About Me
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About Me

Hello, I'm Dmitry Ratner

With over 20 years of experience in software development, I’ve primarily focused on large-scale engineering and specialized systems, particularly desktop applications. My passion lies in creating robust, maintainable systems through modularity and well-defined abstractions, which allow for easy scalability, problem localization, and efficient task distribution among teams.

Development Philosophy

The foundation of my approach is the use of independent, self-sufficient blocks. This method ensures that each part of the system can be updated or troubleshooted without affecting the rest. It allows for smooth upgrades, scalability, and the ability to distribute tasks across teams. I believe that correctly defining abstraction levels is key to building sustainable systems. For me, it’s about constructing a clear hierarchy — from function, to class, to package, to assembly, to module, and ultimately to the whole system.

Desktop and Server Applications

Most of my career has been dedicated to building desktop applications, with many of them consisting of multiple builds and independent plugin modules. In recent years, I’ve expanded into server-client solutions and embraced the microservices architecture. I find that microservices allow for breaking down functionality into smaller, independent components, making systems more maintainable and scalable.

Technologies I Use​

I’ve been working with .NET since 2004, and I hold MCPD and MCSE certifications. .NET and C# are my preferred tools for building large-scale projects. However, for complex logic and high-performance tasks, I turn to native C++, and in some cases, I use NVIDIA CUDA for extreme computational performance.

For UI development, I favor WPF, having worked with it since its early days. Recently, I’ve been exploring WinUI 3, which has its advantages, though I wouldn’t yet recommend it for large-scale projects. I’ve also been impressed with Blazor Client, which brings the development approach of desktop applications to web and mobile platforms, though it still lacks multitasking support — something I hope will be added in future .NET releases.

Other Technologies

While .NET and C# remain my core focus, I have worked with many different technologies over the years. From time to time, I join external projects written in various languages and designed for different platforms. I wouldn’t claim to be a specialist in these languages, but I’m familiar with them and can easily jump into projects when needed. I often work with MATLAB for developing and supporting algorithms. Though I don’t use it without necessity, I was recognized as Plugin of the Week for one of my MATLAB plugins.

Solution Expert, not a Programmer

I don’t position myself as a programmer. I see myself more as a Solution Expert or Researcher, dedicated to transforming ideas into real-world software solutions. While writing code is an important part of the process, my main passion lies in the journey from a simple concept to a fully functional application. I thrive on the challenge of exploring, testing, and refining ideas to deliver practical results that solve real problems.

Embracing Challenges

What excites me most are challenges that others might shy away from — problems that don’t have an immediate solution. These are the kinds of tasks that fuel my drive to create innovative, effective solutions that make a real impact.