Christopher Armstrong

Release Management and Software Development (volunteer)

I work with a team of developers on Twisted, an Open Source networking infrastructure. I collaborate with the team to design, implement, and review changes to many parts of the Twisted system, including the web application server, the chat service, the remote-object protocols, and the online world simulation framework.

I also manage releases of the software, which includes testing, developing packaging automation tools, and maintaining the twistedmatrix.com server.

Software Development

Worked with a team of developers on Landscape, a system for managing deployments of many Ubuntu machines. I worked on the project since it started in 2006, and have designed and implemented major parts of the system. Technologies utilized were Python, Zope3, Twisted, Postgres, and others.

Among many other things, I worked on

• the HTTP-based message queue, which provided a persistent and secure channel by which the clients and server could communicate
• the various data-collection plugins in the client, which integrate tightly with various Linux systems
• system management plugins in the client, such as the package and user management systems
• the "ping server", which was a fast and secure HTTP-based mechanism for the clients to determine whether they should retrieve new messages from the server
• Amazon EC2 integration, which allowed users of Landscape to treat EC2 VMs the same way they would treat a real machine on the user's network.

Software Development

Worked with a team of developers on the company's core product, a document management system for small to medium sized organizations. This product consists of a management UI written in PHP, a backend server written in Python utilizing Twisted and MySQL, and Zope/Plone Products for higher-level applications and customer-specific applications built on top of the document manager. I was involved in the maintenance of all parts of this system, and have done significant development on the Plone and Twisted-based code.

I was also the lead developer and maintainer of ConveyIT, a web application for facilitating easy electronic land conveyancing for Tasmanian solicitors and real estate agents. Initial development was carried out with a small team of 3-4 developers over 4 months, after which it was cut back to only myself unless major new developments were taking place. I also served as technical contact for the client, responding to support issues and implementing new features. Technologies utilized were Python, Twisted, Divmod Nevow, Divmod Atop, and OpenOffice.

Software Development

Developed and maintained an anti-spam service with a small team. This involved protocol implementation, server infrastructure, and heuristics for deciding whether a given host is a spammer or not. Protocols involved were DNS and SIQ (Server Index Query). Technologies utilized were Python and Twisted.

Training

Gave three full days of training to programmers at Ypsilon on the Twisted networking framework. Topics covered were protocol implementation, components, Deferreds, Twisted Cred, Perspective Broker, twisted.web, and XML-RPC.

Software Development

Implemented an automated test-running system to facilitate software testing at the Fresno County Office of Education. Technologies utilized were BuildBot and MaxQ, with improvements made to each.

System Administration

Set up and maintained two servers running Debian GNU/Linux for the use of Divmod in the development, testing, and deployment of Quotient and other software. Maintained email servers (Exim), domain server (Twisted Names), CVS, Asterisk PBX, and various other services.

Software Development

Helped the team to design and implement the PanGalactic Engineering Framework. Integrated the repository (application logic and relational database) with various clients, including a Web UI and a GUI thick client. Technologies utilized were Python, PostgreSQL (relational database), Twisted's Woven (web framework), and wxPython (GUI toolkit).

Software Development

Worked independently on a tool for validating digital coursework data files. The GUI tool ensures that files in a wide range of formats meet the quality standards of the Office of Education. Technologies utilized were Python, Twisted, and Tkinter.

Software Development

Worked with a team of developers on an open source, component-based Content Management/Wiki System. Redesigned the initial version to utilize Twisted's web MVC framework, Woven.

Web Development

Designed and maintained web sites for the company intranet and Internet, gave support to other Web Designers within NOVA, and explored enhancements to the navigability of existing web sites. Technologies utilized were HTML, Javascript, Python, and ColdFusion.