Duane Fields

Career Summary

I am a software development manager with over 12 years of professional experience in the software industry. My experience runs the gambit from directing development for a tiny struggling startup company to building and marketing applications for industry leaders. My involvement with many different aspects of the software business has given me a unique perspective on software development that goes beyond just my technical skills. In addition, I have authored several books and numerous articles on Java development and have presented at Web Design and Development, JavaOne, Mac World, and other conferences.

Professional Work History

SoftwareDevelopment Manager, Pluck Corporation


Austin, TX, February 2004 – Present

Pluck builds social media solutions that transform how everyday people and publishers discover, create and distribute information online. Providing RSS, blogging, syndication and social search software and services, Pluck helps its customers more easily consume and leverage the new open content model that has emerged as the cornerstone of Web 2.0.

I have lead development of the Internet Explorer and Firefox based RSS reader software, the BlogBurst syndication service, and other product offerings. Technologies used at Pluck include C++, C#, and ASP.NET.

Sr. Software Engineer, Powered Corporation


Austin, TX, March 2002 – March 2004

At Powered I was part of a small development team building software for managing and deploying instructor lead online educational courses and employee training systems. Our software is composed of a suite of web based administration applications, an API for front-end development, and server software deployed across a cluster of application servers backed by Oracle. We have designed the software for high reliability and availability with thousands of simultaneous sessions and hundreds of thousands of users. Technologies I’ve used in this project include J2EE, XML, XSL, Struts, Ant, JUnit, JSP, Servlets/Filters, and JDBC/Oracle. Key accomplishments:

Development Lead, Sun Microsystems


Austin, TX, July 2001 – March 2002
At Sun I served as the development lead for a group of developers in Sun�s Enterprise Services division, developing software for analyzing customer system deployments for configuration errors, security holes, and performance optimization problems. The server software we developed provided a web-based interface for collecting configuration information via XML, performing rules based analysis of the customer’s system and generating a dynamic PDF report of our findings and recommendations via XSL transformation. System data was managed by a backend Oracle database. Responsibilities included managing the development process, coordinating team member activities, and recommending architecture and feature enhancements. Key accomplishments included a complete overhaul of the build and change management processes and the design of a distributed authentication system for our web applications. Technologies used at Sun included J2EE, FOP, JSP, XML/XSL, JINI and RMI.

Sr. Software Engineer, NetSpend


Austin, TX, January 2001 – July 2001
At NetSpend I was part of a team of developers responsible for the design, testing, and development of a secure, single use credit card service accessible via the web and telephone. The NetSpend software interfaced with the Pulse and MasterCard banking networks, requiring absolute availability, accountability, and reliability. Key projects at NetSpend included work on fraud prevention technology, the creation of a dynamic advertising engine, and the design and development of a referral based credit system. Technologies used at NetSpend included JDBC, JSP/Servlets, Transact SQL stored procedures on Sybase, XML, and Voice XML (VXML).

Director of Web Development, Caleo Networks


Austin, TX, March 2000 – December 2000
Director, architect, and manager for Caleo’s web applications development team. At Caleo I built and managed a team of five Java developers creating a distributed network of hosted, web accessible voice and telephony services. Responsibilities included the design and development of core libraries and system architecture, creation of requirements, and management of the software release process. As a member of the senior management team for this Internet startup I was also responsible for laying the framework for future products and helping to communicate the company�s technical vision to potential investors, partners, and customers. Technologies involved in this project included Java Servlets, JSP, PQA (Palm Pilot wireless), JNDI, and JDBC.

Sr. Engineer, Internet Business Unit, IBM’s Tivoli Systems


Austin, TX, March 1998 – March 2000
Responsibilities included the design and development of web applications in support of an Internet commerce management product, its customers, and helpdesk staff. In addition, I was part of a team selected to research and prototype new content management technology, resulting in the filing of sixteen patents, several of which were recently granted. Key accomplishments included being named an IBM Master Inventor, creating a fully automated web production environment, and a web-based self-service license key and purchase tracking system for our customers. Technologies used in the development of these applications included Java Servlets, JSP, and JDBC.

Product Manager, Netscape Communications


Mountain View, CA, June 1996 – March 1998
As a product manager for Netscape Navigator 3.x and Communicator 4.x I worked with customers and sales team to develop product requirements and with engineering to spec, build, and deliver the final product. I also created marketing collateral, represented Netscape to press and analysts, participated in trade shows and industry conferences, and negotiated bundling, outsourcing, and development contracts with Apple, Macromedia, and others. While at Netscape I was also responsible for the analysis, design, and development of Netscape Insight a secure extranet designed to support Netscape�s key customers and business partners.

Manager, Engineering Operations, InSoft, Inc.


Mechanicsburg, PA, Dec 1994 – Jun 1996
InSoft was a software startup specializing in desktop video conferencing, work group collaboration, and distributed digital video. I managed a team of engineers supporting customers and internal developers. My team was responsible for software testing and documentation, managing the release process, and providing technical support. My group also administered workstations and labs, the web site, and our network.

Technical Skills Summary


Over six years of solid Java development experience, built on 15 years of programming in a variety of languages. Experienced with most Java API’s including J2EE, Java Servlets, JSP (JavaServer Pages), JSTL, JavaBeans, JDBC, multi-threading, JavaMail, RMI, XML/XSL, VXML, JNI, JNDI, and Swing. I am also skilled in JavaScript, HTML/DHTML, and CSS. I am familiar with Struts, Ant, Xerces, and JUnit. I have worked with Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase, PostgresSQL, and mySQL databases using connection pooling, transactions, and stored procedures. I have managed the software development process from conception to deployment and beyond including configuration management, version control, and branch/release practices. Strong proponent of design patterns and good OO design. Experienced with several application server platforms including WebLogic, JRun, Netscape, WebSphere, Resin, and OrionServer. Experienced with both single machine and clustered, load-balanced system architectures and have a strong understanding of key Internet technologies such as HTTP, TCP/IP, cookies, multicast, firewalls, load-balancing, and session-affinity.

Education, Honors and Distinctions


I received my B.S. in Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1993, majoring in Industrial Distribution (an Engineering program with a strong business focus) with electives concentrating on Computer Science. Coursework included engineering, wholesale supply, accounting, marketing, sales, data structures, algorithms, and economics. I am a published author, including the best selling book Web Development with JavaServer Pages, the upcoming IDEA in Action, and a holder of several US Patents. I have been a Sun Certified Java Programmer since 1998.