Peter Thönell

BatSoft is sole trader consultancy. (ABN: 50 392 093 218)

Contact

CV/Résumé: Peter Thönell.docx
e-mail:  peter@batsoft.com.au
Phone: +61 405 658 750

Development style

My specialties are requirements analysis and OO architecture.  I develop mainly in Delphi, C#, Unity and SQL. (Weaker options are Blueprints, C, C++ and Java.)

In my experience it seems that all problems (even seemingly complex real world problems) boil down to a handful of simple rules that, when combined, give rise to what appears to be complex behaviour.

My method is to begin with investing time in properly understanding client needs and finding those core rules, then architecting a solution.  After that I need relatively little time writing and testing, because simple rules translate to simple code.  I think I’ve never missed a deadline when allowed to work in this way, though I have missed deadlines when rushed. In my experience, shortcuts cost more time to work around, even in initial development. And… I like my code to always be tidy and fairly well commented, usually with design diagrams serving as documentation.

Personal projects

I have a range of personal projects, including:

  • Core Maze, published on the Unity Asset Store.
    • Library for generating mazes; 2-D, 3-D, customised, braided (no-dead ends), and more, including my own algorithms.
  • Morph Protocol, currently only implemented in C#.
    • A binary protocol that I initially designed in ~2005 for a Windows Mobile app. It turned out to be more important than the app.
    • It’s a modular protocol, and though the definition is large, implementations can be very small and tight.
    • It’s designed to be a single, lean, unifying protocol for anything from modern OO languages in computers and phones, to small hardware devices. I think, just what IoT needs.
    • Recently, I’ve improved parameter encoding, and am in the process of updating the implementation accordingly.
    • Its design enables the development of management software and encryption that would enable sys-admins very tight control and high security. Not yet done!
    • It has various other strengths, but they’re best explained with a demonstration.

Education

In 1996 I completed a B.Sc. double major in Computer Science and Information Technology at University of Western Australia.

Worked mainly in Australia, and in Sweden and Taiwan.  I am generally architect and developer, sometimes a mentor for colleagues, and always prefer to solve the more challenging projects.  I have worked in all stages and aspects of software development. Done numerous Delphi presentations, both local and a couple of national ones, from debugging at byte level to presenting OO patterns.

I studied a Games and Animation course at TAFE in 2016-2017. Geez, that’s so much more fun than I expected. I really want to do more of that!

I studied professional acting at The Actor’s Hub in 2024 (after a few years of evening classes). Could that be something some studios might find valuable?

I started the TAFE course because I got very sick (in the guts) for a few years, and couldn’t justify charging for work when I was that ill. I recovered and am now reasonably fit and healthy.

FAQ

  1. Can I do web development?  Not really.  I’d prefer that you spend your money on a web developer.
  2. Can I design databases?  Yes, I certainly can.
  3. Am I an expert in any particular domain?  No, I specialised in business analysis and object oriented architecture.
  4. Do I understand client needs?  Yes!  That is one of my fortés.
  5. Can I solve hard architectural problems?  Yes!  That is another forté.
  6. Can I design good UI’s?  Um, not really. For example: Have you actually looked at this web page?!?
  7. Can I teach OO?  Yep, from the very basics to advanced patterns in hours.  I have my own teaching method.