How Software is Built

Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Warren Woodford

In this interview we talk with Warren. In specific, we talk about:

• The origins of SimplyMEPIS
• Ubuntu’s role in the larger community
• Differences among distros from a developer perspective
• Corporate use of free versus for-fee Linux
• The Linux desktop and the future of client-side Linux
• Future directions of note: IPv6 and DNSSEC

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Adam Williamson

In this interview we talk with Adam. In specific, we talk about:

• What’s new in the latest Mandriva release
• Relating directly to the users instead of the developer community
• Differences between user priorities and developer priorities
• Deciding what should be included in the distribution
• What will become of the “year of the Linux desktop” idea?
• The future of open versus closed development

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Dries Buytaert

In this interview we talk with Dries. In specific, we talk about:

• Building specialized commercial support for open source technology
• Making cloud computing more viable for widespread use
• The relationship between Drupal and Linux distros
• Lowering the barriers to the deployment of Drupal
• Integrating multiple functionalities and components into one solution

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Cliff Schmidt

In this interview we talk with Cliff. In specific, we talk about:

• Using technology to build literacy worldwide
• Addressing power and infrastructure issues in developing regions
• Minimizing the cost of hardware and software for devices
• Encouraging community involvement through open licensing
• Crossing te gulf between project developers and the user base
• Deciding how best to advance the quality of life in distant places
• Fundraising challenges as the project gains momentum

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Bernard Golden

In this interview we talk with Bernard. In specific, we talk about:

• The emerging impact of open source as a paradigm shift
• Competition between open and closed source entities
• Geographic differences in the adoption of open source software
• Future directions for open source, including the integration of commercial motivations
• Maintaining customer loyalties with open source or proprietary software

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: David Ascher, and Dan Mosedale

In this interview we talk with David and Dan. In specific, we talk about:

• How Thunderbird fits into the larger software ecosystem
• Internal handling of security, feature inclusion, usability, and QA
• The relationship between Thunderbird and Linux distros
• Automated tools and processes within Thunderbird development
• The relationship between open source and proprietary messaging software
• Future directions for messaging

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Joseph Hill.

In this interview we talk with Joseph. In specific, we talk about:

• The case for developing for Mono under Windows
• Challenges in coupling open source development to Microsoft platforms
• The relationship (or lack thereof) between Mono and Wine
• Microsoft tools as they relate to Mono development
• Market evolution with Moonlight, Silverlight, and Flash

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Mik Kersten.

In this interview we talk with Mik. In specific, we talk about:

• Building a commercial offering on an open source foundation
• Extending and evolving programmer tools for non-programmers
• Defining a task-oriented information-management paradigm
• Bridging academic, open source, and commercial models
• The roles of open and proprietary information in spurring innovation
• The economics and ethos of open source and proprietary methodologies

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Jim Grisanzio.

In this interview we talk with Jim. In specific, we talk about:

• The process of opening a huge codebase to the public
• The unique place of OpenSolaris in the open source community
• Lessons learned from earlier open source projects at Sun and elsewhere
• Trading lessons learned back and forth with the Linux community
• Regional differences in the role of open source technology in Asia
• The reasoning behind Sun’s products and technologies that compete with each other

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Alexandre Julliard.

In this interview we talk with Alexandre. In specific, we talk about:

• Developing an open source project in cadence with Windows
• Philosophies about how Linux should reach out to Windows users
• The leadership model used in the Wine project and deciding what goes in
• Deciding what applications to support and what to leave out
• The difficulties of working with the closed Windows API and Wine’s relationship with Microsoft

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Joe Brockmeier.

In this interview we talk with Joe. In specific, we talk about:

• Where openSUSE fits into the desktop Linux landscape
• Relationships between openSUSE and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and upstream projects
• The effect of commercial agreements on open source projects
• The future roadmap for openSUSE

• Bringing together technical and non-technical users in open source projects
• Coordinating testing and bug fixes among distros and upstream projects
• Design coherence among distributed developers

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewees: Brian and Larry, and Michael.

In this interview we talk with Brian, Larry, and Michael. In specific, we talk about:

• OpenID’s offerings for decentralized online identity management
• Securing online identity: technology and beyond
• Aggregating identity information for multiple resources
• Spurring adoption by developers, service providers, and web sites
• Responding to objections about centralized identity management
• Closed source versus open source credibility
• The future of online identity management

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewees: Keith and David

In this interview we talk with Keith and David. In specific, we talk about:

• Background: a high-energy physics project at the South Pole
• Open source software for highly specialized uses
• Sharing code and architecture among research projects
• Systems reliability in a harsh environment
• Cyclical data analysis and system calibration
• Life at the South Pole

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Gabor Cselle

In this interview we talk with Gabor Cselle. In specific, we talk about:

• Deciding between open and closed development models
• Strategies around handling QA challenges effectively
• Maintaining high usability and user security
• Business models and corporate customers as opposed to individual users
• The relationship between open-source and commercial software
• The value of avoiding feature creep

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Helio Chissini de Castro

In this interview we talk with Helio Chissini de Castro. In specific, we talk about:

• The open source environment in Brazil
• The strengths of Mandriva Linux
• Organization and maintenance of Mandriva
• The future of open source software in Latin America

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Katie Parlante

In this interview we talk with Katie Parlante. In specific, we talk about:

• Open Source Applications Foundation and the evolution of Chandler
• Transition at an open source project when a founder leaves
• Chandler releases and feedback from users
• Maintaining inspiration and enthusiasm at OSAF
• On the necessity of bolstering the role of the designer

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Bjorn Freeman-Benson

In this interview we talk with Bjorn Freeman-Benson. In specific, we talk about:

• Breadth of projects at the Eclipse Foundation
• Coexistence between commercial and non-commercial interests
• The Eclipse plug-in architecture
• The developer audience and how it influences operations
• Schedule-driven release cycles as a control process
• Providing guidance to open source projects

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Ben Chelf

In this interview we talk with Ben Chelf from Coverity. In specific, we talk about:

• Scanning the worldwide open source code base for vulnerabilities
• The necessity of automating defect identification
• Building scalability into code analysis
• Overcoming the limitations of automatic scanning
• The hubris of believing too much in your code
• The difficulty of appearing objective
• The changing face of code security and analysis

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Hadar Pedhazur

In this interview we talk with Hadar Pedhazur from Opticality Ventures. In specific, we talk about:

• The investment viability of open source companies
• Innovation around open source business models
• Customer value derived from visible source
• The potential concerns around the open source investment bandwagon
• Mixed source business models
• The future of commercial open source

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Interviewers: Scott Swigart and Sean Campbell

Interviewee: Mark Kortekass

In this interview we talk with Mark Kortekaas from CBS. In specific, we talk about:

• Choosing and implementing technologies for the production environment
• Relationships with open source communities
• Tailoring the organization for maximum benefit from open source
• Building infrastructure for capacity and agility
• Future-looking, cloud-aware data centers

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