Biography

Computer enthusiast since the age of 12, Michele Giuseppe Fadda started by reading the then just published Italian version of the Bugbooks and committed Intel8080A 's instruction set by memory, in Octal. Scrounged computer time to friends till he got his first computer, which was a Commodore 64.

He spent some time porting a 6502 Assembler from AppleII to C64, and started coding in Basic, Forth and Assembly.

Started his career in 1985 as a specialized technical journalist for the then famous Sperimentare con L'Elettronica ed il Computer and several other magazines. He wrote more than 50 articles, in subjects ranging from computer technology, programming, to digital electronics. In the following years the "hobby" will become a a successful career as firmware developer contractor for major aerospace related companies, security, automotive and telephonic equipment companies. 

In 1990 implemented a really fast DES (Data Encryption Standard) on intel 8051, designing from scratch a daughter board for the IBM personal computer. It is remarkable that at that time I didn't have a debbugger, nor a simulator for the 8051, and that the whole thing was written and debugged in about a week, and passed FIPS tests correctly.

In 1992 started his first enterprise, CD ROM Paradise, which was also the name of the Fido based BBS. CD ROM Paradise sold rather popular shareware compilations, distributed via CD ROM. CD ROM Paradise was one of the first Italian Web sites accepting credit cards for the sales of physical goods, which were sold worldwide. CD ROM Paradise practically ceased to operate after 1995, as cheap CD burners and faster Internet accesses gained popularity.

In 1995 Michele Fadda goes back to consulting, capitalising on his experience with Unix and databases, collaborating with most major Italian software consulting companies, getting a rather broad view on their processes and culture.

In 1998 decides it's time to go back to school and started studying, this time business management, while consulting for a living. He will emerge four years later with a certificate,diploma in business studies and an MBA.

A lifelong hacker, now armed with a business culture and an education in finance and marketing he consulted for a good sample of major Italian companies, specialising in large database and enterprise systems, as a software designer and architect.

In 2004 started FWLAB, which was intended as an informal assembly of electronics, firmware and computer designers.

After more than 26 six years spent writing industrial leval code, with passion, in 2011 started FWLAB as firm, with his wife as a partner.