BBC
I was contracted on a small team building an R&D application inside BBC Future Media & Technology.
Unfortunately I can't say too much about the project itself, but it was a Rails application with an impressive Javascript interface, which was built using Backbone.js. I worked on all parts of the application, including the Rails backend and the frontend JS/CSS/HTML interface.
AMEE
I was contracted by AMEE to build a Rails application from scratch. The product was designed to store and display data about trial homes that had been retro-fitted with energy saving technology in order to reduce their carbon emissions.
The actual metering and monitoring data is stored in a separate 'backend' database, and then retrieved by the Rails application via an API. As part of the project, I built a client library which allowed this data to be queried using simple Ruby code. The application and client library I worked on were the first users of the API, and so I was able to provide valuable feedback which helped refine its design.
The data was graphed using the jQuery plotting library, Flot. An extensive suite of unit and integration tests was built alongside the application using RSpec, Cucumber, Capybara and Culerity.
Loco2
I worked on a low-carbon travel journey planning application for Loco2. Unfortunately I had to leave this project as I had other commitments, but it continues to move forward by leaps and bounds.
I built the application with a sizeable Postgres database and it integrates with numerous third-party APIs, such as Google Maps, the Guardian Open Platform and the AMEE CO2 calculator.
"Jon is a fantastic Ruby on Rails programmer who works with great speed and excellent communication skills every step of the way. I had previously worked with Jon at Torchbox and chose to hire him because I wanted a high calibre developer to kick off the important second phase of Loco2's development process.
"Jon architected and built a very robust and clean code base and was adept at explaining to me (semi-technical) the reasons behind decisions he was making; a very important and often over-looked quality in a developer. Add to this the speed at which Jon works, and all-in-all he is great value for money.
"I would not hesitate to hire Jon again, and in fact if things go according to plan, I will be doing just that!"
Jamie Andrews, Owner of Loco2
Conductrus
I worked for Elevensoft on Conductrus (formerly Orchestrate), a hosted management application for field service companies. I built the application from scratch. We later expanded the team, and I worked with the excellent programmers at Mocra to finish the job. Renowned designer Jon Hicks worked on user experience and visual design.
"Jon is exceptionally bright and enthusiastic, has strong technical skills and brings focus and commitment to his work. He is a natural leader, able to communicate clearly with any team member, and is both self-reliant and self disciplined. He works well alone or in a team environment. The quality of his code is extremely high. He was a pleasure to work with, and I have no hesitation in recommending him."
Andy Wright, CEO of Elevensoft
"Jon writes beautiful, effective and very maintainable code. He is a pleasure to work with."
Dr Nic Williams & Bo Jeanes, of Mocra
"Working with Jon on Conductrus was a dream and a joy. Not only a programmer that you develop respect for, but one who respects the role of the designer too."
Jon Hicks, of Hicksdesign
"Conductrus is the cleanest Rails codebase I've ever seen."
Steve Hayes, of Cogent Consulting (who performed an external code review)
Torchbox
I previously worked as a web developer at Torchbox, doing some Ruby on Rails work along with other things.
"Jonathan is a highly skilled web developer with a keen eye for detail and an admirable enthusiastic and inventive nature. He is also fun to work with and a positive asset to any team."