mash@mips.UUCP (John Mashey) (01/08/86)
I have some job openings in the next few months in my group, which in-
cludes operating systems, networking, and software quality assurance.
The rest of this note describes MIPS Computer Systems and the jobs,
attempting to be reasonably objective!
WHAT IS MIPS COMPUTER SYSTEMS?
MIPS is a fast-growing startup (==70 people) located in Mountain View,
CA, shortly to move to new facilities in Sunnyvale. We build high-
performance RISC-based computer components, using full-custom VLSI
RISC CPUs, and we think that our work represents the next big
cost/performance jump. [You'll a hear a little at my talk at UNIFORUM
in Feb, and a lot more at COMPCON in March.] Our technical design ex-
pertise emphasizes 4 areas:
VLSI CMOS Chip Design
Optimizing Compilers
Board/System/Workstation Design
UNIX [both System V and BSD]
We make interesting tradeoffs among these to get high performance.
What's high performance? For starters, try to imagine something like
a VAX 8600 (TM of DEC) or more, but on a single cpu board suitable for
desktop or deskside. For the future, imagine a lot more, using a
design carefully tuned for chip shrinks and other speedups. We'll be
selling our boards to large OEM customers.
Less than a year ago, we committed to building working silicon by the
end of 1985. People in the chip business know how long it takes to
design chips and get ones that do anything. Because we have been
skillful, [pure of heart], and lucky, Santa brought us working chips.
WHO ARE WE?
MIPS is a bunch of experienced people with strong track records. Our
style is to build an "over-qualified" organization in order to grow
properly; our management structure is flat, with handson managers;
many of us dropped 1-2 levels of management to get in on this. We are
a multidisciplinary, non-prima-donna crew who like to get the job
done, and who have a lot of fun building systems and learning from
each other.
WHY SHOULD YOU BE INTERESTED?
- The work is exciting - this is leading-edge work that is hard to do
without the kind of interdisciplinary design team we've got. We have
strong university connections, and for various reasons, stay tightly
coupled with state-of-the-art work in many areas.
- Startup equity is still available, for a while.
- People are outstanding and experienced.
- Benefits are good.
- We are well-funded by first-class venture capitalists, we have ex-
perienced people in marketing, finance, manufacturing, publications,
etc, i.e., we are building a complete company that worries about all
of the things needed for success, not just the technical ones.
- If you like startups, or are ready to try one, you may have noticed
that good ones are harder to find lately.
WHAT JOBS ARE AVAILABLE IN MY GROUP?
The following summarizes people that I'm looking for, and when, more-
or-less - I'm trying to be as precise as possible to communicate our
wishes - realistically, building outstanding teams requires flexible
hiring to mix and match the skills and personalities needed.
OS4 1/86 UNIX kernel (System V knowledge), senior (may be filled)
OS5 3/86 UNIX kernel (System V experience), junior/senior
OS6 4/86 UNIX kernel (System V or BSD), junior/senior
QA2 1/86 Software QA (senior)
QA3 2/86 Software QA (senior)
QA4 4/86 Software QA (junior)
UNIX KERNEL - (OS4-OS6 above).
The general requirements are: Need to be experienced (3+ years in in-
dustry + solid computer science background; have been involved in a
UNIX port or two already; have been through wars of getting real pro-
duct out the door); be ready to work hard; be reasonable to work with;
be good software engineer in making reasoned, analytical design deci-
sions. Useful side-specialties are networking, graphics, multi-
processors, data communications, and performance analysis. Of the 2-3
people, I'm looking for 1 on the more experienced side (5+ years)
while 2 might be somewhat less experienced (2+ years), perhaps having
done mostly device driver work. It's possible that OS6 might fit the
right person just out of school, if they've done significant UNIX ker-
nel work at school. You'll be working with experienced people: the OS
group averages about 6-7 years UNIX experience [not counting my 12+].
Duties here include: doing UNIX ports, doing performance analysis,
working on high-performance filesystems and networking, helping
hardware and chip groups do future designs by providing input on OS
needs, working with customers, etc.
QA: Software Quality Assurance [QA2-QA4 above]:
This area includes:
a) configuration management
b) building and managing trouble report databases
c) system integration and test
d) verification and validation
e) incorporation of new releases from AT&T or UCB
f) some bug-fixing
g) release build and control
There's a lot of flexibility here, since the real staffup is getting
going, now that chips are working. The first few people need to have
some good experience testing and releasing UNIX systems, and should
have some good ideas on how to use our computer horsepower to automate
testing. I'd like to pick up a lead person here sometime soon. Ideal
person would have 3-5 years of industrial experience after a computer
science background, have spent several years in development, have
spent some time as senior person in Software QA group, (preferably for
a UNIX port), and still be a hands-on person who knows how to automate
this part of the product development cycle, can write code as needed,
etc. I'd also like to talk to people who are less senior in this
area, although the earlier people will still need 2-3 years of good
experience. UNIX experience [SCCS/RCS, make, shell programming, C
programming] is a must for any of these. We don't have the resources
to start anybody from scratch, but you'll certainly have some great
learning possibilities in picking up the finer points from experienced
people. The QA4 slot might be one for a real sharp person just out of
school, who can grow with the job over time and work into either a
more senior position in testing or development.
Send a resume, or a note, or give me a call. If you call, and I'm not
then available, PLEASE leave your name and number, and say "USENET
ad", if nothing else. I DO want to talk to you.
Principals only, no agencies, please.
-John R. Mashey
UUCP: {decvax, ucbvax, ihnp4}!decwrl!mips!mash
DDD: 415-960-1200
USPS: MIPS Computer Systems, 1330 Charleston Road, Mtn View, CA 94043
(by Feb): 930 Arques Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94086
--
-john mashey
UUCP: {decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!decwrl!mips!mash
DDD: 415-960-1200
USPS: MIPS Computer Systems, 1330 Charleston Rd, Mtn View, CA 94043