The online German magazine Technoids features a long and interesting interview with Axel Dörfler, OpenBFS developer of the OpenBeOS project. The magazine can be downloaded in PDF format and it is in German language as of now (some translations are planned, hopefully english too). Update: In another interview, at BeOSJournal, Nathan discusses his personal life, loves and hates, and getting in shape so as not to end up like some programmers.
Technoids Interviews Axel Dörfler, OpenBFS Creator
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Eugenia, Is OpenBeOS the project you created the graphics for, or was that another beos project. Are you currently assisting any of the beos projects?
There will be an English version too.
There was, and maybe there will be, a French version at http://www.beosfrance.com/tecknoidsfr.pdf (#1).
A Polish version of issue #1 can be found here: http://www.bebits.com/app/3505 .
I am really impressed by the team of that Magazine. The guy installed BeOS, some hours later his BeOS site was up, and now he and his team is out with Issue #2, great work. I was really impressed by the first issue, great articles, I hope you can get more folks to your team, and ship it in paper all over the world. Prepayed for a year would be great ( maybe 6 Issues / year )?
Keep up the great!
/Konrad
exactly. just as konrad said: “keep up the great!”
axel sounds like a really great guy. and he’s good at explaining the philosophy and reasons behind openbeos very well.
can you imagine what that guy could do if he was working full time on openbeos instead of only “in a part of his leisure time”??!
Eugenia, Is OpenBeOS the project you created the graphics for, or was that another beos project. Are you currently assisting any of the beos projects?
Those graphics were intended for Sequel originally IIRC.
This is really something that has been lacking in the BeOS community. I’m sure that publication costs can be kept low, and at the same time, help bring customers to commercial developers. A small publication like that goes a long way to keeping the spirit alive. I only wish my German was better.
In case it isn’t clear enough yet, I’ll just have to write it out loud!
AXEL D IS THE KING!!!
Yeah… I just wish that he worked on the app_server, in place of that incompetent DW…
Man, can’t you get over it? What’s the back story behind your hatred of DarkWyrm? It seems like any story about OpenBeOS and you come in (anonymously as usual) to blast him regardless of the nature of the originating story.
What’s the deal?
Why belittle people who are using their spare time to help the OBOS project ( or any other one). I think it’s really childish .
Btw, it’s so easy to start working on your OWN app-server if you don’t appreciate DarkWyrm’s work.
BTW, the app_server has seen some heavy submissions lately.
Good work, esp. DarkWyrm!! (This will probably annoy the crap out of our local troll
Isn’t Bruno Alburquerque (or something like that, sorry Bruno) the real OpenBFS creator ?
My Alex, I meant Axel 🙂
I am the OpenBFS Team Leader. Most of the work in OpenBFS was done by Axel and, in fact, the original code (whene everything started) was based in the BFS Tools (available on BeBits) that were created by Axel.
Some would say all I do in OpenBFS is add bugs.
-Bruno
In another interview, at BeOSJournal, Nathan discusses his personal life, loves and hates, and getting in shape so as not to end up like some programmers.
*cough*STALLMAN*cough*
Bruno, you’re way too modest 🙂
According to NathanW on that interview, I am also out of shape.
-Bruno
I really enjoyed reading the magazine…
Great done, thank you very much…
-A
OpenBeOS can be lucky to have this guy…. Thats for sure.
-A
And how did they do the cover with full width red banner or the 90 degrees rotatet left hand banner on the cover ? This looks really cool.
[i]Can you imagine what [Axel D.] could do if he was working full time on openbeos instead of only “in a part of his leisure time”??!
[i]
I’ve been thinking exactly the same thing myself!
Too bad none of us (probably) is rich enough to serve as a bankrolling “angel” for the OpenBeOS Project. Even a few hundred thousand dollars would pay for several (modest but adequate) yearly salaries for OBOS developers.
Someone mentioned Stallman here, in an unfortunately disparaging tone.
(Frankly, only RMS himself should be concerned — if he is so inclined — with any supposed deficiencies in his personal hygience regimen. For my part, I would much prefer that he spend relatively little time in a barber’s chair or on an exercise machine so that he has as much time as possible to continue being “RMS”, which is synonomous in my mind with “productive and generous genius”. We would be nowhere without him. Imagine, no GCC, no GDB, no GNU/Linux, no GPL, no free software movement, no “open source” movement … it’s a bleak picture, indeed. In his person, Stallman is our link to a “pre-commercial” past in which software was shared openly just like the outcome of any other scientific research and not hoarded as “intellectual property” by greedy, predatory, (and relatively inept) corporate fat-cats.)
(By this wrongheaded critical logic, maybe Albert Einstein should have done something about that hair…? You get the point, I’m sure.)
But I digress…
The mention of Stallman brings to mind the fact that he — deservedly — received a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant back around 1990. That’s good money, not just recognition.
So, here’s the pitch: We need to encourage Axel (and friends) to go for MacArthur Grants! 🙂
Czeslaw Czapla
My apologies. My lesson is learned: Never get so polemical that you are too distracted even to type a decent “close italics” tag…
Let’s try this again…
Can you imagine what [Axel D.] could do if he was working full time on openbeos instead of only “in a part of his leisure time”??!
I’ve been thinking exactly the same thing myself!
Too bad none of us (probably) is rich enough to serve as a bankrolling “angel” for the OpenBeOS Project. Even a few hundred thousand dollars would pay for several (modest but adequate) yearly salaries for OBOS developers.
Someone mentioned Stallman here, in an unfortunately disparaging tone.
(Frankly, only RMS himself should be concerned — if he is so inclined — with any supposed deficiencies in his personal hygience regimen. For my part, I would much prefer that he spend relatively little time in a barber’s chair or on an exercise machine so that he has as much time as possible to continue being “RMS”, which is synonomous in my mind with “productive and generous genius”. We would be nowhere without him. Imagine, no GCC, no GDB, no GNU/Linux, no GPL, no free software movement, no “open source” movement … it’s a bleak picture, indeed. In his person, Stallman is our link to a “pre-commercial” past in which software was shared openly just like the outcome of any other scientific research and not hoarded as “intellectual property” by greedy, predatory, (and relatively inept) corporate fat-cats.)
(By this wrongheaded critical logic, maybe Albert Einstein should have done something about that hair…? You get the point, I’m sure.)
But I digress…
The mention of Stallman brings to mind the fact that he — deservedly — received a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant back around 1990. That’s good money, not just recognition.
So, here’s the pitch: We need to encourage Axel (and friends) to go for MacArthur Grants! 🙂
Czeslaw Czapla
And then I should probably also learn how to spell “hygiene” properly…
Eugenia, I remember that there was some talk recently to the effect that this forum should add “Preview Post” functionality so that posters can check out their submissions before committing them. Have you folks thought about whether that is feasible to implement?
Czeslaw
Hey mister Anonymous (IP: —.25-151.libero.it)
I think you’re incompetent.
I thought that Open BEfs was made by Bruno, isn´t it?? Why Axel takes all the credits ?
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