About JBCT

1983 - 1990: Alphasoft

Programmer. Key projects:

• Report writer and 4GL-like program generator written in AlphaBASIC (for AMOS-based Alpha Micro systems).

• Various AMOS device drivers and virtual windowing systems in Motorola 68000 assembly language.

• XRUN - A pre-cursor to cross-platform run-time system A-Shell (see below) written in C, but limited in scope.

1984 - 1987: University of Manchester

Key achievements / projects:

• BSc. 1st Class Honours in Computer Engineering.

• Solo design and build of the World's first functioning One Instruction Computer (the ultimate RISC). This had previously been theorised but never made. The design incorporated full custom TTL electronics including PLAs as well as standarized ICs.

• A Macro Assembler written in AlphaBASIC for the One Instruction Computer based on a Motorola 68000-esq macro instruction set.

• A base starter AMOS / RSX-11 like operating system for the One Instruction Computer with demonstrable RS232 green-screen monitor interface.

1990 - 1995: Debug plc

Senior Software Developer. Key projects:

• A-Shell - A cross-platform runtime environment including AlphaBASIC compiler written in C for Alpha Micro (AMOS) based systems. Ownership of this passed to JBCT circa 1997 and is now actively maintained and sold by Jack McGregor at MicroSabio, California.

1995 - 1999: KPMG / iSOFT

Executive Consultant 2 -> Head of Software Development / Design. Key projects:

• Design and specification of PiMS-32 (Patient Information Management System) written in VB6 for Great Ormond Street Hospital. This was iSOFT's flagship product at the time, subsequently sold Worldwide including to the Nuffield Hospital Trust.

• Key architect, team lead, and personal developer of key functions within PiMS-32, such as Ward management and a graphical workflow / job allocation system.

1999 - 2000: JBCT

Director. Company formed as vehicle for contract programming. Key projects:

• EDS - Development of back-end reporting engine in VB6.

• EDS - Development of a suite of proffession custom MSOffice-Like ActiveX controls in VB6.

2000-2015: Lexon/Zemeta/j4b/Idox (by virtual of various M&A)

Head of Software Development. The company specialized in funding information provision. Key architect, team manager and lead developer on:

• A grants and funding research platform in VB .NET / C#. This was and is used in multiple countries as the research back-end for funding and research systems.

• A full suite of both free and web-based funding information portals in C# ASP.NET MVC, also sold in multiple-countries. These were based on a bespoke onion-like configurable skinnable multi-tenanted architecture allowing multiple portals to share both the same underlying engine as well as database and deployment. The lead funding portal in the UK, GrantFinder, still uses this same portal and research platform.

2015-2017: Idox

Technical Specialist (after another switch to a less management-intensive role). Key projects:

• Research into GIS and mapping options including ESRI and OpenLayers, and integration into legacy Unify and other systems. Cross-technology work involving significant JavaScript, a C# port of the OpenSource GEOS library as well as legacy VB6.

2016: JBCT (Part-time)

Work on ActiMap v1.0 started using the OpenLayers and mapping knowledge recently gained. This was in C# based on Xamarin Forms.

2017-2024: MIS Active Management Solutions

Technical lead on key C# projects:

• Outbound communications engine for server-side emails, SMS, Word document generation etc.

• Workflow Engine based on WWF and Visual-Studio-like interface in a hybrid WinForms / WPF application.

• Implementation of Azure Devops, an Agile-based development methodology, an updated QA process, and full Dev0ps based build and release pipelines for all products across the development department.

2025-to-date: JBCT

Director and C# developer. Key projects:

• Workflow Engine and Custom Forms development for MIS on a supplier basis.

• Started work on ActiMap v2.0 (launched April 2026). This is a significant re-development written in C# and now based on .NET MAUI.

The Future

On-going development of ActiMap including an iOS-version

Other Apps? Occasional contract work? Who knows!

While not actively seeking project or contract work, if something comes along which is of interest to me I would certainly consider it.

My historic skill set is extensive, stretching from machine code,  M68000 Assembly, via Oracle Forms, AlphaBASIC, FORTRAN, VB6, through to the modern full-stack .NET World, but this is not intended to be a CV!

For the purposes of this summary, the skills I am still interested in and would wish to pursue are more limited, and specifically in the Microsoft World:

• .NET MAUI C#

• WinForms C#

• Back-end server development - C#, SQLServer

• Azure DevOps - ALM / Pipelines