Slashdot Mirror

-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

The company behind this - steelbridge - is making a distributed search engine similar to the one mentioned in a previous post.

To quote one of their pages :: "The project is deeply cool: a "Gnutella for search" that uses distributed, autonomous, collaborating search agents to keep its users abreast of relevant new Internet documents as they appear, allowing them to modify their queries by training their agents." (their site)

Gnutella-type technology is taking over the world - woohoo!

To quote

1) See if Hemos and Commander Taco are secretly plotting to buy openCola with the windfall profits they accrued from selling Hemos' sister to the Sultan of Brunei;

Or this little gem in the boilerplate:

WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NONINFRINGEMENT OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW, THE FUNK SOULBROTHER, CHECK IT OUT, THE FUNK SOUL BROTHER. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION GIVEN BY STEELBRIDGE SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY AND IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE ABOUT AS DUMB AS A BAG OF HAMMERS.

Imagine a Beowulf cluster of openCOLA! It could quench the thirstiest finite-element analysis researcher!

Well, that's my opinion, anyway. There are two sets of opinions here, and the lines seem to be drawn between those who have developed applications for direct consumer use (who tend to be the open source skeptics) and those who have developed server apps ((the zealots).

On the other hand, start-ups generally come into existence as blank slates. There's a certain freedom in not having a pre-existing infrastructure in place, and as a result, you'll find more start-ups using Linux either as its sole OS or as in a mix with other OSs. Money is extremely precious in a start-up, so if software is either very cheap or free, it tends to be used. There's also a "break from the status quo and break new ground" mentality that seems to be common to start-ups, which also makes Linux particularly attractive to them.

Schmooze.
Not as easy as it sounds, especially since the majority of geeks tend to rate as INTP on the Myers-Briggs personality test. However, those who present themselves well tend to be rewarded (and that will only be an addition to the fact that you're a pretty skilled person too, right?)

A great place to meet potential employers is at computer-related conferences, especially those that tend to attract either developers or managers who have the authority to hire or recommend you. While these conferences are expensive if you attend the sessions, the passes for the showroom florr tend to be pretty cheap, and the showroom floor is the place where you meet people. You may find potential employers behind the booths, but the best source of jobs are the people wandering the floors, looking for solutions for their firms. Keep your eyes open for people's companies (it's typically on their badges) and your ears open. Have some material -- business cards, resumes, the URL to your resume site or a CD of your past work, a 50-word-or-less spiel why you would be a great employee at a Linux firm -- at the ready.

There's more to development than coding.
(I can already hear them saying "Wha'chu talkin' 'bout, Kode Fu?")
Not everyone can be a coder, because not everyone has skill and not everyone has the will (cue rap music).

I myself am the odd man out in a family of doctors. I've seen first-hand that it takes more than just doctors to make a hospital run; it takes more than just programmers to make a software firm run, too. Different software firms will have different needs, but based on experience, here are a few positions that a Linux-based software company may need:

• CEO/President/Supreme Boss: Someone has to be the big-picture leader. While this person should be technologically savvy, s/he should also have business sense and expertise. While this conjures images of Dilbert's pointy-haired boss, you would be amazed at what a good CEO can do. You'd also be surprised at the number of tech companies looking for someone to handle the non-tech big picture issues.
• CFO/bread-head/accountant: Someone's got to watch the money. The world of money is just as strange to outsiders as the geek world is.
• Marketing: No matter what you think of marketers, you need 'em. Your better software mousetrap is just another idle collection of bits if it's simply languishing on your hard-drive. They're useful not only in the end, when you have a product to market, but if you're looking for investors or start-up cash, they can help sell market your vision.
• User interface specialist: Rare, but given that there are CHI (Computer-Human Interface) SIGs all around, there must be some of these people. You will be doing your users a disservice if you don't get some usability expertise on-board.
• Graphic designer: If your software has graphic elements, get a graphic designer. You will get better-looking results, and your users will thank you. Be sure, however, not to confuse UI specialist with graphic designers -- they are not the same thing. Graphic design does not have to function, but UIs do.
• Production manager: This person's job is to ensure the smooth flow of production, which means making sure that all obstacles are removed from the development team's path. If the team needs a new machine or peripheral, a set of books or some software, this person makes sure that this is provided (as long as the request can be reasonably met). This person, along with the lead developer, keeps an eye on the schedule, making adjustments as necessary, and makes sure that certain necessary tasks get completed, even if they are tedious (for example, daily backup comes to mind).
• Systems admin: There is a little coding involved in maintaining a system, but not on the scope of a your typical software project. Murphy's Law dictates that companies without a dedicated sysadmin will suffer a massive systems failure very, very soon.
• Writer: Many projects need the services of a writer. There's a lot of writing involved with a major software project -- the requirements doc, design docs, risks docs, developer docs and user docs, for starters. Perhaps the company needs someone to write copy for its marketing materials or web site. You might even want a writer for your business plan or whatever material you have to present to investors.
• Testing: Someone's gotta do it... I'm not just talking about beta testing, but also testing pieces of the software thhrough the development phase. To paraphrase Frank Lloyd Wright, it's easier to use an eraser on the blueprint than a sledgehammer at the construction site.

Never underestimate the power of a good dye job and rock and roll accordion playing.
Hey, it got me a few offers at LinuxWorld Expo NYC and my job at a Linux company...