Hacker News Reader

Comment by antirez | Hacker News Reader

I think this is a wise hiring strategy. First of all: github is a ruby folks stuff, so "X" don't need to be Apache. It needs to be an interesting project, maybe related to the Ruby community or Web development. So there are a fairly large "X"es.

Also to write free software that is recognized as useful, is a major hint of a possibly good programmer: it means that he is passionate, and is able to identify a problem an write and design a good solution. And there is a meritocratic salt in this soup, as open source can be considered, in some way, a way to show that you as a programmer are worth of consideration.

So I admire github for this hiring strategy.

Edit: is just my feeling or I'm feeling some open source hostility in this thread?

View on HN

"Real Artists Ship" - Steve Jobs.

Shipping something demonstrates you're able to do all the required aspects and are not just an armchair philosopher.

Previous code is the best indicator of future code. The CV is the least usable.

Err... isn't that exactly what antirez is saying? People who write open source software are shipping real, working code that you can go look at to get an idea of how they program.

Yes, he is agreeing with antirez.

Yep. I have a friend who is a "writer", ... except that he has never published a book or a novel.

Yep it's just a compressed version :) probably even more clear than my longer comment even if three-worded. If you can do, you did.

Those 3 words encapsulate the entire "Duct Tape Programmer" debate featuring Joel Spolsky and Jamie Zawinski a few weeks ago. I meant to inject this Jobs quote into the debate at the time, but failed to ship the comment containing the quote.

As I've said in another reply, what if you write Ruby and Rails code, yet it's closed source or protected by an NDA? You could be a better programmer than most of the open source guys, yet no one would ever know.

Then it's information asymmetry. It's tough to get around and sucks for the person on the losing end.

Suppose you can buy one of two used cars. One is a nice Lexus and one is a nicer Ferrari. They both cost the same, but the Lexus has a detailed maintenance report and a clean Carfax. The Ferrari has no records (because it is under a mythical car NDA).

It would be perfectly logical to buy the Lexus, even though the Ferrari on average would a better car for the same money, as long as we assume non risk neutral actors. Information risk goes up, value goes down. Arguably, it's a great reason to contribute to open source, if you're a programmer, to reduce the information asymmetry in future hiring processes and thereby increase your perceived value.

I think the hostility is because it's a very cocky thing to say coming from a tiny startup. It's like a small, indie band saying "we only let people join who have released famous songs".

Read or watch the talk he gave that he links to. He talks about how his big "break" came about from writing a yaml parser for Php that had "70" downloads. Hardly "famous." I think his point is that releasing code allows you to show that you take initiative, and can show at least some insight into how you solve problems.

Edit: I just reread. He sort of contradicts what he said in the keynote he links to.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com