Projects

I was contracted by the RBTT Bank (now Republic Bank (Surina­me) N.V.) in Paramaribo, Suriname to rewrite an existing payment processing application that was written in CA-Clipper almost 10 years earlier. I was hired partly because of my past experience with programming in CA-Clipper and partly because I came highly recommended. In the process of rewriting the application, new functionalities were also added and lots of improvements were made. The purpose of the application is to process a daily stream of financial transactions being delivered to the bank in various formats from various sources (privately owned businesses, the government etc.). After performing a number of checks on the data, the data is transformed into an internal format and output files are generated that can be further processed at the RBTT headquarters in Trinidad. Various reports are automatically generated for internal checks, as well as letters and reports for clients.

The application is written based on a client-server model with multi-user functionality featuring configurable access restrictions per user or per group of users, and detailed logging of all user activity. The application also maintains a complete history of all processed transactions. Techni­cal documentation for administrators and an online help system for users were delivered with the application.

Technologies used for this project include Microsoft Visual C# .NET, Windows Forms, Crystal Reports, Cryptography and the Microsoft SQL Server database.

QuantumGate is a peer-to-peer (P2P) communications protocol, library and API. The long-term goal for QuantumGate is to become a platform for distributed computing based on a mesh networking model. In the short term, the goal is to provide developers with networking technology that they can easily integrate and use in their own applications. Click here for a more detailed overview on my blog.

QuantumGate is written in Microsoft Visual C/C++ and the source code is available on GitHub under an MIT License.

Starting with Windows Vista Microsoft had disabled automatic previews of WMF and EMF graphic files in Windows due to security threats. Many users who have large collections of WMF/EMF clipart were left with the problem of not being able to easily browse their collections anymore. I was also among those users.

In 2015 I decided to write my own extension to Windows File Explorer which would enable generating thumbnail previews again for these files. I released the extension for free on the Internet for everyone to download and install. You can read the details about this on my blog. There you’ll also be able to read the feedback from users who downloaded and used it.

This extension was written in Microsoft Visual C/C++ and the source code is available on GitHub under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License.

I was contracted by Sunrice N.V. to develop an application to automate their administration for purchasing rice seeds from farmers. The appli­cation maintains a complete database of all purchase details and various financial reports can be generated. It is written based on a client-server model.

Technologies used for this project include Microsoft Visual C# .NET, Windows Forms, Crystal Reports and the Microsoft SQL Server Express database.

I was contracted by N.V. GISsat to develop an application for the GLIS Project (Land registration and Land Information System). GLIS is a system that digitally displays parcels in Suriname and stores all relevant data about the parcels such as the area and the ownership.

When I joined the project the functional design for the application was already available as well as the data model. After a few meetings I could start with the technical design and software engineering. The main purpose of the application is to maintain a database of applications for pieces of land. The whole application process, from the registration to the final approval and transfer of ownership can be managed. In addition the application also automates certain functionalities such as merging parcels together and splitting parcels.

The application had to be built as an extension to ESRI ArcGIS and functioned within that environment based on a client-server model.

Technologies used for this project include the ESRI ArcGIS API, Microsoft Visual C# .NET, Windows Forms, Crystal Reports and the Microsoft SQL Server database.

While employed at Itee N.V. I developed an interface application for the Isla Oil Refinery in Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles). The purpose of the application is to allow Isla to synchronize patient information between their human resource application (SAP) and a database application for pharmacies called Aposys (developed by Microbais from the Nether­lands). The interface application communicates with the Aposys commu­nication server through a TCP/IP connection using the Health Level Seven (HL7) protocol to transfer patient data.

The interface application was written using Microsoft Visual C/C++, the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC), Windows Sockets and Crystal Reports. Microsoft SQL Server Express is also used to temporarily store patient data (for checks and reporting) before the data is transferred to Aposys. The application was delivered with an automated setup program, a manual and technical documentation.

While employed at Itee N.V. I was responsible for getting the company certified at Microsoft for software development (Independent Software Vendor (ISV) competency). To achieve the ISV competency an appli­cation developed entirely by me was submitted to Microsoft for the Windows logo certification. The application went through the certifi­cation process successfully. This application was a server application that was part of a larger client-server system written in Microsoft Visual C/C++ .NET using Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) and Windows Sockets (TCP/IP).

We earned the Microsoft Gold Certified Partner status within 3 months. With this certification Itee N.V. became the only Surinamese IT company, the first company in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the company with the highest certification in the West-Indies, that is certified to develop software on Microsoft platforms. The news was published on the main Microsoft website for months, and I even got to interview Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for a local magazine. Needless to say, this surely was one of the high points of my software development career.

While employed at Itee N.V. I developed a solution for Kirpalani Ltd., one of the larger trading companies in Suriname, which allowed them to do inventory checks using a handheld PC. The solution consists of a Windows CE application running on a Pocket PC that can be used to scan barcodes and look up article information. Limited modifications can also be made to the inventory details of an article. The solution also consists of a Windows based application that can be used to synchronize the data on the mobile device with the main inventory database of their Point of Sale system.

The Pocket PC application was written using Microsoft eMbedded Visual C++ for Windows CE 3.0 and 4.0, using CEDB as the database provider. The Windows application was written using Microsoft Visual C/C++ and the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC). The solution was delivered with an automated setup program and technical documentation.

While employed at Intermodulair Suriname N.V. I co-designed and developed a custom application for the Particuliere Ziektekosten Verze­kering (PZS) (Health Insurance) department of Self Reliance N.V., one of the largest insurance companies in Suriname. This application is based on a client-server model where users access data stored on a central database (SQL Server) through the client application. The application features automated procedures for nearly all administrative tasks and calculations on that department, detailed and complex real-time reporting, including management reports and detailed interactive help. Technologies used include Microsoft Visual C/C++ .NET, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) and Crystal Reports.

The success of the PZS application was one of the important achieve­ments that helped Intermodulair to get an even bigger project, arguably one of the most ambitious software development projects in Suriname up until that time (and as far as I know up until now), namely the development of an integrated software system for the whole company linking all departments together.

I designed the complete software model for that integrated admini­strative software system for Self Reliance N.V. Based on a client-server architecture, this system includes a custom developed applications server, several system management tools and at least 5 client applications for several of the major departments in the company featuring tight security. I also did parts of the analysis for the functional requirements, and co-designed the database. The system is capable of running both on Microsoft SQL Server and IBM DB2 without any modifications. Tools for security, authentication, user and group management, application rights and policy management are also included. These tools enable Self Reliance’s IT department to easily manage the entire system from a single location. Apart from designing the system I also developed the application server, all the management tools and did some development on the client applications (the new version of the PZS (Health Insurance) application was developed entirely by me).

Technologies used include Microsoft Visual C/C++ .NET, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC), Windows Sockets (TCP/IP), Cryptography (AES, SHA) and Crystal Reports.

After I left Intermodulair in 2004 development and maintenance continued by other programmers at Intermodulair. This system is still being used today (January 2017).

GISsat N.V. contracted me to design and program a multimedia presen­tation for the State Oil Company (Staatsolie), which would be used for promotional purposes. My responsibilities included designing and coding a custom graphical user interface for the presentation, and do all layout and graphics work and finally deliver the master CD on schedule.

Technologies used include Microsoft Visual C/C++, Microsoft Founda­tion Classes (MFC), Microsoft Internet Explorer.

While employed at Microcom Group N.V. I worked on designing and building a client-server Point of Sale system from the ground up. The system included a server application and several client applications. I also designed Microcom’s client-server TCP/IP communications proto­col (IANA - port 8763 : MC-APPSERVER). Several company stan­dard libraries and tools were also developed by me.

Technologies used include Microsoft Visual C/C++, Oracle Database, Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC), Windows Sockets (TCP/IP) and Crystal Reports.