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News: Opinion: How to hire great open source developers

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  1. Opinion: How to hire great open source developers (19 messages)

    • Posted by: Dion Almaer
    • Posted on: March 03 2004 13:27 EST
    Martin Fink has written an article on the issues of hiring open source developers, and how to hire good open source developers. This comes at a time where there is a lot of discussion in the industry on the cost of open source.

    Read How to hire great open source developers

    The infamous letter from Clemens Vasters to a young open source developer.

    Cedric's response

    Personally, I think that the middle ground is normally a good one. Open source != the best solution all the time, however it may be. There are many items that you have to think about when you select a piece of software, and the open/closed cost is one of many attributes that should be considered.
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    Threaded Messages (19)

  2. How to Interview a Programmer[ Go to top ]

    How to Interview a Programmer
    http://www.artima.com/wbc/interprog.html
    Reply to this Reply to original

  3. you can have both[ Go to top ]

    Never heard of the "infamous letter from Clemens Vasters...", but he states

    "In the end, Aiden, it’s your choice. Do you want to have a car, a house and a family when you are 30? Do you love being a software engineer at the same time? If so, you literally need to get a life. Forget the dream about stuff being free and stop advocating it. It’s idiocy. It’s bigotry. If you want to put your skills to work and you need to support a family, your work and work results can’t be free. Software is the immediate result and the manifestation of what your learned and what you know. How much is that worth? Nothing? Think again."

    Hmmmm... Let's see, I'm 33, I have a house, a wife, a kid which I am the sole supporter. I've got a car, so does my wife. I even have a dog and a cat. I contribute to OSS about 80% of my time( both work and free time) and I get paid for it and I am not a communist. Aiden needs to drop his pony-tail, commie attitude. Clemens needs to learn a little idealism.

    Bill
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  4. Rent Money[ Go to top ]

    What pays your rent money ? (or 80 % of it )
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  5. the missing part[ Go to top ]

    Clemens forgot to add: But if you already are a part of an Open Source project, watch your back, be more manipulative, crafty, cunning and insidious in a skillful manner than even Machiavelli and a beautiful day you will wake up and discover that you have succeeded in cheating your fellow project citizens and you are now in charge and owner of the project.

    Regards
    Rolf Tollerud
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  6. the missing part[ Go to top ]

    Rolf,

    What in the world are you talking about man? That statement doesn't even make sense. But it seems you're comparing Open Source developers to Machiavelli. Who are we cheating Rolf?

    Anyway, I, like Bill, am employed almost entirely on the basis of Open Source. My group hosts large Open Source projects, conducts Open Source development, and has a host of other services. We're all still getting paid to do our jobs, and we've got projects coming in. We're having fun too.

    Jason McKerr
    The Open Source Lab
    "Open Minds. Open Doors. Open Source."
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  7. the missing part[ Go to top ]

    Please Jason, I am 100% sure that you are completly honest and a certified idealist. But what you should need is a gram of cynicism. JBoss and The Open Source Lab have only the name "Open Source" in common- nothing else.

    Regards
    Rolf Tollerud
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  8. the missing part[ Go to top ]

    Rolf,

    That's funny, I don't see "Open Source" in "JBoss." Just kidding with you.

    In reality though JBoss probably *will* make money assuming management and leadership is god and services quality. But remember, it's really a service company. In many ways, so is the Open Source Lab (except we're non-profit).

    One of the mistakes people keep making is that Open Source drives software economies to services rather than products. IBM was quite prescient in this, recognized it early, and shifted resources to support these services. They're making a fortune off it now. So many people say, "How can it create economic value if it's free?" And they say that with "product" tinted glasses on (although there are people making money off productization as well, I suppose). Economic value is created, now, for parties other than the software vendors.

    Jason McKerr
    The Open Source Lab
    "Open Minds. Open Doors. Open Source."
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  9. the missing part[ Go to top ]

    oops. I meant, "assuming management and leadership is GOOD and services quality"

    Don't let that one go to your head! :)


    Jason McKerr
    The Open Source Lab
    "Open Minds. Open Doors. Open Source."
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  10. the missing part[ Go to top ]

    Must be a Freudian slip :)

    Anyhow, all reports point in the same direction, Marc Fleury is a terrible leader..

    People always think success == must be good management.
    That is of course not true, many organized crime businesses have had successes too..

    Regards
    Rolf Tollerud
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  11. the missing part[ Go to top ]

    People always think success == must be good management.

    > That is of course not true, many organized crime businesses have had successes too..

    Ok, I won't go for the obvious one.

    Anyway, depends on how you define success and good management.
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  12. what is more creditable?[ Go to top ]

    I will not accuse Mr Fleury for organized crime of course.

    (But organized crime would be more creditable than the business he have now! :)

    Regards
    Rolf Tollerud
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  13. what is more creditable?[ Go to top ]

    Not the one I was going for. :) Don't really know how to comment on yours so I won't.
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  14. Microsoft, the biggest organized crime of all?[ Go to top ]

    You disappoint me Mark, I got the hint the first time!

    You must credit your opponents with as much intelligence so as they can understand when they are insulted! (You thought that I was getting it, but was just a little tiny worried that it has passed me by :)

    Actually I was not insulted. For me hypocrisy (a la Marc) is worse than any real crime.

    Regards
    Rolf Tollerud
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  15. Microsoft, the biggest organized crime of all?[ Go to top ]

    You disappoint me Mark, I got the hint the first time!


    Figured you did. Way too obvious. I wouldn't saw they are they biggest of all time. Just the irony of "the pot calling the kettle black". Sort of.

    >
    > You must credit your opponents with as much intelligence so as they can understand when they are insulted! (You thought that I was getting it, but was just a little tiny worried that it has passed me by :)
    >

    Wasn't an attempt to insult you. I just wasn't willing to let go that you didn't take the bait.

    BTW, have fun with your "opponent" in the .Net discussions. Been there, done that and as much as I disagree with alot of what you say - you have my sympathy.
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  16. you can have both[ Go to top ]

    Let's see, I'm 33, I have a house, a wife, a kid which I am the sole supporter. I've got a car, so does my wife. I even have a dog and a cat. I contribute to OSS about 80% of my time( both work and free time) and I get paid for it and I am not a communist. Aiden needs to drop his pony-tail, commie attitude. Clemens needs to learn a little idealism.

    Agreed entirely. My life is very similar. My employer's products are all open source and free of charge. My employer is entirely funded by incubator grants from Uncle Scam. Freeware is here to stay and monotonicly gaining market share. Clemens is a dork.
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  17. you can have both[ Go to top ]

    Clemens is a dork.


    Your professional attitude is very much appreciated.
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  18. you can have both[ Go to top ]

    In all fairness to Clemens, is it not obvious that he is not referring to organisations that make money indirectly from software they give away for free. The basic premise of his argument would seem fair enough to me i.e. software comes at a price of one kind or another, either to the person writing it (if they can’t pay their bills at the end of the month), or to the person buying it. Not so sure about his conspiracy theories re corporate encouragement of open source for their own selfish goals – maybe I read that wrong though J

    Clemens, are you sure “Aiden” wasn’t lying about his name and age? You sure he wasn’t an elderly bloke with a big beard, first name “Richard”, second name “Stallman”? Bad Irish humour… hehehehe
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  19. RE: you can have both[ Go to top ]

    FWIW, a pony tailed commie wouldn't be espousing capitilist sentiment now would he ;-) But I digress...
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  20. Opinion: How to hire great open source developers[ Go to top ]

    Make alot of money penetrating marks and offer some options?

         -Mike
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