George (Geo) E. Mealer, Jr.
Campbell, CA 95008
geo@snarksoft.com
Languages / Tools / Databases / APIs
C/C++, Tcl, Perl, Java, Delphi, SQL, SilkTest, Squish, gcc, gdb, Perforce, CVS, Subversion, Git, Qt, Mac OS X, Windows & Win32 API, Linux/Unix, Internet technologies
Other Skills
Quality assurance (white, grey, and black box), Product automation, Object-oriented design, GUI-based interface design, Design patterns, Component design, Database design. Commercial product design cycle and release, Unix shell scripting
Employment History
Ning
Platform QA/Software Engineer - Test
Apr 2009 -- Apr 2010
Created and executed behavioral test plans to test releases of Ning platform components. Testing required familiarity with HTTP, SQL, HTML, Solaris, and Linux, as well as general knowledge of internet technologies. Created tools and test automation in Perl and bash to accelerate initial testing and regression testing. Was QA lead on projects to test site messaging and web application provisioning, as well as several general upgrade releases. Lead duties included liaising with other departments to coordinate and verify successful releases of code.
In September 2009, became part of the Virtual Gifts agile team, acting as platform QA lead. Testing duties were similar to above, performed within Scrum process and resulting in frequent shipments of code. Also performed code reviews and contributed to product design. Frequently assisted in troubleshooting and maintaining Ning QA environments. Liaised with other teams to resolve QA-related issues affecting company.
In December 2009, Virtual Gifts team was folded into Premium Services team. Platform QA lead duties were similar to above, but applied to all premium services offered by Ning as well as Virtual Gifts.
VMware
QA/Automation Engineer
Mar 2006 -- Jun 2007
Sr. QA/Automation Engineer
Jul 2007 -- Apr 2009
Performed manual testing. Created and executed behavioral test specifications to test various portions of the Virtual Center UI. Testing required familiarity with general Windows and Linux OS configuration and networking issues, as well as with VMware ESX and Virtual Center.
In July 2006, switched to the automation team for Virtual Center UI, using SilkTest and VMTP, a proprietary action-based framework. Translated test specifications into automation and was a designated code reviewer. Worked closely with the team lead and manager to determine team standards and practices and develop the testing framework. Liaised with other UI automation teams to share standards and practices.
In Jan 2007, switched to special projects for VCUI automation team. Developed an extensible componentized SilkTest harness for use with many types of testing, including multi-client concurrency testing. Created SOOP, an object-oriented framework implemented over 4Test winclasses that augments the winclass structure with constructors, destructors, interfaces, and singlecast events.
In Sep 2007, rejoined main team. Led a four-person group to architect and implement a new SilkTest automation framework and seed with initial tests. Provided training to over 40 team members as they were phased into automation development. Maintained and enhanced core automation framework. Provided ongoing automation guidance and mentoring to team. Was key contact for other teams on automation issues such as I18N and performance testing. Was primary automation contact for VCUI R&D team.
All phases of automation required familiarity with testing applications written against Windows .NET framework.
Was a key member of cross-team initiatives to provide a common code base and standards for use by the various UI automation teams, including those for VMware Virtual Center, Lab Manager, and Workstation. Participated in strategic meetings such as the Technical Lead Council and other process focus groups.
Stretch, Inc.
QA/Automation Engineer
Mar 2004 -- Mar 2006
Wrote test plans and automation, and tested the Stretch Integrated Development Environment. Tests were primarily behavioral, with some structural tests based on the source code. The Stretch IDE used the Qt widget toolkit, and was deployed on Windows and Linux. Because of the nature of the product, testing required proficiency in C, C++, and some familiarity with development for embedded devices. Automating the IDE required familiarity with Qt.
As the first and sole QA Engineer, was tasked with creating the automation system. Researched automation solutions, and designed and implemented a test harness, using Tcl, Perl, and Squish, a Qt automation tool. The harness ran nightly on Windows and Linux, reported via email, and, at the time of departure, performed approximately 3000 tests on each platform.
Borland
Quality Assurance Engineer
Dec 2001 -- Dec 2003
Wrote test plans and automation, and tested the Integrated Development Environments for Kylix 3, C++ Builder 6, and C++ BuilderX. Also contributed to refining Marketing and Functional Requirements, as well as a key contributor to shaping the QA team process in general. Because of the nature of the products, these duties required proficiency in Delphi, C++, and Java, as well as extensive knowledge of Windows, Linux, and Solaris.
Red Hat
Release Engineer
Nov 1999 -- Apr 2001
Maintained code repository, and performed builds and automated testing for the GNUPro package of compiler tools, including cygwin, gcc, and gdb. These duties necessitated close contact with the engineering team in order to fix build, compilation, and execution errors. The repository was stored in CVS. GNUPro was deployable on every major Unix variant, as well as Windows, and release/testing required familiarity with all targets.
Maintained the target board lab, where hardware to test embedded targets was stored. The boards were accessed through a number of Portmasters, and power-cycled through an X10 system.
Louth
Defunct
Software Engineer
Sep 1998 -- Nov 1999
Designed and implemented portions of the server and client applications comprising the ADC-100 Automation System, used by television stations to sequence and synchronize their equipment through serial control. The client applications were implemented in Delphi 3, and the server was implemented in Object Pascal for the DOS target, and Delphi 4 for the Windows target.
Cambria Corporation
Programmer/Analyst
Nov 1996 -- Apr 1998
Designed and implemented portions of Wildfire Enterprise, a multiuser client/server application used by MLM corporations to manage their customers, using Delphi 3 and Interbase 5. Used InfoPower and self-designed components for data entry forms, and QuickReports and ReportBuilder Pro for report generation. Wrote many SQL stored procedures and triggers for the database implementation.
Prototyped an Internet application suite for use on airport kiosks. Initial versions of the suite were implemented in Visual C++ 5.0 using MFC, and had a functional web browser using the Microsoft WebBrowser COM object.
Served as a technical reference resource for the programming staff and evaluated prospective employees for technical proficiency. Designed and implemented Delphi VCL components for use on various projects. Met with clients on- and offsite to create product specifications and engineering estimates, as well as for post-delivery support.
Eagle Research, Inc.
Programmer/Analyst
Jun 1995 -- Sep 1996
Designed VCL component hierarchies for projects generated by VB2D, a Visual Basic to Delphi conversion utility, and for DAO-Connect, a data-aware component set for connecting Delphi 2 applications to Access databases. The latter used COM extensively to communicate with the DAO API. Also designed and implemented portions of the VB2D application itself. Implementation of the VB2D application and components required extensive reverse-engineering of Visual Basic functionality. Final phases of each product included direct contact with public beta testers in order to identify and fix bugs and other problems.
Worked on miscellaneous small-business database projects using Delphi and Visual Basic, implementing forms, reports, and business logic. Met with clients onsite to provide general support.
Other Activities
Manages art show/auctions for local events. Aspects of this position include coordination of a number of artists (30-60, depending on the size of the show), coordination with other event departments to ensure resources, managing the execution of the show at the event, and accounting and disbursement of funds to the artists.
Writes freeware, including MouseMute and SpeakerTray. Both utilities were implemented in Delphi 7.
Education
College of San Mateo, Computer and Information Sciences
Aug 1993 -- Jun 1995
References
Excellent references are available upon request.