Résumé of Ralph Hosking

Software Developer at TIM Technologies working with energy, environmental, signage, telecommunications and other devices. Generating customer invoices for telephone and electricity consumers. Other projects include online food ordering and associated back-end, merchant terminal and phone apps.

I have designed, created, or supported all aspects of these systems including CRM, databases, websites, invoicing, reporting, alerting, IoT endpoints, machine-to-machine communication, web services and APIs, phone apps, security.

Career summary
2005 - 2025	Software Developer. TIM4biz. Perth & Melbourne. IoT & data analytics, customer relationship management, content management systems Cloud telephone call accounting & reporting - data from POTS and VoIP devices, processing, alerting, reporting as text & chart, invoices Digital signage - tim4biz.tv - content management of media and synchronisation with distributed players Food ordering - pickmeup.menu - merchant menu editor, customer online ordering, phone app Control of distributed solar inverters to load balance electricity supply - APIs to provide remote access and Modbus control of inverters Electricity invoicing - download of raw AEMO NMI consumption data, processing of data, invoice calculation, PDF generation and emailing C#, C, C++, .NET/.NET Framework, JavaScript, jQuery, Python, MS SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, IIS, Windows, Linux, VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox clustering, database administration and performance analysis, machine-to-machine communications, SOAP web services, REST API, OpenAPI/Swagger, asynchronous communications, text and graphical reporting, distributed Modbus control, MAUI, react Native Android & iPhone apps.
2002 - 2005	Software Developer. Contracting. Perth. Independent development, ticket machines, data recording, CRM, application maintenance & update C++, C#, ASP, .NET, MS SQL Server, IIS, Windows, MFC, async & GSM modem comms, CRM document maintenance and updates, access control data collection, user requirement analysis
1998 - 2001	Senior Consultant, Development Manager. Odyssey Advanced Financial Solutions. Luxembourg. MIRAGEcrm, private banking CRM. C, C++, DES, FTP, Windows, AS/400, MFC, MS SQL Server
1988 - 1998	Senior Analyst/Programmer. BS Microcomp, BIS, ACT, MKI, Midas-Kapiti, Misys. Melbourne & Luxembourg. DR-one FX/MM, back office. 8085 & 8088 assembly, C, C++, DOS, OS/2 PM, Windows, Win32, DDE, async comms, token-ring, TCP/IP, multi-language support, double-byte Japanese port, multi-screen, windowed video, emulation, audio/video hardware I/O driver, middleware, HTML, basic web design, NetBIOS, NetBEUI
1985 - 1988	Customer Engineer. Myer Computer and Business Centre, MyCorp, BS Microcomp. Perth Setup, installation, service, customer support, repair of IBM PC, IBM AT, clones such as Compaq, NEC, Olivetti, IBM PS/2 and associated software.
Education
2004	Post Graduate Diploma in Internet Security Management, Curtin University, Perth AUSTRALIA
1988	Bachelor of Electronic Engineering, Curtin University, Perth AUSTRALIA
Other
Location	Melbourne, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Organisations	IEEE member
Programming	37 years; 10 years C, 7 years C++, 20 years C#
SQL	23 years
International	10 years; Europe and Japan

History

I have worked in the software development industry since joining the Software Development Centre of BS Microcomp in Melbourne. After ten months I was assigned to the Japanese project culminating in four weeks in Tokyo. The OS/2 PM port saw me spend three or four weeks in Sydney. A year later the company was downsized and five of us were transferred to Luxembourg for one year, I stayed ten.

After ten years with DR-one I joined Odyssey Advanced Financial Solutions as programmer, and later development manager, working on MIRAGEcrm private banking application providing Microsoft Windows GUI access to AS/400-based DES-encrypted data.

After three years I returned to Australia and worked as an independent software developer before starting TIM Technologies Pty Limited.

During my Luxembourg-based period I spent time in Australia, Belgium, England, Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden & Switzerland working with customers and suppliers.

Technologies

There is much to cover here, I will just hit the highlights. The 'Career summary' section covers technologies with which I have spent most time.

Most of the source code I have written or supported has been in C-style languages C, C++, C#, JavaScript. Additionally, I have worked with 8085 and 8088 assembly, Java, VBScript. Frameworks include ASP, ASP.NET, React Native.

Operating system focus changed over the years from MS-DOS and OS/2 to Windows and Linux, both command-line and GUI applications. Database work has been primarily with MS SQL Server, some work has been with CrateDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL and Timescale. Communication and data transfer technologies include async comms, Token Ring, TCP/IP, FTP, SFTP, sockets. Hypervisors include Hyper-V, Proxmox cluster, VirtualBox, VMware, XenServer.

Integration with third-party interfaces includes Microsoft Teams, Stripe, Webex, Xero, Zoom and, on personal projects, Fitbit and OpenWeather. In the opposite direction I have created SOAP web services and REST API interfaces collecting and exposing data to registered users and mobile apps.