Hi, I am Paul Dreik and the primary consultant (in fact, the only one) on Dreik Ingenjörskonst AB.
I am an engineer, educated at KTH in Stockholm. Besides holding a master of science in aeronautical engineering, I also hold a licentiate degree (≈0.5 Ph. D.) in automatic control with focus on fault detection in robotics.
I like programming and math. I am not an expert in either, but I am fairly good at both which makes me very efficient in solving real world problems. This has proven to be attractive.
I use several programming languages, depending on what is needed. Development time vs. performance, readability vs. disclosure, maintenance and debugging capabilities are factors that affect which language is used. I use C++ (my overall preferred language) but usually use matlab/octave for prototyping. I tend to use python for general purpose tasks, a true Swiss army knife. I also write shell scripts for common tasks.
Besides making programs for processing data, I have made several web interfaces which is a powerful method of letting users interact with systems. Doing this, I have learned php, css and javascript. This is now my preferred method of supplying a user interface, although it does not fit all scenarios. Other alternatives I have experience with is Matlab GUI and wxWidgets (for cross platform C++ interfaces).
I have used GNU/Linux systems full time since 2004. I also occasionally use Windows, when clients demand it. Usually, I develop in Linux and switch to Windows for final compilation of the same code base. I am not a Microsoft hater, I just find GNU/Linux being being the best option for me by far.
I like standardization, platform independence and open protocols. I do not believe in quick fixes, I have seen to many copy paste bugs and “one time” code to use it. I do not like support calls (they prove the existence of bugs, discovered at the wrong side of the release date). I therefore use several techniques to avoid bugs in the first place.
I have a personal web page at www.pauldreik.se. I also maintain a blog, although the activity is not what it once was.