Bob McKeever

Background

About Bob McKeever

I solve problems for people, generally using a computer. From small ones to big, full systems, I figure out the solution, and design computer systems to implement it. When I start on a problem, I envision it in my head, and work out a logical solution. This may look like 3, 4 or 5 dimensions, depending on the needs of the problem to be solved. The math background helps keep it all straight. Once I have sorted out the optimal (in my head) solution, I turn to hardware and language considerations. Hardware is what the client may have available, or is willing to purchase. When I can have input when the client is researching hardware, I’ll make recommendations as appropriate. And the hardware often dictates the programming language(s) that can be used. So, with the hardware picked, and the best language to be used is chosen, the real work begins. You will have to compromise your elegant solution to fit it into the language. No language is perfect. Some languages are better at some tasks than others - Fortran for scientific calculations, COBOL for business applications, etc. For me, these four paragraphs are both challenging and rewarding. It is the heart of what I do. And I should be teaching this.