Haiku News ~ #00410 ~ Interview With Jeremy Freisner.

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Interview With Jeremy Freisner.

Nov 29, 2002 21:40 UTC, by Brent Miszalski, Inactive Journalist.
From the unicycling-programmers department...

Jeremy Friesner is the talented author of MUSCLE, BeShare and Spicy Keys, essential applications to the BeOS experience.

Today The BeOS Journal put him through his Jedi Training, asking those questions you were too afraid to ask.

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For all those Padawan coders out there (myself included) what advice for us do you have? Is computer science a field where you can live long and prosper OR is there a dark side to the monitor glare? Why would one choose computer science over another career such as physics or other traditional sciences?

My main advice would be that the best way to learn how to program is to sit down with a programming book and an API reference and write some programs -- you'll find out quickly what works and what doesn't. And all the time you're programming, don't settle for "good enough" code -- ask yourself, is there a better, simpler, more obvious way to do this task? How can I make this code as simple as possible? And don't be afraid to rip out large chunks of code and rewrite them if you see a better way to do it. Code is like clay, you can reshape it endlessly until it's just the way you want it.

There's certainly money to be made in programming if you are good at it; but you shouldn't go into it just for the money. If you don't enjoy programming, you'll go crazy with frustration and boredom. On the other hand, if you find yourself programming "just for fun", because you enjoy the puzzle-solving or creative aspects of it, then doing it for a living isn't a bad way to go.

You seem to be a busy lad with all the BeShare hacking and lcs duties, are there any unseen projects in the works? If not, what sort of application would you write in the near future? If you could have someone write an application for you, what would it be and why? Also, what do you see lacking in the selection of BeOS software, category wise?

I've got a whole graveyard of projects that I started, but gave up on part-way through because either they couldn't be made to work, or worked but not well enough to justify trying to make them releasable. Currently I'm about to go on vacation to Galapagos, so I'm not in the middle of any new projects -- but I have been thinking about trying to snarf some of the code from AGMSBayesianSpam (excellent program, btw) and changing it to make a spam filter that works just the way I think such a filter should work.

The revolution is here, OpenBeOS and B.E.O.S being the most noticeable are approaching their goals with a tremendous pace. What have you done to be involved and if you aren't what is holding you back? If there are things holding you back, are they things that could be addressed by either of the teams? Do you envisage hordes of coders flocking to OSBOS as they mature? If not, what do you think must be done to ensure we attract coding talent?

I haven't been involved in the OBOS project, other than as an observer and occasional cheerleader. The main reasons for this are that I'm used to working on projects by myself, and working with a team of programmers means you spend a lot more time discussing who is going to do what and how it will interface to other people's code, and less time actually coding -- and when you are done coding, you get much less of the credit ;^).

I think the best way to attract coding talent will be to demonstrate that the OBOS code base will be successful and relevant in the future -- write kick-ass code that really knocks people's socks off, and they'll want to get in on the action. People don't want to write code if they think there is a risk that the project will fail and their efforts will be wasted, so the best way to get more coders is to show that the project has a future.

Here are some other questions from your loyal fans:

Shard: When will You implement multi-source download? (like FlashGet on windoze). From what I know there are MANY ppl waiting for it.

I won't implement it. Multi-source download would require a major re-design of how BeShare downloads files, and to add that feature and still maintain backwards compatibility with existing BeShare clients would be a major chore. I'm happy enough with single-source downloads that I don't feel like spending the time to add that feature; if someone else wants to do it, they are welcome to try.

misza: How do you intend to handle the Zaranthos Situation? This misfit has been causing mischief in the BeOS community for time everlasting.

I have some of my top men in the field searching for him, and rest assured that when he is found he will be dealt with severely. :^)

Thank you immensely for your time Jeremy, and remember, BeOS is the Jedi OS!

Cheers, Jeremy.

Thanks for reading folks and keep the BeOS spirit alive!

Jeremy Freisner is a long time BeOS Developer, and can be found on BeShare on a daily basis when he's not working or coding. View more projects by him at his BeBits developer page.

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