Hi! I’m Cristian Tone, a self-taught programmer passionate about technology since the age of 12. I’ve turned my childhood curiosity into a solid career in software development, working both in companies and independently as a freelancer. I enjoy building useful applications, continuously learning, and collaborating with people who value quality and innovation. If you have an interesting project or would like to work together, I’m always open to a conversation.
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I was born into a humble home, where my mother’s hands carried the marks of long days in a factory and my father’s eyes scanned the night as a security guard. We never had much, but what we did have was a shared belief that education could open doors we couldn’t even imagine. It was my grandmother and my mother who built the pillars of my character. My mother, ever the perfectionist, taught me to give my best in everything. My grandmother, with her unwavering principles and high standards, showed me the quiet strength of common sense, the warmth of kindness, and the healing power of forgiveness.
In the final days of fourth grade, I stood on the small stage of our school, holding my third-place award. Inside, I was beaming with pride, but the photo from that day tells another story—a boy with stiff shoulders and a guarded expression. My teacher’s stern presence weighed on me, and my heart, too tender for the world, didn’t know how to let joy fully shine through. I carry deep gratitude for my teacher, Mariana Grinciuc—not despite her strictness, but because of it. Her high expectations and unwavering discipline became the scaffolding on which I built resilience, respect, and the determination to give my best in all things.
In this picture I'm with my 5 year younger brother. At eleven, my homeroom teacher asked me the age-old question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I had no real answer, so I reached for the first image that felt familiar. “A baker,” I said—probably because some of my happiest moments were spent watching my mother’s gentle hands knead dough, filling our home with the warm, comforting scent of fresh bread.
When I finished high school, my parents sacrificed yet again to send me to college—a gift I will treasure for the rest of my life. As you’ll see in my journey, that decision didn’t just shape my career—it reshaped who I became.
I first joined the Student Club in my hometown, where I discovered a Romanian-made computer: the HC Felix. It ran on the BASIC programming language and connected to a TV via coaxial cable — no monitor, no hard drive. Games and programs were stored on cassette tapes, and the cassette player was connected directly to the computer. I was self-taught, learning BASIC from a manual provided by the instructor. There were no smartphones, no Google, and the internet was in its infancy. The lack of distractions in my life, combined with a deep desire to explore and the joy of every small success, fueled my early passion for programming.
I enrolled in a technical high school where I learned algorithm design and a new language: Turbo Pascal. I’m deeply grateful to my computer science teacher, Neciu Crina, who saw potential in me and became a true mentor. Thanks to her guidance, I qualified for the county-level informatics olympiad. There were days when she gave me the keys to the computer lab so I could stay after school and develop my skills. I’d play games like Prince, Mario, and Street Fighter, explore MS-DOS and Windows 3.1, and work on personal mini-projects in Turbo Pascal and FoxPro — all saved on floppy disks.
I built my own multi-level Snake game in BASIC on my first PC, a HC Felix. Even without someone to check my work, I paid close attention to writing clean code so that debugging would be easier later.
I developed a patient management application in FoxPro, a language with its own built-in database engine. I tried selling it to my family doctor. Around the same time, I created another app in Turbo Pascal that graphically displayed vertical mouse movement — similar to an EKG — with the idea that it could help monitor a patient's breathing by connecting the mouse to a ventilator. I even presented the concept to a doctor at the municipal hospital.
I began studying at the University of Craiova, Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics. While mathematics was the main focus, I also learned Java, C++, SQL, and Lisp for AI.
At university, I liked mathematics quite a lot and I got very good grades in some subjects.
My highest grades in:
Differential Equations – 10/10
Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence – 10/10
Computational Algebra – 10/10
Object-Oriented Programming – 10/10
Software Project Management – 10/10
Data Coding and Compression – 10/10
Expert Systems – 10/10
My lowest grades in:
Abstract Algebra – 6/10
Numerical Computation - 6/10
Computational Geometry and Graphics – 6/10
Linear Algebra – 5/10
Probability Theory – 5/10
Mathematical Statistics – 5/10
Compiler Design – 5/10
All my grades from university
My bachelor’s degree diploma
I got my first job — Junior C++ Developer at a multi-platform game studio in Bucharest named Funlabs/Activision where I worked on two hunting games.
I met a girl from Satu-Mare, we got married, and I relocated to her hometown. There, I joined TBA Group (later acquired by Konecranes) as a Java developer. I’m thankful to my manager, Csaba Boer, for the great collaboration. At TBA, I built a Java desktop app from scratch using SWT: the Graphical Terminal Editor, which I worked on for 10 years.
I relocated to Cluj-Napoca, I've got a new job at QTronic(later acquired by Synopsys) and we've got divorce. At QTronic I worked on a Java/SWT desktop app using technologies I had mastered. I was inspired by a teammate, Andrei D., the most intellectually brilliant person I’ve ever met.
I resigned from QTronic after realizing that continuing with outdated technologies would limit future opportunities.
I joined Zenitech as a Java developer working on a planning platform gateway. While continuing with Java, I learned new tools: Spring Boot, REST APIs, PiTest, and backend security. I’m grateful to Ruxandra, our project manager, for her dedication and support in our professional growth. When my main project entered maintenance mode and I was reassigned to another I didn’t enjoy, I chose to resign. During this time, I also built Metal Investment, a personal portfolio project using modern tech. And then I founded my own company and became self-employed.
Shortly after, I created my first business (Tone Nelu Cristian Persoana Fizica Autorizata), become self-employee and start working with P4B where I handled the backend of an app used by general practitioners in Germany. The project’s real-world impact energized me — especially because I was the sole backend developer and had decision-making autonomy. There, I learned Drools, ActiveMQ, and real-time socket communication with the frontend.
I left P4B as my project ended and the new one didn’t suit me. Within a month, I began a new collaboration with NTT DATA, working on a project that used familiar technologies from TBA and QTronic. I accepted the role because it gave me the opportunity to be a lead developer and because they used new technologies as well. So it was a perfect match. For this, I’m truly grateful. It awakened a new passion in me: leading with empathy. The way I guided the team brought satisfaction not only to the developers, but to the end client as well and to NTT DATA managers.
I closed my business (Tone Nelu-Cristian Persoana Fizica Autorizata) and i started a new one because of taxes changes (Herbs House SRL). Collaboration with NTT DATA was not impacted and we signed a new contract.
Still working for NTT DATA on the same project and enjoying it.
After living in Cluj-Napoca for six years, I decided to relocate to Timișoara to gain new experiences and explore a different culture. Another big change is the client of NTT DATA moved software development to India for cost reasons, ending my collaboration with NTT DATA. I was deeply affected — our team was highly efficient, things were running smoothly, and I could have added value for years to come.
From Dec 2024 to March 2025 I developed my second portfolio project: SnowSWT, showcasing the SWT technology I’ve mastered over 15 years. During that time, I was actively working on the Google UX Design Professional Certificate on Coursera, which is currently 80% complete.
Also I decided to close my business (Herbs House SRL) because from 2026 the taxes would be too high. And I decided to create another company (PFA) and to be self-employee (Tone Nelu-Cristian Persoana Fizica Autorizata).
I’m open to new long-term B2B collaborations in software development and UX design. I'm passionate about crafting thoughtful solutions that balance clean code with intuitive design, and I bring a blend of deep technical experience and user-centered thinking to every project. I'm very open to learn new programming languages or new technologies.