job openings for olpc
by Christopher Blizzard
Red Hat has a few job openings to work on the One Laptop per Child project:
Software Engineer II: This terrible job title is code for awesome engineer. We’re looking to build an update system for OLPC that isn’t the usual yum/rpm/deb/apt system and we need awesome strong CS-focused people to make it happen. There are two openings for this job, not one.
Program Manager: What is a program manager, you ask? This is a person who manages the process around the software development and release process. They make sure that bugs are being followed up on, improves communication both inside the team and handles messaging to other team members and helps hold people’s feet to the fire about what they should be working on. This is not an engineering position, but an engineering background helps. Other parts of this role include making sure that a QA and test groups are working together with the engineering folks to make sure that everything is ready to go.
It would have been more awesome if the purpose of the job was to re-implement a free version of Windows 3.1’s Program Manager :-)
Hahahahaha. No.
well, instead of reinventing the wheel and wasting money, and time, why not using conary instead ? it works, really.
[...] Via Christopher Blizzard comes word that Red Hat’s got openings on its OLPC team. OLPC, as you might recall, is a project that I’m convinced is hugely important. Even if you don’t share that opinion, however, the work would be interesting: how do extract the most functionality from a limited platform? [...]
[...] On paper, the OLPC project is lovely – a true posterchild of the current state of opensource and its overall goals. It would show the triumph of openness, and open standards, and would provide a better world. Then – here we go to the ‘details’. According to a post from Christopher Blizzard, on his blog, OLPC is now searching for people to develop a new package manager for the OLPC, after probably finding the obvious – rpm won ‘t fit ever. This is a core issue – if the OLPC is just a RedHat ‘philantropic’ project – no more, no less – they have all the rights to do whatever they want, but if the OLPC – as it is painted – is an OPEN, and global (opensource) project, then Red Hat management must realize that there are ‘life’ besides RedHat. And that, would mean being a bit humble and to recognize that there are cool (opensource) technologies elsewhere, even some developed by former RedHat people. Packaging is a critical and core issue. If the OLPC people, due to strict corporate hubris don’t look frankly and openly at third-party open-source package management technology (like conary) they are doing the world a big disservice, and acting just like Microsoft uses to. They would be delaying, and diminishing, even making it a lot more expensive, what could really be a great project. Open Source is not only about open code, is also about frank, open, rational and clear decisions. And then, maybe not. Perhaps the OLPC is more about politics. Time will tell. No Tags [...]
why not use conary? atm, conary is bit of a pain outside rpath, but it can be done (if u talk to the developers). main advantage is with delivering updates over the net (dunno if such updates fits into how OLPC works).