Equinox Blog

Equinox Software recently welcomed Lebbeous Fogle-Weekley to its Evergreen development team.

Lebbeous Fogle-Weekley

For the past three years, Lebbeous worked for an information security firm in Cleveland, Ohio, where he primarily wrote software using open source tools.  He has applied his passion for programming to diverse problems including vulnerability assessment, network perimeter management, log analysis, and more, and he is excited now to participate on a large open source project and to learn about how libraries manage information.

Lebbeous also enjoys history, following college football, and video games (sometimes to his wife’s chagrin).

We asked Lebbeous a few questions…

What is important about open source software?

Open source software is important for a lot of reasons, but one of my personal favorites is that it keeps developers honest.  That transparency in showing your work to the world not only discourages us programmers from taking ill-advised shortcuts, but it can also mean that other people catch our mistakes, or that they suggest better approaches to difficult coding problems.  Of course, this is sort of a technical reason to like open source, but consumers receive the benefits of that kind of collaboration, too.

Where do you see open source development in the next ten to fifteen years?

I think by that time we’ll reach a place where open source software is so mainstream that it will rarely be differentiated by a label anymore. Google is a big part of that, but certainly other, older forces are behind this trend as well.

I do, however, predict that along the way those seeking commercial advantage will test various copylefts in court, and that complex questions about intellectual property will continue to be raised. Software-as-a-Service will also provide a new context for debating the merits of open vs. closed source software.

When you get stuck on a problem how do you solve it?

The most obvious approach is to try to break the problem down into several smaller ones. If I’m still stuck, there’s always Google, and of course peers can be helpful in suggesting other approaches to a problem. Or, if I’ve got lots of different things on my docket, sometimes I just work on something else for a while. The next time I come back to the original problem, the answer might suddenly seem obvious.

What do you keep on your desk?

I have a picture of my wife, some coffee, a legal pad on which I sketch out ideas, and a pen. Beyond that I try to keep my desk as clear as I can. A clear desk with plenty of elbow room helps me think. Inevitably, however, junk accumulates until every once in a while I have to clear it all off at once.

What do you do to chill out?

I have a beer, of course! Or I may read. Sometimes the two can go together, but after more than two beers, that goes downhill. I may [re]watch some Star Trek; I have an awful lot of it on DVD.

Do you have any pets?

Not right now, no. My wife and I both had cats when we were children, but we’re holding off on getting pets until we buy a house (hopefully soon).

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Joe Atzberger, Evergreen Developer

In late August, Joe Atzberger joined Equinox Software’s rapidly growing Software Development team. Since 2007, Joe had worked for LibLime as a developer on Koha (another open source library automation platform), specializing in system integration.

Joe has also worked as a Technical Specialist supporting INFOhio K-12 libraries and their migrations on SirsiDynix and MultiLIS platforms. Before that, Joe worked as a technical consultant for private and government clients, and in radio broadcast satellite-feed automation.

Joe has degrees in both English and Computer Science from Ohio State University, and came by the library world naturally: both his parents also love books, have English degrees, and his mom is a Reference Librarian.

So we asked Joe a few questions…

What is important about open source software?

Conceptually, the most important characteristic is that you are free to make OSS work and work better, for you. A given proprietary vendor’s product may prove to be insufficient (or downright hostile!) to your intended usage.

Even with the products that work well, you may want to change a small piece of the layout, fix a persistent bug, or add a tiny feature. But without the source, you do not have recourse to even examine the cause of the problem. Even if you have access to the source and can write the code yourself, in my experience, you usually cannot get the vendor to incorporate material extensions to their code, even when supplied to them for free!

You may not be able to use your modified software in production without compromising support agreements, and when access to source is predicated on a cumbersome NDA, you can’t share the changes with others either. What a waste!

Both kinds of software may be yours *to use*, but OSS is *really* yours.

Where do you see open source development in the next ten to fifteen years?

Everywhere. There are two interesting directions right now: distributed version control and Open Data.

Distributed version control systems (DVCSs) will continue as the development mode of choice, and also become the de facto standard (like SVN is now). The difference is that DVCS tools allow you to control your “unofficial” working codesets with the same kind of tracking and intelligence provided by a VCS for the central repo. In fact, your working repo is otherwise as complete and authoritative as the “main” one.

Expect to see more OSS tools built as tools around Open Data, like MediaWiki around Wikipedia, or ‡biblios.org around ‡biblios.net. Just because Open Data allows itself to be harvested/copied doesn’t eliminate the value of a main repository, acting as the distribution channel for changes and additions. In many respects, the value of that repository is increased by its redistribution.

For code, DVCS makes the copies full, fleshy, lively ones, instead of just shadows, mirrors and archives. It will be interesting as the same principles continue to affect Open Fata, where access is as good (and often better) than a copy.

Honestly, I think it is easier to project what will happen in OSS software than it is to say what will happen during the same period with libraries!

When you get stuck on a problem how do you solve it?

Break it down into smaller pieces. Rethink my approach, often with feedback from other folks. Sometimes it is worthwhile to just put it down for a while and come back to it with a fresh mindset. And of course, as a last resort, read the manual.

What do you keep on your desk?

Laptop, large external monitor, and a pile of random other junk.

What do you do to chill out?

I garden, cook, volunteer for a local LPFM station, and like to go see my friends’ bands play out. Like seemingly everybody at Equinox, I also play video games [well, not everybody -- Ed.], with particular focus on zombies, FIFA, GTA and anything that friends have worked on. I plan to help convert some local bands’ masters to playable Rock Band tracks in the next year, since it would unify a lot of major interests in one fun project.

Do you have any pets?

I have two young cats, brothers and litter-mates, Cassius and Sonny.

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Galen Charlton

The Evergreen community has been enriched by the arrival of Galen Charlton, and we took a moment to ask him a few questions so we’d all get to know him better.

A Little About Galen…

Galen has worked in library automation for the past eleven years, performing data migration and special projects for Endeavor and Ex Libris. Galen’s most recent position was Vice President of Research and Development at LibLime, where he participated in the development of open source software for public and academic libraries. Galen is currently release manager for the upcoming version of Koha, another open source integrated library system.

What interests you about working for Equinox?

I find Equinox’s commitment to open source software for libraries very appealing, and I enjoy working with library hackers and librarians. After many years of telecommuting, I am also looking forward to working in an office with real life creatures who do more than meow at me.

What is important about open source software?

One of the most important aspect of open source is that it encourages the notion of software as a means and nexus of communication not just for machines, but for people as well.

Open source software is a natural fit for librarians, who have a long history of communicating with each other about the best ways to run libraries and provide services to their patrons. By working together on open source ILSs such as Evergreen and Koha, digital repository systems, discovery interfaces, and so on, librarians can not only carry on their discussions of best practices in the library journals, mailing lists, and blogs, but embody the fruits of their collaboration in tools that they’ve directly participated in designing.

Where do you see open source development in the next ten to fifteen years?

It may take a bit longer than fifteen years, but I see open source development going away. By that, I mean that the notion that source code is closed by default will no longer be the norm; open source will become the new normal. On the other hand, it remains to be seen how open source project culture will evolve.

When you get stuck on a problem how do you solve it?

For technical problems, my first instinct is to turn to Google. In particular, assuming that the question is not something that self-evidently can be answered by referring to the manual or API documentation, I look for results from mailing list archives, IRC logs, bulletin boards, and other fora that focus on back-and-forth Q&A. In fact, one of the ways I judge the usability of a piece of software is whether its error messages are written to be easily Googleable.

If search engines don’t turn up anything, I turn next to my colleagues, then start asking on the relevant mailing lists. By that point I’ve also started digging through the code. One of my mantras is that when you fix a problem, you should try your best not to create ten more in its place.

For non-technical questions, I take a different approach, starting by asking my colleagues and mentors. I want to be told stories; in listening to somebody’s narrative of how they encountered a similar problem and got through it (or perhaps didn’t!), I draw parallels to try to apply to my situation.

What do you keep on your desk?

My desk in my home office in Gainesville is the repository of computers and various bits of technological gimcrackery. It is also the best kitty playground ever; my cats are very good at telling me that I ought to consider the floor to be the natural extension of my desk. I have not yet achieved a paperless office, and am more of a stacker than a filer.

What do you do to chill out?

I read omnivorously, play chess, watch Doctor Who and other good TV sci-fi, take walks in the twilight, and usually fail to get around to cataloging our rather large collection of books. Cobblers, kids, shoes — you can fill in the blanks.

Do you have any pets?

Where does the kibble come out?

I have four cats, LaZorra, Erasmus, Amelia, and Sophia (better known as Zorie, Rasi, Mellie, and Sophie). One of my coworkers back at Endeavor did cat rescue on the side, and I adopted LaZorra and Erasmus from one of the litters she found. It was an education for me, particularly in cat biology, as (oops!) I didn’t realize just how early cats can be become pregnant. Hence: Amelia and Sophia.

Erasmus is probably the most misnamed cat ever - far from emulating any of his wise and educated namesakes, he is … less than smart. He can literally lose track of me in the house, even if I haven’t stirred from the couch in some time. To compensate, he is made of sweet, and adores his sister and daughters - not that they would permit him to have it any other way!

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Ben is a new Technical Support Specialist at Equinox, expanding our tech services department to meet our growing clientele. Ben comes to us with a sizable amount of library and Evergreen-specific knowledge. Ben received his MLS from the University of South Florida 1998.

We asked Ben a few questions about open source, Equinox, and, of course, pets!

What interests you about working for Equinox?

I’m in my element here, working among library-loving geeks whom I adore. I’ve already used Evergreen for over a year and have gotten to know the folks who hang out in the #openils-evergreen IRC channel. I’d probably do this for free, but for heaven’s sake don’t tell Brad, because my landlord would be furious with me.

What is important about open source software?

Open source software, just like Creative Commons licensing, is a simple and fantastic way of building the culture we want to live in tomorrow. By explicitly allowing you to use the things I’ve contributed to the commons, I’m giving you the tools to do whatever you find most valuable. The more people who contribute to the commons, the more likely it is that someone has already solved a problem for you!

I can also poke around at the source code and see what’s going on. To paraphrase Audubon, I can solve problems more quickly by eliminating doubt as to which one is telling the truth.

Where do you see open source development in the next ten to fifteen years?

I’m going to answer “where” literally: kindergarten classrooms. In ten to fifteen years, little kids will earn grades (and not reprimands) for hacking in school.

When you get stuck on a problem how do you solve it?

1. Try to describe the problem — to yourself, and possibly to someone else.
2. Look for someone else who’s already solved a similar problem.
3. When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. The squeaky wheel gets the worm, or something like that.
4. If, against all conceivable odds, the problem really is novel, break it down into its component parts. What steps should be happening? What processes should be taking the situation from one step to the next?
5. Examine your assumptions. As my high-school gym teacher said, when you assume something, you make us both look foolish. (He was never too sharp.)
6. Once you’ve made a change that you think has fixed the problem, consider breaking it again. That is, undo the supposed fix and make sure that the problem comes back. If it doesn’t, then you haven’t really found the problem. But make sure you know the likely consequences of breaking it again.
7. Write something, briefly, about the problem and how you solved it. Put that knowledge safely into a place where it can be found and archived by search engines. One of these days, someone else is going to desperately need to find that information-and if your brain is anything like mine, that someone else might be your future self.

What do you keep on your desk?

Not much — though this is historically unusual. Would anyone like to donate a chumby?

What do you do to chill out?

I find cooking very relaxing. When all the ingredients come together like an A-Team plan, there’s a Csíkszentmihályian sense of flow. Plus, at the end, you get to have a great meal.

Do you have any pets?

I have two cats. The youngest, an orange tabby named Tabula Rasa — my wife Jodi is a philosopher, and it was either that or “Sophia” — joined our family last year. She had been abandoned in a bathroom by a departing tenant and found by the landord, days later, curling up in the sink. Tabula (”Beulah” for short) still loves bathroom sinks, and any other sources of running water. She also loves using her claws on Pied.

Pied has seniority over Beulah, but a previous owner declawed Pied, leaving evasion as her best defense. So instead of settling into a dreamy retirement, asymptotic to oblivion, she’s pounding ground in amazingly acrobatic chase scenes across the living room, my lap, and the china cabinet. Our kitten seems to have put a spark back into Pied’s life — if perhaps only a spark of mortal terror for her very hide.

Despite all this, they do miss us when we’re at work, and so I occasionally catch them during a moment of detente.

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In March, Dawn Roberts became the newest employee at Equinox Software. As Director of Marketing,  Roberts will play a key role in establishing the company’s presence at industry trade shows and exhibitions. We asked Dawn a few questions…

What interests you about working for Equinox?

I truly believe that open source is the future of libraries. The days of corporations deciding what libraries need is short lived and Equinox will be here to pick up the pieces.

But most of all it is the team. I worked with Bob Molyneux and Shae Tetterton in a previous life and thought they were (and still are) terrific. I began working for Equinox in 2006 as an events consultant and I found out what a fantastic group of people they all are!

What is important about open source software?

Open source software puts the needs of individual libraries into their own hands. Each library can decide what is best for its staff and patrons. Libraries no longer have to wait and hope that their vendor will add the items that are important to them.

Where do you see open source development in the next ten to fifteen years?

The sky is the limit. It is amazing to me how much progress has been made in the last several years. I think that open source will continue to evolve and become the main stream for libraries.

When you get stuck on a problem how do you solve it?

I research to find the best solution and might try several different solutions to find the one that works best for the problem. I am a very visual person, and if I can see something in my mind, I can figure it out.

What do you keep on your desk?

Marketing Fuel

I keep pictures of both my sons, Daniel 16 and Jarrod 15. They are my precious gifts from God. A beenie baby Valentine’s bear the my boys gave me. A beautiful glass paperweight that was given to me by a good friend. A journal to write down what I want to accomplish that day and any ideas that I think of. My pink laptop. And always, a Diet Coke!

What do you do to chill out?

It depends on what is going on. If my boys are here we all pile up together wrapped in blankets with a bag of popcorn and watch a movie together. I usually spend one evening a week with my wonderful parents. We have a glass of wine by the fire, talk, and then go to dinner. I try to go to the gym 5 days a week and do either weight work or aquacize (I love the water).

Do you have any pets?

Oh yes! I have a little girl cat named Ashes. Ashes was found in a car that had driven with her in the engine for about 20 miles. Her ears were burned and she was terrified, so she is very shy and skittish, but we love her. Then I have Nimbus, a 30-pound alpha-male cat. Nimbus runs the house! He is so funny, follows me everywhere, goes for a walk with me every afternoon, and sleeps beside me at night. Nimbus is my precious baby.

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