that nice php chap - web developer in sunderland and newcastle

I'm a PHP Web Developer undertaking Web development in Sunderland and Newcastle. I've been developing Web applications for over ten years and currently build websites using PHP, MySQL, and other open source technologies. Typical recent projects have involved Ajax, e-commerce (using OSCommerce and PayPal), targeted emailing, RSS and stock market feeds, search engine optimisation (SEO), websites for mobile phones, and content management systems using VYRE Unify.

If you're looking for a permanent, contract or freelance Web developer in the Sunderland or Newcastle area, or even if you just want some advice about a website, you can drag out the panels on the left to view my skills and experience. If you think I fit your bill, feel free to contact me at the email address below and we can speak further.

chap [at] thatnicephpchap.co.uk

- Darren Ross

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Sep 06 – present	Freelance PHP & MySQL development including mobile phone websites for a new media firm in Newcastle, personal stock portfolios using RSS and stock-price feeds for a South African client, Ajax development for a firm in Germany, online mail delivery for a firm in London, and SEO. I have also built several CMS applications using VYRE Unify.
Jun 05 – Sep 06	Full time PHP & MySQL work for an e-commerce and new media firm in Newcastle.
Feb 05 – May 05	Java/Bluetooth research for an archaeological firm in London.
Sep 03 – Jan 05	Studied for my M.Sc. in Network Systems at the University of Sunderland. Gained a distinction. The course provided a spectrum of network-related disciplines including Java and PHP/MySQL development. My final, 12,000 word thesis was based on the tracking of wireless mobile devices using trilateration and producing an interactive Java-based simulation.
May 03 - Aug 03	Mainly ASP/SQL Server, some PHP and MS Access, Web development with the The Web Design Bureau in London.
May 02 – May 03	Backpacked around Australia in which time I also undertook some ASP/PostgreSQL/HTML work.
Dec 01 – May 02	ASP/SQL Server web development work for the The Web Design Bureau, a Web publishing firm in London.
Mar 01 – Nov 01	Travelled independently up through Africa and the Middle East.
Feb 99 – Feb 01	SQL Server DBA for Intapps in London, in which time I was also part of the general IT support team.
Dec 97 – Dec 98	Travelled independently through SE Asia, India and Central America.
Jul 95 – Nov 97	ASP/SQL Server Web developer at Intapps, a Web publishing firm in London.
Oct 91 – Jun 95	Studied for a B.A (hons). Business Computing with German at the University of Sunderland. Attained a 2:1. In this time I spent eight months on placement in Germany working on a hypertext project for Danet GmbH, an IT firm in Darmstadt. I also studied software engineering and database design for three months at the Fachhochschule Darmstadt.

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M.Sc. Network Systems, University of Sunderland. Gained a distinction. B.A (hons). Business Computing with German, University of Sunderland. Gained a 2:1. I speak German to a conversational level.
Technologies	Applications
PHP, Smarty Template Engine MySQL CSS, HTML, XHTML, DHTML XML, XPath, XSLT Javascript AJAX, SEO, RSS	Dreamweaver, PHPEdit, Zend Studio OSCommerce, PayPal VYRE Unify Apache Plesk, CPanel, phpMyAdmin PHPList
I also have a working knowledge of WALL, WURFL, SQL Server (I'm a Microsoft Certified Professional) and Java.

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Many websites I have worked on were private intranets which are not publicly accessible, thus the sites below are just a sample of my work.

www.cultureshockarts.com : a cultural festival at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle.
www.ethicalsuperstore.com : a major e-commerce store I built using OSCommerce.
www.fairtrademedia.co.uk : new media and music website I worked on that promotes singers and musicians in Newcastle.
www.giftsforlife.org : a Traidcraft site I built promoting alternative gifts.
www.mailguy.com : a site I built for a London client allowing letters to be posted in various cities around the world.
www.newconsumer.com : the website for New Consumer magazine. Work included building their forum and rss feeds, as well as conducting email campaigns.
www.peopletree.co.uk : a major online fashion shop. Work included amending their payment system, generating sitemaps, producing visitor statistics, and working on their email newsletter.
www.traidcraft.co.uk : Traidcraft's principal website. Work included functionality that allowed Flash-based e-cards to be emailed, statistical data using a visitor link tracking system, numerous government lobbying campaigns, and the construction of RSS feeds.
www.youngcooperatives.org.uk : Traidcraft's community for young people. I built their online product ordering system.

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I do Web development (the back-end, programming stuff). If you were looking for a Web designer (the graphical, creative stuff), then my friend and erstwhile colleague Dan Edwards might be your man. You can contact him over at his rather nice designers' blog Dirty Mouse.

Another friend and erstwhile colleague is Victoria Midson. She has a portfolio on her site that you might wish to check out if you're on the lookout for a graphic and Web designer.