Do you know what a developer evangelist is? Jim O’Neil has been working under that title for Microsoft the past two years.
O’Neil, originally from Tennessee and North Carolina, has been “Yankee-fied” since 1993 and patrols the Northeast working with software developers on the “latest and greatest.”
This tech evangelist told Providence Business News he’s excited about the Windows Phone 7 launch, cloud computing and how social media is “making or breaking” software.
PBN: So, what exactly is a “developer evangelist”?
O’NEIL: When I tell people I’m a “developer evangelist,” I often get curious looks given the obvious connotations, but as “part preachers, part teachers” those perceptions aren’t really that far off! Today’s technology evangelists (and you’ll find them at Yahoo!, Adobe, Amazon, etc. as well as at Microsoft) have a passion for the leading edge, whether it be software, devices, or even best practices. They are driven to share that enthusiasm with other “geeks” as well as to help guide them in making the best use of whatever technology is coming down the pike.
At Microsoft, we have distinct “evangelism roles” that focus on the startup community, education, vertical sectors, and more. As a developer evangelist, I work with software developers (in New England and upstate New York) who use or interoperate with the software and frameworks that Microsoft provides – such as Visual Studio, .NET, Windows Phone, and Azure (cloud computing). A great deal of my time is spent participating in and helping to foster developer communities and events like user groups, code camps, BarCamps, MeetUps, and other gatherings.
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PBN: What’s new and exciting in the world of Microsoft developers?
O’NEIL: There are so many facets of technology out there that the answer changes almost daily! Right now, we are in the midst of our Windows Phone 7 launch (the first devices became available on Nov. 8th), and that’s generating a lot of excitement in the developer base. It’s a dramatic departure from our previous mobile operating system and is providing a lot of fodder for the blogosphere as mobile experts weigh in on how Windows Phone 7 will affect the balance of power in the iPhone and Android markets.
Another big topic these days is cloud computing, an area in which I concentrate most of my evangelism efforts. For developers in particular, cloud computing is really the next platform shift, and while there’s currently a lot of hype, there’s a lot of promise too. Cloud computing can be a great enabler: through self-provisioning and a pay-as-you-go pricing model, many traditional on-premises solutions can be operated more economically in the cloud, and scenarios previously infeasible because of costs or resource requirements now enter the realm of possibility.
PBN: How do you see the development community in New England? More specifically, any insights on Rhode Island?
O’NEIL: Boston, Cambridge, and the [Route]128-belt have the greatest concentration of developer and technology-related ventures in New England, but with telecommuting becoming more and more common, those demographics are changing. We have significant Microsoft developer communities in (perhaps unexpected) places like Bangor, Maine, and Burlington, Vt., along with capital cities such as Hartford, Conn. and Albany, N.Y. Within each of those communities though, there are state employees, commercial developers, consultants, entrepreneurs, students and hobbyists – that variety is one of the things I love about my specific role, the chance to learn from the different experiences and perspectives of our technology users.
I have to admit when I first started participating in the Rhode Island development community – well, specifically Providence – I was really surprised at the vitality and entrepreneurship. Providence may be a short ride from Boston, but it’s definitely not living in its shadows technology-wise. Groups like Providence Geeks, Pecha Kucha, and the PHP and WordPress meetups (to name a few) seem to have just that extra bit of energy and enthusiasm. Perhaps it’s due to the confluence of design and technology – with Brown, RISD, and Johnson and Wales in close proximity? Or maybe just something in the water?!
PBN: Generally speaking, what’s the feeling working at Microsoft? Is there tension between Mac developers and Microsoft developers?
O’NEIL: Well, both Apple and Microsoft have their “fanbois,” so sure there’s bound to be pockets of tension, but the majority of people I’ve encountered both inside and outside of Microsoft are pragmatic. Of course, as ‘geeks’ they all covet the newest shiny object (wherever it comes from), but they all have jobs to do as well, so will opt for whatever makes them the most productive. As a Microsoft Evangelist, it’s no surprise that I’d say we have the most productive software development tools and technologies, but ultimately it’s my job to demonstrate that versus just shouting it from a mountaintop.
I think too there’s a definite blurring of the lines between the Mac and PC worlds. Though you may see an Apple logo on that laptop in Starbucks, the person behind it may very well be working in Microsoft Windows, and don’t forget that Microsoft Office is one of the most popular productivity software suites for the Mac. Of course, there are certainly plenty of people using iTunes on their PC too!
PBN: What’s in store for the future?
O’NEIL: Honestly, there’s so much going on today to stay on top of it’s hard to even think about the future! That said there are a few recurring themes that I have observed.
The first is the consumerization of technology; devices in all shapes and sizes are increasingly permeating our lives. With that we’ve seen the importance of the marriage of design and technology – form and function – and that’s something that I see taking off even more; our expectations for how we interact with devices just simply continues to increase. Talking to our cars was science fiction not too long ago, and now ‘natural user interfaces’ such as enabled by Xbox Kinect are coming on the scene, likely making input devices like mice and keyboards obsolete in the not-too-distant future.
I mentioned cloud computing before, and its impact will be huge. For consumers it frees them from their devices – information becomes available anywhere and everywhere. For developers and entrepreneurs, I see cloud computing as a great democratizer. Resources are available to everyone and anyone: startups with no capital can quickly launch the next Facebook without having to build or find a data center, and through efforts like Data.gov, huge amounts of data are just waiting to be mashed up for compelling user experiences. You don’t have to be a Microsoft, IBM or Apple to make an impact.
Lastly, as somewhat of a soft factor on technology, I’m really intrigued by the role of social networking. I was a reluctant convert to services like Twitter and FourSquare, but as they (or perhaps I) have matured, it’s amazing to see how that dynamic has affected our lives. A single tweet, for instance, could make or break a software release or a new product. Feedback is available 24/7 in a matter of minutes, or even seconds, from anywhere in the world. It’s an amazing asset and an incredible and continuing challenge to harness.
