Daniel Robbins (computer programmer)
{{short description|American computer programmer}}
{{For|the art historian|Daniel Robbins (art historian)}}
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{{Notability|Bio|date=April 2020}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Daniel Robbins
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| birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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| education = Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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| organization = Funtoo Technologies
| known_for = Free software, Hacker, Gentoo, Funtoo
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| website = {{URL|https://www.funtoo.org}}
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Daniel Robbins is a computer programmer who founded the Gentoo Linux project and was its former chief architect. In 2008, he launched the Funtoo project, a free Linux distribution based on Gentoo, and he became the project's lead developer and organizer. He works in Albuquerque, New Mexico 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 Gentoo Linux in 2002.
Gentoo struggled to create a business model that would support its key developers, like many other free software projects at the time.{{cite web|first= Eugenia |last= Loli-Queru |title= Interview with Gentoo's Daniel Robbins |url= https://www.osnews.com/story/1080 |publisher= OSNews |date= 14 May 2002 |access-date= 22 November 2018 |quote= I very much want to find a way to turn the Gentoo Linux project into a profitable enterprise. My main motivation in wanting to do this is so I can stop living from paycheck to paycheck and focus my professional efforts exclusively on Gentoo Linux development. Many of our developers would like to do the same thing. }} Robbins resigned as Chief Architect in April 2004.{{cite web|first= timothy |last= Lord |title= Daniel Robbins Resigns As Chief Gentoo Architect |url= https://developers.slashdot.org/story/04/04/26/2259211/daniel-robbins-resigns-as-chief-gentoo-architect |publisher= Slashdot |date= 26 April 2004 |access-date= 22 November 2018 }} He formed the Gentoo Foundation and transferred all Gentoo intellectual property to it, so that Gentoo would be run as a full community-based model. He rejoined the project for a short time from August 2006,{{cite web|url=http://www.funtoo.org/drobbins/blog/2006/08/working-on-gentoo-again-eek.html |title=Funtoo by Daniel Robbins |publisher=Funtoo.org |access-date=4 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012084223/http://www.funtoo.org/drobbins/blog/2006/08/working-on-gentoo-again-eek.html |archive-date=12 October 2006 }}{{cite web|url=https://bugs.gentoo.org/145649#c0 |title=Gentoo Bug 145649 – Retire (once more): Daniel Robbins (drobbins) |publisher=Bugs.gentoo.org |access-date=22 November 2018}} becoming a developer again in February 2007 and joining the amd64 team{{cite web|url=https://bugs.gentoo.org/145649#c17 |title=Gentoo Bug 145649 – Retire (once more): Daniel Robbins (drobbins) |publisher=Bugs.gentoo.org |access-date=22 November 2018}} but resigned in early March 2007.[http://archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-dev/msg_143167.xml ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930235643/http://archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-dev/msg_143167.xml |date=30 September 2007 }}
There have been several high-profile criticisms{{cite web|url=https://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20070312#future |title=Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD |publisher=DistroWatch.com |access-date=22 November 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://linux.slashdot.org/story/07/03/12/1154242/is-gentoo-in-crisis|title=Is Gentoo in crisis? |publisher=Linux.slashdot.org |access-date=22 November 2018}} 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...".{{cite web|url=https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major |title=Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD |publisher=DistroWatch.com |access-date=22 November 2018}}
In mid-July 2007, it emerged that Robbins was still technically the legal president of the Gentoo Foundation.{{cite web|url=http://blog.funtoo.org/2007/07/i-am-still-president-of-gentoo.html |title=Funtoo by Daniel Robbins: I am still President of the Gentoo Foundation? |publisher=Blog.funtoo.org |date=18 July 2007 |access-date=4 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207144306/http://blog.funtoo.org/2007/07/i-am-still-president-of-gentoo.html |archive-date=7 February 2009 }}[http://www.nmprc.state.nm.us/cgi-bin/prcdtl.cgi?2463313+GENTOO+FOUNDATION+INC ]{{dead link|date=June 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
==Funtoo Linux==
In 2008, Robbins began to work on Funtoo, a project created to allow him to work on extending the technologies originally created for Gentoo.[http://www.funtoo.org/en/funtoo/about/] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421125306/http://www.funtoo.org/en/funtoo/about/ |date=21 April 2010 }}
In 2024, Robbins announced that he would shut down Funtoo without searching a handover.{{cite web |url=https://forums.funtoo.org/topic/5182-all-good-things-must-come-to-an-end/ |title=All Good Things Must Come to an End...|publisher= Daniel Robbins in Funtoo Forums |date= 26 July 2024 |access-date= 27 July 2024}}
== Microsoft ==
Robbins' move to Microsoft, in May 2005, attracted attention within the Linux community,{{cite web|url=https://linux.slashdot.org/story/05/06/13/2137239/gentoo-founder-on-his-way-to-redmond |title=Gentoo Founder on his way to Redmond |publisher=Linux.slashdot.org |access-date=22 November 2018}}{{cite web|last=Marson |first=Ingrid |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/gentoo-linux-founder-to-educate-microsoft/ |title=Gentoo Linux founder to 'educate' Microsoft |publisher=CNET |date=16 June 2005 |access-date=22 November 2018}} 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..."{{cite web|url=https://www.osnews.com/story/10838 |title=Gentoo Founder Joins Microsoft |publisher=Osnews.com |access-date=22 November 2018}}
However, Robbins resigned less than a year later in 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 Funtoo Technologies, a consulting firm founded in 2006 and located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://linuxcrazy.com/podcasts/LC-42-drobbins.ogg Linux Crazy podcast featuring an interview with Daniel Robbins]
{{Linux}}
{{Linux people}}
{{Portal bar|Free and open-source software}}
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Category:University of New Mexico staff
Category:Anglophone Quebec people
Category:American computer programmers
Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States
Category:Free software programmers