I first met John Lam when I was working as the Technical Evangelist for the Windows CE (1.0) team back in ‘96/’97. I was impressed by him then in the same way I am impressed by him now…
He doesn’t give up. Nor does he give in to political pressure.
John Lam on Software: IronRuby and Rails
Perhaps even more important than all of this technical stuff is what the IronRuby project represents at Microsoft. IronRuby has pioneered a number of new processes that make it easier for other folks at the company to build and release Open Source products. What we learn from building IronRuby will be applied in other product groups to help us become more open and transparent than we have been in the past. We have a great leadership team that is willing to push the envelope on openness and transparency to create a world where both Microsoft and our customers can benefit.
IronRuby represents a beacon of change at MSFT. As does John Lam and the rest of the dynamic languages teams at MSFT.
It’s time we pay better attention to what they are accomplishing.
SIDE NOTE: Question: Could any of this have been possible if it wasn’t for Miguel de Icaza?
/methinks not. Prove me wrong.