34 years IT, 32 years databases, 19 years banking and finance, 19 years Sybase, Partner for 13 years but gave it up this year with the SAP changes. Worked for DBMS Vendors, maintained DBMS codeline, wrote one from scratch for them; consultant since then.

Intolerant of contradictions in the same cranial space.
Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
If it's worth doing, it's worth doing Right

Extreme performance in every technical endeavour. The second greatest buzz is increasing the speed of a customer's server by an order of magnitude. Or two.

Wheels are there for improving, not re-inventing. Standards are my friend, in fact I married her. Whenever she's not around, I write my own.

The above all StackOverflow goal is also the most important to me:
Be [Technically] Honest
I attend SO as a Professional (meaning tertiary qualified, experienced, quality, standards, pride of craft and delivery; not merely I have the title and I get paid). I supply a service, and I love my craft. I answer questions from professional and enthusiast programmers, as per the FAQ, while observing and supporting it, and the SO community. I am not qualified or experienced in serving unprofessional or unenthusiastic or dishonest people.

I am here to engage technically and professionally, not personally or emotionally. I write the same way I write on the job, and my customers love my focus, technical honesty and directness. I do not get involved personally or emotionally on the job. If you get personally or emotionally involved with me, I will just ignore you. This is not a social network.

While recognition and acknowledgement is nice, that is not an important part of my attendance, I get heaps of that on the job. I am quite happy earning fewer hard-earned points, by being honest and direct, than many more, by being popular.

If you are checking me out, make sure you open the links in my posts (some browsers do not handle inline images properly, therefore I do not use them).

You can email me, at derek@softwaregems.com.au. Small projects, particularly P&T, are always welcome.

Past Boy Scout Leader, now NSW Rural Fireman (Volunteer), Endurance rider (yes, that is my Endurance Arabian, shot with my Canon EOS 5; she has been with me for 20 years; stopped eventing with her 5 years ago), NSW A Grade competition shooter, amateur photographer, Salsa, Mensan.

I have a life. I ride horses, hunt deer, chase women, harmonise databases; in no particular order; and ensure that I don't mix them up.

I am not macho, I work well with adults, sub-adults and older children, but small children who have not left their mother's breast find me a bit scary.