OpenSolaris.org Content: A Writer's Weblog

Background
----------
I have worked in software since 1996, started out shrink-wrapping and printing disk labels for a language translation software shop. There were two of us, smoking Marlboros and drinking Folgers working on Windows 3.x machines to parse bi-directional language dictionaries for word and phrase translation. I'm a horrible pack-rat, so I actually still have my 'I Hate DOS' book in the trunk of my car, just for a laugh when I load the groceries. You don't even want to see my home directory.

I worked up to print ad copy writing, WinHelp grammar file editing, and answering support calls. That is where I found great satisfaction, helping folks set up their keyboard for Icelandic or whatever and successfully getting them through a real software problem, from angry enough to call us, to happily translating phrases from an old letter their ancestor wrote.
I went back to school for technical communications, and worked at two other software companies before Sun in PR and tech pubs.

Sun Work
--------
I worked as a tech writer at Sun 4.5 years, quit smoking, found sumatra, and just became a Program Manager(mangler) last fall. I never wrote books or help for Solaris proper, only component products like Sun Cluster and N1. So, it is a great privilege for me to work on such a fantastic product. A product I've used everyday these last five years and I truly have never been so productive as I am on Solaris. That is part of what I like to share with folks most, great productivity when you learn even a tiny bit of UNIX and run on a solid platform. I've had to write content and build systems the other way and it sucks. I won't go back to using those sad sad tools.

I am extremely proud to be a part of the OpenSolaris community and consider it a real gift to contribute to its success. As soon as I heard about the Doc PM job, I could not stop thinking about open source for one second. I think it is just outer-limits to be making redistributable all these awesome documents, and I feel the power of having done this has not yet been realized by the larger market.

Position
--------
I just want to help create a place where folks want to come to innovate on this OS. I don't give nearly as much thought to how we rule ourselves as I do how to get things done. I care about how to conduct fruitful discussions, how to make needed connections, how to remove barriers, how to empower contributors, how to work on files and mail to make incremental progress everyday, every week, so we all can feel successful because we built something new and better and someone found use for it.