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Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

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Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#132
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Guido apparently wrote a web-based code review tool for Google: http://www.niallkennedy.com/blog/2006/11/google-mondrian.htm...

I heard that this tool was not well received at Google; anybody else hear this?

Not true, it is a part of the required standard check-in process for the long time and just recently was replaced with the V2.

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#133
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I heard that this tool was not well received at Google; anybody else hear this?

Git is not well received at Google either.

Not true, a lot of people, including me, use git at Google. It's not a default options, but you can use it if you want to.

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#135
post #85
post #84

I wonder, will Dropbox still allocate 50% of Guido's time toward Python development? Further, donning our tinfoil hats, is it reasonable to suspect that Google is phasing out the use of Python internally? I've heard rumors that Python is no longer permitted for new projects within Google; hoping some Googlers here can confirm or deny this.

No such blanket prohibition currently exists.

Are any of those words weasel words? "blanket"? "currently"?

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#136

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…

All that, plus the fact that they hired him AWAY from Google.

Matz is one of the "rare gems" in the Ruby community. So doesn't that make Guido one of the "rare eggs" in the Python community? ;)

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#137
post #109
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…

Except working for a small company. There's something to be said for that!

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#138
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was there, everyone I knew used it and sang its praises. But it is a large company with a lot of teams. I am sure there were people somewhere who thought it was awful.

When it worked, it was great. When it was down or slow (Friday at 4:15 PM, anyone?), it was miserable.

Hey wait, doesn't everybody at Google stay till 10:00 PM on Friday??!

Re: Dropbox Hires Guido Van Rossum

#139

It always strikes me as odd when something like this happens. Guido is still working nine-to-fives and Drew never has to work again. Can someone tell me why a brilliant person like Guido isn't worth a billion dollars? Have tons of fancy cars and a fancy house? Has to work for another company?

Because it's more fun to write lots of awesome Python code than to retire, or drive fancy cars, or go home to a fancy house.
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