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Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

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Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#111

Post by kyllo »

Nikaido wrote: post #90
kyllo wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I don't think that trait distinguishes Python from Ruby or Perl, or even Java, for that matter. Cross-platform compatibility is an advantage of interpreted languages in general.

Not if we're talking about the real world (implementation), rather than the theoretical capability of a language in itself. Perl and Ruby don't see much love on Windows, particularly with GUI toolkits and the like. Python is the only one of the three that feels comfortable using on Windows, from the skeleton of the app down to actually distributing it. Java is really good at cross platform apps though. This is one of…

I use Ruby for light scripting on a Windows machine. RubyInstaller worked just fine and so do the irb shell and my scripts. Dropbox is a web app, so who cares about GUI toolkits? Perhaps you're right that the Python community tried harder, earlier, to support Windows and other non-UNIX platforms. But it's hard to imagine Dropbox actually selecting Python to build their web app for that reason. Maybe in their earlier days they used a hosting service that supported Python but not Ruby, Perl, etc.? Who knows...

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#112

Post by slurgfest »

lmkg wrote: post #72
herge wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Guido van Rossum wanted to work on python full time, I am sure that there would be companies like Red Hat that would be very happy to pay him to do exactly that.

I think it's a good thing for Python that Guido doesn't work on it full-time, and instead keeps his hands dirty with other projects. It allows him better exposure to the experience and perspective of regular Python users, and the sorts of problems that they use Python to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

The App Engine team at Google isn't really "regular Python users".

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#113

Post by why-el »

bdesimone wrote: post #2

I'll be very interested to find out what role Guido will take up at dropbox. When someone like Matz/ Guido/ etc gets hired, what do their job responsibilities, for the community include exactly? Are language writer hires such as this purely symbolic?

For me, its simply really, a language is itself a program with too many users, and Guido has demonstrated good design, scale, and engineering skills in building such a program.

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#114

Post by slurgfest »

pyre wrote: post #46
tonfa wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you think Google could have done?

Figure out why he wanted to leave, and see if they could remedy it (e.g. more money; different challenges; etc).

Speculation: maybe Python advocacy matters to him and that isn't something Google is really up for anymore.

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#115

Post by shawn-butler »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #30
untog wrote: post #4

" the adventure found at a nimble 250-person startup like Dropbox becomes more tempting " What is the definition of a startup these days, anyway?

I suspect a "startup" is any company that is serving a market that has yet to prove it is viable. Many folks use that term to describe any privately held company that is growing into something much larger.

Also for me, a startup has a disruptive nature or mission for an existing market that seperates it from the normal competitive pressure created by new small businesses, franchises, etc.

I never understood who or what Dropbox was ever disrupting to earn such high valuations but that's ok. Sometimes just have to admit when you can't see the forest for the trees.

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#116

Post by joel_ms »

kyllo wrote: post #111
Nikaido wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not if we're talking about the real world (implementation), rather than the theoretical capability of a language in itself. Perl and Ruby don't see much love on Windows, particularly with GUI toolkits and the like. Python is the only one of the three that feels comfortable using on Windows, from the skeleton of the app down to actually distributing it. Java is really good at cross platform apps though. This is one of…

I use Ruby for light scripting on a Windows machine. RubyInstaller worked just fine and so do the irb shell and my scripts. Dropbox is a web app, so who cares about GUI toolkits? Perhaps you're right that the Python community tried harder, earlier, to support Windows and other non-UNIX platforms. But it's hard to imagine Dropbox actually selecting Python to build their web app for that reason. Maybe in their earlier…

Dropbox also have a desktop client that's written in python. Presumably with a slightly different UI layer and packaging method depending on the target OS, but with the underlying functionality shared.

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#117

Post by pyre »

codeka wrote: post #109
pyre wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, my statement was more generic. I wasn't trying to say that Guido is motivated by money, just that these are common ways to get someone to stay if that is indeed the issue that makes them want to leave. On the issue of challenges, maybe Guido has more pull on this, but there were recently some articles/discussion on HN about Google's hiring practices. They might hire you based on your PhD in databases, and then…

If you want to move to another team at Google, it's really up to that team if they want you. As long as they have budget for you, and they want you working with them, then you're free to move. The problem with new hires is that no other team has any idea whether you're any good, so it take a bit of tenure to prove yourself and make yourself known to others. I'm quite sure Guido would be doing whatever he wanted at Go…

The discussion I'm referring to represented ending up somewhere that you don't want to be as a bit of a trap.

E.g. if Guido ends up writing shell scripts, but his real skill-set/passion is for databases. It's quite possible for him to under-perform, and then that performance used as a reason for the 'database team' to not take him.

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#118

Post by onedev »

intropic wrote: post #104
j_baker wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having worked with Guido on App Engine, I believe I can answer this. Just because someone wrote a language doesn't mean they have no other talents as engineers. I will say that apart from being a good language writer, he is also a good Engineer. For us having so much invested in Python, Guido has been an important part of App Engine. But even if that wasn't true (as it may be for Dropbox), having well-known programme…

I'm not sure how I can see Guido having the effect at Dropbox that he had at Google. Dropbox's engineering difficulties, while large, are not near that of Google's. Is this more of a Matz being hired by Heroku scenario, in name only sort of thing.

stop acting like you know abut Dropbox's engineering difficulties.

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#119

Post by kyllo »

joel_ms wrote: post #116
kyllo wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use Ruby for light scripting on a Windows machine. RubyInstaller worked just fine and so do the irb shell and my scripts. Dropbox is a web app, so who cares about GUI toolkits? Perhaps you're right that the Python community tried harder, earlier, to support Windows and other non-UNIX platforms. But it's hard to imagine Dropbox actually selecting Python to build their web app for that reason. Maybe in their earlier…

Dropbox also have a desktop client that's written in python. Presumably with a slightly different UI layer and packaging method depending on the target OS, but with the underlying functionality shared.

OK, that makes more sense. I don't use Dropbox and didn't realize they had a desktop GUI client.

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#120

Post by DigitalSea »

Speechless. This is definitely one of the best decisions that Dropbox will probably ever make. Not only will this mean that Dropbox can hire other equally great Python developers, but as a company you can't get any more humbling than, "hey we hired the guy who wrote the programming language this site is based on and makes its money from"

Guido is an exceptional engineer as well, not just a guy who knows Python really well. The dude is seriously one of the rare gems in the community.

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