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Miguel de Icaza Quits Day Job
Foaf writes "According to his activity log, Miguel of Gnome and Gnumeric fame is quitting his university job and moving to the US to provide 'kick-ass applications for users all around the globe.' " And, yes, now I can rest easy knowing that Miguel will be unfettered in his attempts to consume all of the world's coffee *grin*. Seriously, this is the continuation of a wonderful trend - more time developing Linux applications is good for everyone.
I thought he did not get one?
More proof that Open Source isn't necessarily taking paying jobs away from programmers. It seems more opportunities are opening up to make a living working with our favorite software.
"Bugs are harder to cope with than features, because they are less well defined and less well designed."
"It may be remarked in passing that success is an ugly thing. Men are deceived by its false resemblences to merit."
I wonder who the
is?Theory 1: Transmeta is actually not building a chip at all, but has a new, increadible Linux distribution which the need Miguel to work on the GUI for.
Theory 2: Microsoft has seen the light and are going to open source Windows, and need Miguel to fix the bugs - after all, he has some experience with GNOME. *S*.
That was a JOKE!
But seriously, I do wonder who it is - I doubt Red Hat, because they tend to announce things like that. I suppose it is a company and not VC funding, though. Intel or Oracle, maybe?
Also, what it Migel's company called?
One company that I know of that is really investing a lot in linux desktop top would be VA Linux. VA employs both Raster and Mandrake, both of enlightenment fame. I think that VA is in its needed "quiet time" for its IPO- so this is possible, but I doubt it because enlightenment what they are calling a "desktop shell" now. Whatever the hell a shell is, it is independent of gnome and kde. Well VA is the only person I can think of. cheers
Just let me know if you need bus fare or anything, alright, Miguel? I don't want you walking home in the rain because you can't afford to take the bus. We all know how nobody can make money from writing free software, so you just do this until you're completely broke and then get a real job with a real company. We don't want you to end up watching Baywatch like all the other open source guys.
</sarcasm>
Expand on that please! I thought Gnome had a new version and was completely DEBUGGED. Or not so?
Careful about flaming Miguel; for all we know, he might actually have the bomb.
it is simply abandoned."
- I forget. Someone famous in code circles.
--
rickf@transpect.SPAM-B-GONE.net (remove the SPAM-B-GONE bit)
"People will pay big bucks for the luxury of ignorance."
"Seriously, this is the continuation of a wonderful trend - more time developing Linux applications is good for everyone.
"
Gnome isn't a Linux app anymore than Netscape is, or MySql is or Apache is. It is an application that may or may not run on a number of platforms. Likewise KDE, or 98% of the other things you find on you linux box.
You may argue that this is just semantics, and that any app that runs on Linux is 'a linux app', but that's misleading.
However, as we see this more and more "Gnome, the linux desktop system" or "KDevelop, and IDE for Linux" it starts to look like people are thinking only in terms of Linux and its applications. This brings back the bad old days when OS's were judged on what apps were available, and apps were judged by what OS they ran on, or what OS they were native to (if they were later ported).
Linux isn't the de-facto host system for all OS apps, whatever you may think.
-----
What next?! Flying pigs and Gates in the poor house?
LINUX stands for: Linux Inux Nux Ux X
FRA: STFU GTFO
I find it very disturbing when people feel they need to be in the US to write real code, or to get a real job in IT. This trend just pisses me off. Particularly Europeans tend to be starry-eyed about the US, and of these, particularly Germans--who can count the legions of programmers who left for the supposed "greener pastures." Yes, there may be shitloads of VC in the US, but then, I'm no fan of VC either.
While it is said that countries don't matter anymore and that we live in a global economy, whom are they kidding? The US is sure to get the glory for any nugget of code they hatch, which certainly cannot be said for other places. Each "prominent" coder leaving his or her country for the US makes a little bit more cetain that IT in that country becomes that much less glamorous for the next generation.
Ok, just some venting here.
Silicon valley is in the same state as Hollywood. This is why Stallone is a bigger star than Harison Ford. It's also why Miguel wasn't dragged kicking and screaming into a high paying job a year or more ago.
The only people who wouldn't want this kid are those who have committed to KDE all the way or no GUI at all. That means Caldera and E-Smith.
PS : Harison Ford films have made more money at the box office than those with any other actor.
--= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?
Lets hope not, but it concerns me that we see people leaving their day job for a hobby - I've seen other people burn out doing that.
Its not just programing, I know a photographer who says the stupidist thing he ever did was become a pro, he enjoyed it was a hobby, but to HAVE to do the hobby to put food on the table. Suddenly it wasn't fun.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. I don't want to see devolpers of great software burning out.
i and many other /. readers do.
So many things have happened since the last time I wrote stuff:
So, I am quitting my current job and moving to the US to pursue this new venture with my friend Nat. Exciting times.
--
Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.
****Gfx Scrollbar Special case hit!!*****
The word is "fascist", for those who want to see what he means.
Translation can be found either via dict or at Mirriam Webster On-Line.
HTH
just my 01. ready to be moderated down.
Hey, I did my part to keep Miguel out of the rain. I gave him a ride home from the airport once. :) I think he had only consumed about half of the world's coffee at that point.
I always wondered how someone could survive without getting paid these days. Yes Open Source software is great, and I have contributed a few programs.
On another note. I think it will be great that he will be able to contribute more time to the OS movement. I hope that he does not continue to duplicate the kde efforts. Last night I discoverd gnome-mc. This is the gnoem file manager. It is in some way similar to kde filemanager. Both can put icons on the desktop, and both have tree views for browsing desktops. The Gnome filemanager has a more win95 look and feel to it, while kde is more of a web based feel. Yet they both allow users to put icons on there desktops like win 95 and mac's. Then there is gnotepad and kwrite and kedit. While theses are different editors it is just another example of duplicated efforts. There are duplications between the two everywhere. Yes this is great that there are lots of choices, but they still don't offer a 'true' solution.
My suggestion that will prbably be ignored and moderated down to hell but I don't care!
Just my ).02cents. but I'd personally rather see less programs that repeat the same efforts and more better and porwerful programs. nad yes I know about staroffice.
Only 'flamers' flame!
Moderators??
Internation Gnome Support
http://www.gnomesupport.com/
The Company information says :
International GNOME Support is a new company devoted to writing,extending and improving the GNOME software project. We are focusing on creating the next-generation productivity applications which will drive business in the future and the software infrastructure which is used to write these applications. We are committed to free software, and all our work is released to the world under the GPL or LGPL license.
Read the above comment, or better yet, follow the link to his diary on gnome.org ... children, always always follow the link before replying to a story :)
:)
Now then, I have to say I disagree with you about duplicated efforts. In some sense, I feel there has to be a level of duplication. Not that there should be acrimony between competing projects -- interoperability and user choice at a fine-grained level should be the goal, which requires fairly close coordination in things like desktop environments (and is something I commend and encourage for the GNOME and KDE teams).
As an example where duplication is good: GMC is a nice fairly traditional file manager. Doesn't break any new ground, but provides a familiar starting point to the user.
But several developers wanted something more advanced. They wanted to seamlessly integrate networked and local filesystems at the conceptual level via a virtual file system, extending the way the Windows Explorer lets you browse samba shares on your network to include FTP and other file sharing methods. The result is the (still experimental) GNOME Explorer (for lack of a better name). It's an interesting project, but it would have been inappropriate to abandon earlier efforts half-complete in favor of the new one. If developers constantly did that, nothing would ever get finished
In addition, different projects have quite different cultures and backgrounds. Calls for the GNOME and KDE teams to merge are just silly -- they don't reflect that the projects have different approaches to the same problem. I think that's disrespectful to the developers, especially coming from non-programmers (I find programmers experienced in large projects, or better directly involved in the projects in question, have clearer perspectives on the whole thing).
Two friends on sitting on the couch watching the new offerings on cable when a third man, wearing clothes almost to tatters, a long beard and unkempt hair wanders out of his bedroom looking a bit dazed.
One friend turns to the other and says, "You didn't tell me your roommate was a filthy hippie." Surprised, his friend replies, "Hippie? Oh no. That's Hank, he writes open source software."
Doesn't GMC use virtual filesystems, including FTP, tarballs, etc.?
-rozzin.
While that's what he's been doing most of recently, in my book, he'll always be one of the gods that helped bring Linux to my beloved Sparc. He also worked on the MIPS port. Oh, and he did Midnight Commander, too, but I forgive him for that :-)
"The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
look. OH MY GOD! I have not updated this page in ages. Crazy stuff. So many things have happened since the last time I wrote stuff: (snip) I went to Boston and to Atlanta (for ALS). We got a secret investor firm to invest in our supper-dupper free software company to develop free software and provide kick-ass applications for users all around the globe. So, I am quitting my current job and moving to the US to pursue this new venture with my friend Nat. Exciting times. ------ THE TRUTH - Miguel and Nat are moving into a 1 bedroom (and 1 bed) apartment. "Life Partner" is more accurate than "friend." Not that there is anything wrong with being gay! I am glad Nat and Miguel are finally together. Anyone who has seen them together knows they are deeply in love. I just think they should finally come out of the closet! Eric Allman and kirk McKusick did! Open Source Open Mind! Hiding it does no one any good.
Is it true that "outers" are --and I know this is generalizing, which can be unfair-- usually gay men themselves who are shall we say "unlucky in love" ? You seem to know a great deal and see beyond the veil, maybe you can clear this up for all of us, gay and straight.
Damn memory! Right Miguel; wrong anonymous coward. GMC is still (visually) appalling and just plain weird. OTOH I love the Midnight Commander.
But yes, GNOME uses the FSF autoconf stuff, which, if used right, creates code that will run on any Unix-like system.
Hehehe ... moderated +1 - quite funny
It's really great to see that Miguel has finally got an opportunity. But it's sad to see that our government (yeah, I'm mexican too.. ) is wasting thinking brains like Miguel's and not caring about the future of the youth.. I think that's how it goes in a globalized economy.. While our stupid politicians spend time caring about some damn criminals who took our University by the force (The one Miguel was working in) we have to look to other options where we'll be persons and not just votes for power. Go all the way, be all you can be amigo! Hell, have your own american dream
And whyever they want to?
:) ! but it seems to resonate with programmers. The assertion in this paragraph's first sentence is broad beyond all reasonability, but I'm sticking with it, ok? There is plenty of pressure for social conformity, plenty of factors that im Endeffekt* offically stratify American society -- but the State is a slightly smaller actor than in European countries. Too large nonetheless, but smaller.
...
The general financial climate of the US is more robust and vibrant than that of any European country (correction invited!) -- VC is more accepted and more available.
The personal financial climate is also better in the U.S. Sure, there are odious Federal taxes, but they are lower (and therefore somewhat less odious than those in European countries Again, if any EuroCountries have lower taxes than the U.S. does, please correct me! Monaco, maybe?
The overall cultural climate in America is also still more individualist than that of any European country I'm familiar with; I'm not trying to make a case for or against individualism here
So, I say WELCOME! ALOHA! WILKOMMEN!(Babelfish is not Finnish-friendly, and it seems to be giving me the wrong word for Spanish
Cheers,
timothy
*(Ja?)
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
I think he should have been moderated down simply because he left his opening tag out...
Since GNOME is actually being sponsored by RedHat (good to see this, GNOME is a great projects, and thanks RedHat for this too...), I wonder if he will work for RedHat like his friend Federico. Hmm, I didn't read the rest... But what's missing in GNOME is MINIMAL documentation. I'm tired to see Changelogs using CVS scheme, NEWS files with 0 bytes, new packages being made to the public sometimes without a Changelog from the CVS (because NEWS files are inexistent), README with 2 lines, and no man pages.