Course code: WEB-11
  • Years with company: 4
  • Years programming: 35
  • Primary programming language: C / C++
  • Other programming languages: Assembler
  • Unit test harnesses: None, I am clueless in this respect
  • Something else: When I was 15 (in 1985) I used some relays to connect my ZX Spectrum to my parents' rotary dial telephone so I could type in a friend's name (into a home written database program) and it would dial there number for me. The electronics was sound but a small programming error meant I kept dialling the emergency services. That was when I learnt about the potential consequence of bugs!
  • Test practice now: A combination of printf statements to a serial port and watching LEDs flash on real hardware / dev board.
  • Target system: Siemens C167 and more currently Xilinx Zynq (with twin ARM A9 cores)
  • Dev tools: A concoction of Eclipse / GCC provided by Xilinx. Also Visual Studio for simple apps to send commands over a serial port
  • Build time: 1-5 minutes
  • Coding standard: We created one loosely based on MISRA-C but relaxed it slightly to make it more pragmatic. (We are happy using unions, for example)
  • Function too long: I suppose as a rule of thumb, if it doesn't fit on one monitor screen in a readable font.
  • Code reviews: Peer reviews using a compare package and tracing back to the PBI requesting the work. There is no formal checklist, we generally use engineering judgement
  • Code time: 50
  • Test time: 25
  • Debug time: 25
  • Favorite thing about dev: The creativity aspect. Starting from a blank screen and engineering something that does what my colleagues have asked for. I also take pride in creating "neat" looking software.
  • Least favorite thing about dev: When a colleague / tester shows me an error and I get that "Oh no, I hadn't thought about that. This is going to be a complete nightmare to fix and I will need to have a complete rethink.
  • Tdd knowledge: Just what I have read in your book which I only ordered a couple of weeks ago. The idea that the tests are written first are all tests can be re-run often.
  • Why are you attending: My senior manager (Andrew MacKenzie) suggested it. I am open minded about the idea of this new regime and what I have read in the first few chapters of your book has encouraged me that it could be beneficial for the embedded work we do.