Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Matt Juszczak creator of BSDJobs.net and ask him some questions about the project. I would like to thank Matt for taking the time out of his busy schedule to talk with me about the project.
The following is a synopsis of that Q&A session.
MK- Why BSD? I mean what made you choose BSD as the focus of this project?
MJ- Many years ago, I would have likely given a fairly common and honest answer: it’s what I found first, and it’s what I’m used to. My skill sets have grown, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with other Unix-like operating systems, and throughout this experience I’ve remained a FreeBSD fan. I enjoy FreeBSD’s centralized configuration, pf, out of box security, implied simplicity, and most importantly, the ports collection and ease of package creation. I also like the idea that FreeBSD is an operating system with additional packages, instead of a group of packages making up an Operating System. To be fair, if I had to pick a favorite Linux distribution, I would most likely pick CentOS.
MK- With all of the other job listing and search sites already online such as Dice.com, Monster.com, TheLadder.com et cetera… What made you decide to focus on BSD?
MJ- These sites are too complex. They have actually overwhelmed me many times, enough for me not to post there (though I still do). I’m a big believer in the motto “simple and functional”. BSDJobs does just that: it provides a simple method to connect people with similar needs. It does only one thing, but it does it well. I can assure you that BSDJobs will never look prettier, but it will definitely become more functional.
MK- Exactly what BSDs are supported by BSDJobs.net?
MJ- FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and Darwin (Mac OS X). There is also a non-specific category. I’ve made a note to add support for other BSDs, including DragonFly BSD.
MK- How long has BSDJobs.net been operational?
MJ- The idea began in November, 2004. It was developed and launched in early 2007.
MK- Do have of any success stories that you would like to share with the readers of BSD Magazine?
MJ- I’ve been working on many projects lately that I believe have started showing signs of success. However, I do have one BSD-specific success story which I hope will even further show the importance of BSDJobs.
Around the time BSDJobs was being developed, I visited Chicago for the first time in quite a long while. As I was walking around downtown, I (literally) bumped into a local resident of the city. In the few minutes that I spoke with him, we stumbled upon an important common ground: he was desperately looking for a FreeBSD systems administrator to takeover his abandoned infrastructure, and I happened to be a FreeBSD systems administrator looking for side work. Two years later, I am still working on that project, and the BSD infrastructure has grown substantially.
I have heard and experienced similar stories from other employers and systems administrators. My hope is that BSDJobs will help reduce fear in those who make Operating System decisions, and increase the ability to easily find BSD systems administrators to provide endless support and replace vacant positions.
MK- Is there a cost for using BSDJobs.net?
MJ- No, and there are no plans to implement any. The point of BSDJobs is to provide a free resource for anyone who wishes to use it, both job posters and job seekers alike. As the site grows, anti-spam measures (which has already become a problem) will need to be increased, as well as contributions from the community, but the site should always remain free.
MK- How has the volunteerism in the BSD Community helped the site?
MJ- I’ve had press releases written. I’ve had help with the graphics of the site. BitVenue Networks, LLC (http://www.bitvenue.com) donates hosting for the project. There is much more work to be done, so volunteers are always welcome. The more, the merrier.
MK- Do you have any major changes planned for the site in the near future?
MJ- At some point in the near future, a full overhaul of the site’s code base will occur. The site will still look the same, but we’ll be adding functionality, such as better integrated communication, increased captures to fight spam, listing edit features, and better searching.
MK- So what version of BSD do you run the site on?
MJ- Right now, FreeBSD 6.3. We are migrating it to a FreeBSD 7.1 setup this Summer.
MK- What made you choose FreeBSD over the others for this project?
MJ- The original web server hosting the project ran FreeBSD. FreeBSD is also my BSD of choice and the one I’m most familiar with. I also have experience with OpenBSD and NetBSD, and I believe either would have worked just as well for this project.
MK- Do you have any other projects like this one that you would like to mention? (Please include a brief description of each.)
MJ- It amazes me how many web projects created this decade seem to focus on using as much technology as possible in the wrong ways instead of efficiently using available technology in the right ways. I’ve gotten to the point where I prefer to use my bank’s mobile website in my normal web browser to get more accomplished in less time. This attitude has begun to influence my personal projects and ideas, and there are definitely a few in the works!
MK- How have employers responded to BSDJobs.net?
MJ- I haven’t had a lot of communication with users of the website. However, when I have replied to postings as a job seeker, I have received replies back, which makes me think people are seriously about the website. Furthermore, posts continue to come in reliably. The site gets anywhere between 800 and 1600 visits per month. Any feedback is welcome and can be submitted via the “About” page on http://www.bsdjobs.net.
MK- Does BSDJobs.net have a search by specialty or certification feature?
MJ- You can search based on location and operating system. The BSD Certification (http://www.bsdcertification.org/) project is much more active now than it was when the site was being designed, so I think it would be wise to add this functionality.
MK- Do you allow recruiters or head hunters to use the site?
MJ-Yes. The primary goal of BSDJobs is to fill open positions in the market. While it would be nice to increase the ability for employers to connect with job seekers directly, this isn’t always possible or feasible. If recruiters and head hunters have a BSD-oriented position they are looking to fill, they are more than welcome to post.
MK- Name your top 5 favorite Open Source projects in rank order.(Please include a brief description of each as well as why the each project is special to you.)
MJ- Making a list of the most important open source projects is somewhat hard for me to do, considering I use so many on a day to day basis. As a Systems Administrator, I find myself working with FreeBSD and Linux quite often. As a big fan of standardization and centralized configuration, I often use OpenLDAP (http://www.openldap.org) to store system account information and other data. As a Database Administrator, MySQL (http://www.mysql.org) has played an important role in my career. Last but not least, Nagios (http://www.nagios.org) and Cacti (http://www.cacti.net) have allowed me to go to sleep at night knowing servers, databases, ldap directories, and any other critical component of a project are running smoothly.
MK- Since I know that you are a user of MySql for some projects, what are your feelings about Oracles acquisition of Sun Microsystems?
MJ- As I understand it, these projects will now be housed under the same roof, so to speak. I worry that this acquisition may hurt MySQL as a product, but I trust that this will not be the case. I have used Oracle and MySQL in the work place. Both have their strengths and are fundamentally different. As always, continue to use the best tool for any given project, but these two should have no problem co-existing.
MK- Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to launch an Open Source project of their own?
MJ- Getting started is the hardest part. Be pro-active, work with a small team, and do what you need to do to remain inspired, even if that means taking your laptop to a park with a solar-powered laptop charger and mobile-phone Internet connectivity until you’ve solved a problem. Work with people who share your passion and interests, but have different backgrounds and ways to contribute. Finally, attempt to keep conflict at a minimum.
MK- What are your feelings if any about the Google Summer of Code events? Do you feel that Google has a hidden agenda? Do you feel that they are truly beneficial to the Open Source Community?
MJ-I haven’t had enough time to form an opinion on whether or not there are any conspiracies going on. I’ve benefited a lot from GSOC projects. I believe there are many students in higher education who find it hard to remain challenged in their curriculum and gain “real world” experience, so perhaps this gives them a good opportunity to grow their skills. Furthermore, one major weakness in some open source projects is their lack of information on how to get involved, so GSOC can help provide that gateway.
MK- So what is next for Matt Juszczak? Any personal achievements, plans or milestones you would like to share with the readers?
MJ- I am currently residing in Boston, MA after moving here in late 2007. I am involved in a large data center migration project with a company based in New York City. During that migration, about 75% of the infrastructure has been moved to FreeBSD. I am continuing to work on many web-based projects, including BSDJobs, as well as a venture that allows me to consult with other groups of individuals to help grow their ideas from the ground up, assisting them in implementing open source technologies, data center infrastructure, and a reliable and easily maintainable code-base.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mikel King (http://twitter.com/mikelking) has been working in the Information Services field for over 20 years. He is currently the CEO of Olivent Technologies(http://olivent.com), a professional creative services partnership in NY. Additionally he is currently serving as the Secretary of the BSD Certification group as well as a Senior Editor for Daemon News.
