Experience

Open Source Software Maintainer

2009 - Present

Highlights:

  • cargo-quickinstall
    • Installer for pre-compiled binary packages.
    • Repo: https://github.com/alsuren/cargo-quickinstall
    • Blog post: https://alsuren.github.io/2022/07/10/cargo-quickinstall.html
    • Automated package builder (using Github Actions Cronjobs to build untrusted code).
    • Feedback loop (via stats server) to make sure we build the packages that people are asking for.
    • Package repository is also used by popular cargo-binstall project.
    • Many good first issue tickets addressed, and a few repeat contributors.
    • I also have a Work-In-Progress project cargo-quickbuild to extend this idea to your entire dependency tree (see above blog post for rationale).
  • mijia-homie
    • Set of daemons for enabling Temperature Sensor Data -> Bluetooth -> Raspberry Pi -> MQTT (homie) -> InfluxDB -> Grafana
    • Repo: https://github.com/alsuren/mijia-homie
    • Blog post/presentation: https://alsuren.github.io/2022/02/19/mijia-homie-presentation.html
  • hoverkite
    • Embedded rust project, to fly a kite using a gamepad.
    • Repo: https://github.com/hoverkite/hoverkite

Tably

Senior Software Engineer - 10/2021 - 07/2022

Tably is an early stage startup. The core idea is very similar to Google Sheets, but with key insights that allow it to be taken in a different direction.

  • Worked in a Full Stack Rust codebase.
  • Created our long-tail import pipeline, working closely with a junior engineer (based on Airbyte and some JSONSchema magic - read more at https://tably.com/blog/connecting-people-with-their-data).
  • Drove the selection of a frontend web framework (sycamore).
  • Worked with CEO on designing direction-setting workshops.
  • Mentored junior engineers on sometimes orthogonal projects, and with senior engineers on mentoring junior engineers.

Red Badger

Senior Software Engineer - 10/2019 - 10/2021

Red Badger is a software consultancy, deploying product led teams into blue-chip companies.

Things I did at Red Badger:

  • Worked on a TransferWise clone for Santander:
    • Refactored ledger logic, to prevent webhook retries from causing data inconsistency (Typescript helped a lot here).
    • Implemented multi-tenant support, and enabled compliance testing ready for launch.
    • Handed over key pieces of technology and ways of working to incoming supplier.
  • Wrote an unsuccessful communication and file sharing platform for NHS England:
    • Mentored junior team members on Rust (sqlx + async-graphql) and Kubernetes.
    • Learned a lot about complexity, stakeholder management, and unrealistic projects.
  • Wrote a successful integration for NHS Wales’ covid response.
    • Learned a lot about scope reduction, and executing on short timescales with external dependencies.
  • Wrote wasmCloud demo for Cloud Native Compute Foundation conference:
    • Distributed NATS/NGS lattice for automatic failover + Kubernetes for scaling.
    • Multi-Cloud cluster setup across AWS and GCP, using Pulumi
    • Learned a lot about Developer Experience design, through the lens of Employee Experience design.
  • Line Managed two other engineers:
    • Facilitated a career change from Test Lead to Software Engineer
    • Managed skills progression and advocated for promotions (using a “ladder” based framework)

Conversocial

Senior Software Engineer - 12/2015 - 07/2019

Conversocial is a SaaS company, providing call-centre software for dealing with queries on social media.

Things I did at Conversocial

  • Integrated with Twitter and Facebook APIs for real-time messaging.
  • Consumed from the Twitter and Facebook firehoses.
  • Debugged MongoDB and RabbitMQ outages at scale.
  • Brought the platform (previously delete-nothing) into GDPR compliance.
  • Led a team to deal with compliance fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
  • Rewrote core app frontend from knockout to React + Redux + CSSModules.
  • Migrated our local development environment from Vagrant to Docker For Mac

Truphone

Software Engineer - 09/2012 - 03/2014

Truphone is a “small” mobile network. I worked in their labs team.

  • Deployed and maintained the SIP and XMPP servers that support the Truphone app.
  • Shared knowledge with others on XMPP and git.
  • Applied DevOps reliability/scalability and deployability principles (puppet, monitoring and process supervision).

Collabora

Software Engineer - 09/2009 - 09/2011

Collabora is an Open Source Software Consultancy which maintains many core pieces of technology for Desktop Linux.

  • Developed and maintained APIs and protocol implementations for the Telepathy VoIP/IM framework.
  • Developed XMPP<->SIP bridge, and debugged GStreamer<->SIP Phone RTP incompatibilities using WireShark
  • Wrote asynchronous networking/D-Bus code in C, for resource-constrained Linux systems (Nokia N900)

Education

Master of Engineering, Information Engineering - 2005 - 2009

  • General foundation in all engineering disciplines.
  • Specialised in signal processing, with a masters project in music visualisation.