About Barry L. Kramer

I am an engineer with a very diverse, hardware-oriented skill set and about 17 years of industry experience including software and hardware product development, test engineering, system development and debugging, and engineering management of an embedded software development and architecture team. I managed the development and maintenance for multiple complex software projects (embedded DVD player set-top boxes and related Windows applications and device drivers all with aggressive schedules) for about six years for several large international OEM customers including Dell Computer, Gateway, Sanyo, Vestel, and other OEMs at a small company prior to its Initial Public Offering and later acquisition by STMicroelectronics. I also have extensive experience in interviewing and hiring an engineering team, manual testing, test design and automation, bug analysis, defect tracking and resolution, functional test, integration and testing of new product features, design for quality, hardware design, device drivers and hardware abstraction, and designing and writing DOS-based production diagnostics for embedded and PC-based board products and integrated circuits. I am highly skilled in the use of test equipment, in-circuit emulators, logic analyzers, and other tools to debug firmware, software and hardware problems to reduce costs, optimize performance, and verify industry specification compliance. I have experience on the technical side of intellectual property (patent) evaluation and licensing both as a permanent employee and a contractor.

I currently do engineering development work and perform expert witness services including technical research, reverse engineering, and engineering analysis of computer chipsets, computer systems, and digital video and audio devices for patent defense cases and assertions.

My primary interest is to continue my successful independent engineering consulting business. My professional qualifications, career objectives, geographical restrictions, and requirements for considering permanent employment are all described in the resume section.

I am committed to the profitability and customer satisfaction of my clients and employers. When you are my customer, I will complete what you need when you need it, and you will always get high-quality work that adds value, is a good return on your investment, and exceeds your expectations. I have little tolerance for mediocrity, dishonesty, or those whose work ethic is to "just get by."

In the workplace, I believe in the value of participative management and in the principles of quality in product and process described by J.M. Juran, and especially in the principles of software quality and rapid development described by Steve McConnell.

I have excellent communication skills and I am an exceptionally accurate technical writer and proofreader of highly technical material.

Normally, I do not write application, database, or web software, and I do not know the Java programming language, although I will gladly learn new assembly languages as needed for my work. Since I have substantial experience with the design and validation of both PC-based and embedded system user interfaces, including the development, feature integration, and validation of multi-byte character support for international localization of a DVD player, I do occasionally work with applications in a design or advisory role or to test for defects. I am exceptionally good at finding and documenting software bugs, including software that I have never seen before.

In addition to my engineering business, I also own and operate the Official Blondie Web Site.