Richard Larkin is a Senior Python Developer in Johannesburg who brings nearly three decades of hands‑on coding and over a decade of formal professional experience to building reliable, test‑driven software. As a core contributor to the Kivy open‑source UI framework he has improved documentation and automated iOS builds—integrating OpenSSL and streamlining build/release tooling—while also contributing to python-for-android. He has delivered cloud‑deployed projects across GCP, AWS and Azure and holds Google Cloud Professional certifications that reinforce his production cloud expertise. Known for fast-iteration TDD workflows and clear technical writing, he focuses on scalable, maintainable systems and developer experience. He often describes good code as a “logical sculpture,” reflecting a blend of engineering rigor and creative craftsmanship.
12 years of coding experience
29 years of employment as a software developer
Bachelor of Science, Computational Science, Bachelor of Science, Computational Science at UNISA INC
Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer, Various Google Cloud Technologies, Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer, Various Google Cloud Technologies at Google
Training Course, Data Processing and Data Processing Technology/Technician, Training Course, Data Processing and Data Processing Technology/Technician at Linux Academy
B.Sc, Maths and Compter Science, B.Sc, Maths and Compter Science at Unisa
Data Science Course, Apache Spark, Data Science Course, Apache Spark at Udemy
JMB Matric, JMB Matric at Woodmead Group (Pty) Ltd
Toolchain for compiling Python / Kivy / other libraries for iOS
Role in this project:
Automation Engineer / Build & Release Engineer
Contributions:6 reviews, 34 commits, 100 PRs in 2 years 2 months
Contributions summary:Richard focused on enhancing the build process for the Kivy-iOS project, specifically integrating OpenSSL support. Their contributions included creating scripts to clone, build, and link OpenSSL libraries, as well as modifying build configurations. The user ensured the correct inclusion and linking of the OpenSSL dependencies for iOS builds. They also refined build scripts and addressed various issues related to file paths and build dependencies.
Open source UI framework written in Python, running on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iOS
Role in this project:
Technical Writer
Contributions:13 reviews, 1 commit, 99 PRs in 1 day
Contributions summary:Richard's commits primarily focused on modifying documentation files within the Kivy repository. These modifications included small fixes, improvements to English, and grammar corrections across various documentation sections, such as those related to contributing, the philosophy, and the API. They also added a section covering "Targetting Android", and clarifications and examples for the use of several widgets. The user demonstrated their ability to improve documentation and provide helpful examples in the repo.
pythonlinux-windowswindowsui-frameworklinux
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