Movin’ on… (well, sorta)
I tried to come up with some jokes and humorous stuff to put in this post but nothing seemed to work. So here it is, straight out…
After a lot of thought I have decided to leave IBM. I’m leaving the team after more than two decades of enjoyable, challenging and exciting work first at OTI then, after the acquisition, at IBM. As you can imagine this was not an easy decision. Many of the people in the world I continue to call OTI are friends from university and we literally grew up together. From covert beginnings in a townhouse (the only one on the block with 10Base5 networking) just across from where I live now to chocolate mousse at Montebello to acquisition and assimilation by Big Blue. We have been though a lot together. I will certainly miss them.
But wait, I am not leaving entirely; I am not leaving Eclipse. As one of the people who developed the first prototype before it was Eclipse, I am deeply committed to the technology and the community. So much so that I am putting my money where my mouth is and starting a company around enabling success with Eclipse, Equinox and Eclipse in the runtime space. To that end, my plan is to stay involved in Eclipse both as a committer and my current project leadership roles.
One of my goals is to drive still more participation in Eclipse whether it is me personally, my company or vicariously through others. As with the evolution of Eclipse in the RCP space, we are now entering the runtime space and Equinox is particularly well-positioned to make a real impact.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, yes, I am planning to run for re-election to the Eclipse Board of Directors. My work there over the past two years has been extremely rewarding. I learn something with every board interaction and believe I am having a real impact on the board and the quality of life at Eclipse.
So, exciting times ahead. Look for me at EclipseCon or out on the boat with my kids.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Jeff,
Good luck with the new company. I am sure it will be a great success.
Ian
January 24th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Congrats Jeff!
Looking forward to hearing about the venture.
Scott
January 24th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Jeff, best wishes to you on your new quest!
Eugene
January 24th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Three cheers, Jeff, for the roles you have played in the success of Eclipse and Equinox.
I anticipate an equally bright and productive future for you. And, hopefully, more time to spend with your family.
Best wishes,
- Dave
January 24th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Good luck to you and your new company. As I only started 1 year ago with my company, I can easily relate to the excitement and nervousness you probably feel now…
January 24th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Jeff, I wish you all the very best!
January 24th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Exciting! Best of luck, and all that. I certainly enjoyed working with you, on those rare occasions over the years; and I hope to again in the future.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Congrats on a big and exiciting decision Jeff! I couldn’t agree more about the significance of Equinox and can’t imagine anyone better at the helm. So it is very good to hear that you will be continuing in your technical efforts and lining them up with your entrepreneurial ones
P.S. The first paragraph of your post reminded me of being annoyed that I couldn’t link the term OTI to anything decent the last time that I included it in an article. While I never had any formal relatinoship with the company, I always held OTI and its people in very high regard. It is such a key part of the history of Eclipse that I think it should be better documented and easier to reference. I put up a short Wikipedia entry on OTI, and it would be great if you and other OTI’ers could expand it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_Technology_International
January 24th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Jeff, I wish you and your company best of luck.
January 24th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Good luck and take care!
January 24th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Hi Jeff,
I wish you the very best. Looking forward to see you at EclipseCon!
Bernd
January 24th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Jeff — I’ll miss you at the blue zoo. Good luck in your new endeavor and hope to see you again soon! — Dave
January 24th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Good luck with the company in the future; I wish you all the best.
January 24th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Jeff, if I were to make a short list of people who I admire, you’d make the list no matter how short.
That beings said, I think you are playing the sympathy card far too blatantly. I mean please, photos of cute children! At least you weren’t kissing them. So beware that I intend to run a poisonous smear campaign. As I explained to you already earlier today, I’m hunting for some pictures to make my analogies graphically clear!
Just kidding. I’m happy to see you nominated as ambassador too; that way, when I lose, I won’t feel like such a big loser.
January 24th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Congratulations on this new opportunity! I’m looking forward to seeing what you have in store.
January 24th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
But Ed, they are damn cute kids! Too bad I had to return them to their real parents and retrieve my monsters
January 25th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Nooooooooooooooo … say it ain’t so. Best of luck!
January 26th, 2008 at 2:19 am
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February 5th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
[…] than half the candidates are from IBM and Mik and me are from small Eclipse-related startups (yes, I left IBM). The better breadth of experience and focus is greater this year as well. There are candidates […]