(Arthur C. Clark said Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.)

Just who is this Zac Schroff person anyway?

I am somebody who enjoys programming, listening to good music, reading Science (&c) fiction, electronic tinkering, and mechanical tinkering. You may have seen some of my programs already.

What is his background?

I escaped from The University of Alabama's College of Engineering with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science in May 1996. Since then (and before), I have held several jobs doing different computer-related things. If you would like to see a copy of my résumé, click here (it requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, but be aware that Adobe has web bugs and other monitoring tricks embedded in their page). If you would prefer a text version, click here (but it does not look as good). A Lotus WordPro version is available upon request.

I always knew I'd like to be an engineer... If not computer science, then electronics (another hobby of mine, though it has been neglected in the past few years), or if not electronics, then mechanical engineering (something at which I like to think I am fairly good, but obviously this has been neglected even longer). I have been working (or is it playing?) with computers since about 1978 (I was seven years old at the time), and really doing serious programming since about 1984, when I first started learning 6502 machine language (I leaned assembly later).

Does he actually do anything?

I am currently looking for a new job. If you have something you believe may be appropriate, please contact me, but only if you believe you have an appropriate position. I am searching for a software or firmware development position, but am willing to entertain related interesting offers. I am not looking for a position as a network administrator (or similar IT/IS posisiton).

I most recently worked (June 2004 through June 2006) as a Software Engineer for Hifn on the low level software for their next generation network processor. I got to work closely with the hardware group, participate some in architecture, design, implementation, and some other fun stuff. This job was rather enjoyable in many ways. Unhappily, Hifn decided they didn't need the next NP after all, so they shut down the group.

In recent past, and in some of my increasingly rare free time, I do work as a Software Engineer and Architect for Red Plain Technology, a pre-funding startup working in distributed applications. We are currently working on implementation of our first generation product.

My prior job, from 2001 through 2003, was the Chief Architect of the Network Processor Group at IP Infusion Inc. -- a job which involved lots of things, primarily network processing, virtual routers, redundancy, distribution, and other advanced routing. We were working with several hardware vendors on these issues. The job also seems to have involved rather more than I had expected toward the day-to-day operation of our office in North Carolina (the main office is in California).

From 1999 through 2001, I worked as a Software Engineer for the Open IP Environment team at Nortel Networks (The OIP site is once again dead, and somehow I wonder how long until Nortel follows, but the OpenIP site was always quite uninformative). Open IP was an expansion of the old Phase2 Networks group, purchased as part of the Bay Networks takeover, and some other groups within Nortel. This job, rather more fun than my previous network administrator position, involved writing and maintaining lots of C based portable router software (not to mention some really cool projects with what we liked to call our strategic alliance partners). I also did a few mundane things as part of this job as well, but they generally weren't too much trouble. :)

Due to what I consider to be some rather poorly considered departmental layoffs, Nortel lost a large number of engineers to several quick-thinking other companies, including the Phase2 Networks team (of which I had recently become a member). I rather liked the farewell page for Phase2 Networks, but Nortel has taken that site down as well.

Way back in the 1990's, from 1996 through 1999, I was the Network Administrator for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama. It was a typical administrative support position at a university -- high stress, under paid, under appreciated -- and convinced it me that I do not wish to work in education or as a netadmin for a large scale network, if it can be avoided.

Before that, I worked for a locally owned store in a (by now probably defunct) statewide chain of computer stores from 1993 until 1996, doing support and repairs and sales. It was an enjoyable job, had flexible hours (I was still a student) and I liked the people there. Unhappily, the fellow who owned this particular store chose to sell it back to the chain, so all of us were let go.

I also still work with the people at 21^st Century Computers on some projects, including data recovery and Novell Netware installations and maintenance, but since I'm not near them anymore, it is mostly data recovery.

As a hobby, I write shareware programs (and some custom software now and again) which are published either under my name or under the name DocsWare. Several programs I have written are available here. If you want to know something of a particular program of mine which is not available here, ask me.

You can go to the DocsWare definitions page by clicking here.

You can go to my footnotes page by clicking here.

You can return to my homepage by clicking here.

The internet services I use (the web site and personal email functions) are provided by db Technology of Tuscaloosa Alabama. Thanks, David et al for the only internet service I have considered worthy of using for more than a year (they have provided my personal email &c since the early 1990's, and have hosted this site since 1996).

This page maintained by Zac Schroff.

© Copyright 1996-2006 Zac Schroff, all rights reserved.

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...forget it.