgrades of all those Microsoft products).

In connection with leaving employment at Sorgente, it was agreed that I continue delivering consultancy services to the Linda Call Centre and EXKO projects at Ericsson. 

Linda Call Centre was delivered to a number of customers during 1999-2000. The project was moved several times between different units within Ericsson. I eventually left the project on my own initiative due to private reasons. Shortly after I left the project, development of the product in Sweden was cancelled (work continues in Denmark as far as I know).

Dec 00 - Nov 01

Software development. Consultant in several projects for Upsys (Uppsala Systemkonsult AB).

Technical environment: Sun Solaris, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows. Sun Workspace Compiler, GNU tools. Code in C (Unix components) and Visual Basic (Windows components).

Tasks: Specification, design and implementation of a number of lesser applications, from file conversion utilities to  overall design of a minor database system for controlling alarm status in a telecom system. Advising and supporting other developers concerning Windows development (Win32, Visual Studio) and use of relational databases (Oracle, MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL).

Nov 97

Teaching. Writing and holding a course in Windows NT use. ("Windows NT for advanced users and administrators")

Mar 98

Writing course material. Course in Visual Basic/ActiveX development.

Sep 02 - Jun 03

Teacher, Fyrisskolan (secondary high school) Uppsala, full time. (Courses taught: Datorkunskap DTR1201 (basic computer handling), Persondatorer DTR1206 (PC technology), Programmering C DTR1209 (advanced programming), Multimedia A MUM1201 (multimedia))

Aug 03 - (Jun 04)

Teacher, Fyrisskolan Uppsala, full time. (Courses taught: Projektarbete PA1201 (project methods))

Courses

Jan 96

Advanced Oracle. Custom course given for employees at Sorgente by Oracle educational services. Specific topics covered concerned the implementation and use of Oracle.

Nov 97

Universal Modeling Language. Teacher Hans-Erik Eriksson, course literature "UML Toolkit" by Hans-Erik Eriksson and Magnus Penker.

Focus

Throughout my professional career my goal has been to gather broad experience and knowledge of the technology I have been working with. For example, while working with information systems I also studied tools and platforms of relevance (like MS Exchange, MS IIS and other BackOffice products and tools for interface integration) and also the strategies available in competing platforms and products.

To be able to learn many different techniques and platforms, one necessary prerequisite is of course that one is comfortably competent in relevant tools.

The focus in all studies has remained technical possibilities in building open, scaleable systems which do not tie the customer/user to a particular supplier.

All studies have well defined goals. For a more in-depth discussion of the business idea of Extro System see Extros System's enterprise presentation.

After leaving Ericsson in December 2000 I have to some extent shifted focus from Microsoft platforms and come to more focus on open systems, in particular Linux/FreeBSD and applications in that area. Among the systems I have studied there PostgreSQL is the most important.

Interests

Multimedia and Entertainment

My greatest private interest lies in design of interactive media and entertainment. Within this field I study DirectX and similar technologies (also on other platforms). My interest is not focused on graphics or visualization but toward creating new possibilities for interactive narrative and most of all how multiple actors can cooperate to create shared fiction.

To gain broad knowledge I have also given attention to development in, among others, BeOS and Sony Playstation (Net Yaroze), and studied a large number of libraries and applications where code has been made available.

Links

For more information or discussion about these topics, please contact me.

Open Systems, Open Source

As mentioned above, I have lately spent some effort in open and free systems, mostly Linux (the versions I have used have been Debian 2.2 and to some extent Red Hat 7.1) and FreeBSD (FreeBSD 4.3), and some applications on these platforms, most notable PostgreSQL (PostgreSQL 6.3, 7.0.x including the libpq/libpq++ APIs and ODBC interface). Other systems I have dealt with (mostly from a usage and administration perspective) inculde Apache and PHP. The aspects I have dealt with in these platforms have been mostly server-related.

I have not actively contributed to any open source projects, but I am not a stranger to the idea, should opportunity present itself.

Links

For more information or discussion about these topics, please contact me.

Communication

Not everyone has the means or disposition to guide or teach. Being a talented teacher gives one the opportunity to share with others while at the same time gaining depth in one's own knowledge of the subject. Seeing that one has managed to help someone else gain understanding gives good confidence in one's own knowledge.

I have not specifically focused on the teaching role or acted in a mentor capacity. I see it primarily as one aspect of being part of a team that one helps others to progress. It is also, in my opinion, an important part of honest consulting - helping the customer to gain the knowledge needed to act on his/her own. A consultant is not on site to secure income or job opportunity for himself but because the customer has a need, and it is from this need that the cunsultant should act.

Among the things where I have helped colleagues and others are usage (advanced users), introduction to various types of platforms (development for X Window System/Motif, Windows based development, MFC, COM, PostgreSQL) and method (object oriented methods).

If one also has the ability to express oneself well in writing, it is natural to use this ability to help others. Creating written documentation, specifications and similar are often shunned by developers and this has potentially grave consequences in the long term. Contributing a positive spirit toward what many regards as boring or unnecessary is a natural part of my work.

If one also finds the teaching role rewarding and exciting also ensures a better result in that area.

I do not see teaching or writing as my primary tasks. They are natural parts of doing a good job. While I am not adverse to the idea of teaching as a main task, it is not where I see myself contributing most.

Contact

Telephone
 +46 18 355532
Mobile
 +46 708 355599
Address
 Målstavägen 12, SE740 22 Bälinge, Sweden
email
 olof.ekstrom@abc.se
http
 http://www.abc.se/~m10383/info.html



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