Department of Computer Science Seminars

Software Engineering from a Performance Perspective

Speaker: Dr Jerry Kilpatrick

Time: 12:30pm-1:30pm, March 31st, 2006

Location: Nueces Conference Room

Abstract:

After briefly reviewing the ingredients required for success in Software Engineering this talk gives examples of two of them. First there is the tale of an organization that reached obsolesce and the new paradigm that replaced it. Second there is the story of a tool that started life as a hardware tuning tool and evolved into a invaluable mechanism for analyzing complex software systems. The talk concludes with a brief discussion of a set of open-source tools for Linux which includes the tool just discussed.

Brief speaker's bio

Jerry's first job was with IBM as a Systems Engineer in the Shreveport Branch Office. Within eighteen months he had concluded that ignorance was not bliss and took an educational leave to pursue a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Upon completing his degree he moved to Austin where he held a variety of positions in software development organizations. During his last 17 years at IBM he managed a highly recognized performance team.

Jerry retired from IBM at the end of 2002 and has pursued a number of avocational interests ranging from volunteering with Habitat for Humanity to studying constitutional law. His main interest remains Computer Science and he is currently developing an enhanced version of "Quicken" for his personal use.