Daniel Robbins is a

computer programmer A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software. A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...

and consultant best known as the founder and former chief architect of the

Gentoo Linux Gentoo Linux (pronounced ) is a Linux distribution built using the Portage package management system. Unlike a binary software distribution, the source code is compiled locally according to the user's preferences and is often optimized for the ...

project. In 2008, he launched the Funtoo project, a

free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

Linux distribution A Linux distribution (often abbreviated as distro) is an operating system made from a software collection that includes the Linux kernel and, often, a package management system. Linux users usually obtain their operating system by downloading one ...

based on Gentoo, and he became the project's lead developer and organizer. He works in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

at Zenoss, and as president for Funtoo Technologies.

Biography

Formation of Gentoo Linux distribution

During his time as a system administrator at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, Robbins formed his own distribution ''Enoch Linux'', which was later renamed

in 2002. However, like many other free software projects, Gentoo struggled to create a business model which would support its key developers. Robbins resigned as Chief Architect on 26 April 2004, citing considerable personal debt, and a desire to spend more time with his family, formed the Gentoo Foundation and transferred all Gentoo intellectual property to it, so that Gentoo is now run as a full community-based model. He did rejoin the project for a short time from August 2006, becoming a developer again in February 2007 and joining the amd64 team but resigned in early March 2007. There have been several high-profile criticisms of the way Gentoo has run since Robbins left, such as: "...since the resignation of Gentoo's founder and benevolent dictator from the project in 2004, the newly established Gentoo Foundation has been battling with lack of clear directions and frequent developer conflicts...", but in mid-July 2007 it emerged that Robbins was still technically the legal president of the Gentoo Foundation:

...I would like to see more fun in Gentoo, and a lot less politics, and in my apparent role as President of the Gentoo Foundation, I may have an opportunity to change things for the better. I will need to look into this more...

Funtoo Linux

In 2008, Robbins began to work on

Funtoo This is a list of Gentoo Linux derivatives. Calculate Linux ChromiumOS and ChromeOS Container Linux (formerly CoreOS) FireballISO FireballISO (or "Fireball") is a VMware virtual appliance that builds a security-hardened Live CD ...

, a project created to allow him to work on extending the technologies originally created for Gentoo.

Microsoft

Robbins' move to Microsoft, in May 2005, attracted attention within the Linux community, which has historically had a combative relationship with Microsoft. He described his role working for Bill Hilf as "...helping Microsoft to understand Open Source and community-based projects..." However, Robbins resigned less than a year later on 16 January 2006 due to frustrations that he was unable to fully utilize his technical skills in this position.

RTLinux

Later in 2006, he joined FSMLabs in Socorro, New Mexico, to work on RTLinux.

Funtoo Technologies

Daniel Robbins is also president of

Technologies, a consulting firm founded in 2006 and located in

References

External links

Linux Crazy podcast featuring an interview with Daniel Robbins
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Daniel Living people University of New Mexico staff Anglophone Quebec people American computer programmers Canadian emigrants to the United States Free software programmers Linux people People from Montreal Gentoo Linux people Worcester Polytechnic Institute alumni Year of birth missing (living people)