TONY SMITH, TECH WORK, 2014-PRESENT

Contracting Software Engineer and Consultant

September 2024 through to the present

I am currently working as a contract software engineer and consultant. This work is currently confidential but I can say it has centred on the integration and extension of the use of BLE communications in shipping IoT products.

Founder and Principal, Black Pyramid Software

September 2008 through to the present

This is the umbrella organisation for all of my commercial and non-commercial open source products and projects. The key ones are listed below.

These efforts to date have focused on macOS and iOS using Swift, plus Swift UI or AppKit/UIKit in the case of GUI applications, developed in Xcode and released (for commercial items) through the Mac and iOS App Stores.

Other endeavours include C++ templates for FreeRTOS running on the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, and Python drivers for Holtek HT16K33-based LED display products.

• iOS App Store
  • Fontismo
• macOS App Store
  • PreviewMarkdown
  • PreviewCode
  • PreviewYAML
  • PreviewJson
  • PreviewText
• Open Source macOS Utilities
  • MNU
  • imageprep
  • pdfmaker
  • HightlighterSwift
• Open source macOS Libraries
  • BuildAPIAccess.
• Open Source other
  • HT16K33-Python
  • Depot
  • RP2040 FreeRTOS

Senior Software Engineer, KORE Wireless

June 2023 through August 2024

I joined KORE following its acquisition of Twilio‘s IoT and Wireless Business Unit. During this time I focused on the following projects:

• Microvisor
  • Built developer-oriented Microvisor CLI tooling using Go in Linux/Mac/Windows native versions, supported by unit tests. The CLI:
    • Interacts with the Microvisor Cloud via REST API for application uploading, deployment to devices, log retrieval.
    • Leverages protocol buffers for data serialisation during application upload, remote debugging sessions and log streaming.
    • Operates locally to package and sign compiled C/C++ application firmware for distribution.
    • Communicates with development hardware over USB/serial for device WiFi provisioning and identity information retrieval.
  • Co-engineered application firmware for a Microvisor-based battery powered Asset Tracker product, including GNSS support, sensor support, and FreeRTOS integration. This was written in C and C++.
  • Continued to manage, maintain and extend the Microvisor developer-centric documentation and sample code.
• Electric Imp
  • Continued to maintain the Electric Imp Platform developer documentation and oversee contractors maintaining the Electric Imp iOS and Android developer apps and SDKs.

Note Microvisor public-facing documentation is no longer available at KORE but continues to accessible via Twilio’s docs site. Please see the links in the next section.

Developer Educator, Twilio

January 2020 through May 2023

Note Technical documentation written for Twilio has now been migrated to KORE Wireless.

Twilio — specifically its IoT and Wireless Business Unit — acquired Electric Imp in December 2019. During my time with Twilio:

• I was the sole Technical Writer for Microvisor, Twilio’s first own-brand IoT platform. I worked closely with the engineering team to produce documentation and sample applications (C and C++). Additionally I:
  • Produced Microvisor System Call documentation (generated manually) such as HTTP resource access calls and network management calls.
  • Contributed a Microvisor post to the FreeRTOS Blog.
• Initiated a program to revitalise and restructure the developer documentation for the business unit to evolve the presentation and information architecture:
  • Organise content around core products: Super SIM, Microvisor and Programmable Wireless, with a consistent hierarchy of content type under each of them.
  • Introduced consistent textual, photographic, diagrammatic and screenshot, with guidance for its ongoing application.
  • Rewrote all Super SIM getting started guides to use modern, up-to-date platforms.
  • Deprecated and later removed guides for EOL products and long-defunct demo kit.
• Created new content:
  • Expanded developer guidance material.
  • Added introductory guides to cellular modem AT commands and the command line.
  • Added new technical guides to cellular signal strength and cellular connectivity optimisation.
  • Built out the business unit’s cellular module knowledgebase.
  • Provided content (and testing work) for the Works With Super SIM programme.
  • Created full documentation for the first version of Twilio’s (now defunct) Programmable Asset Tracker (documentation no longer available).
• Produced and distributed quarterly readership statistics and trends guidance to Business Unit senior leadership.
• I rebooted and revised the Twilio cross-product end-user documentation style guide (Internal access only).
• Worked with a CMS system (Wagtail) and later docs-as-code workflow with GitBooks.

Senior Tech Writer and Project Manager, Electric Imp

March 2014 through December 2019

During this period I was sole documentation architect and technical writer for all external-facing developer-oriented content, including documentation and sample code (Squirrel, Node.js/JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Swift/Objective-C).

I also led third-party developers working on customer-centric iOS and Android SDKs and app store available mobile apps (iOS, Android).

Whilst at Electric Imp, I:

• Completely revamped and extended Electric Imp’s developer documentation to:
  • Oversee a major site re-engineering process to migrate from the Jekyll static site engine to a Drupal CMS-based site.
  • Architect the site around key constituencies: software developer, hardware designer and production manager.
  • Added major new content not related to new Imp functionality:
    • A full language reference and a programming guide (Squirrel).
    • Application notes
    • Developer Guides:
      • Software development
      • Hardware design
      • Design with Imp
  • Maintained impOS Release Notes
  • Rewrote and extended the embedded API reference material
  • Extended the hardware design documentation, getting started and setup guides as new hardware modules were introduced over time.
  • Created product manufacturing quick starts and full process guides.
  • Added a series of support articles for first-line customer support.
  • Contributed support guidance to the Electric Imp community forum and this became the basis for many support articles.
• Contributed hardware drivers and third-party web service integrations (Squirrel) and CLI tool development (JavaScript/Node):
  • Drivers
    • Bluetooth BlinkUp Support
    • FRAMStore
    • MB85RC FRAM
    • XBee (Zigbee)
    • HT16K33 Matrix Display
    • HT16K33 Segment Display
  • Integrations
    • What Three Words
    • Dark Sky
• Independently produced Electric Imp apps and libraries.