- Favorite artist: Queens of the Stone Age
- Best book ever read: The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin
- Dream destination: Any mountains
- Quote you live by: Don't have one
- At the office or remote? Remote
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Manuel, I'm 33, and I live in Rennes. I've been a core developer at XWiki since February 2020.
The journey to XWiki
What were you doing before XWiki? Did you change careers when joining our team?
I graduated in Software Engineering in 2011 and started working at a large company, mainly doing software development for public administration projects. In 2016 I started a Ph.D. in Software Engineering, more precisely on the engineering of software languages. Finally, I joined XWiki just after the end of my Ph.D. at the beginning of 2020.
What is it like to be working in the Product team at XWiki? What was your career evolution like?
Working on such a large project has its highs and lows but for sure you never get bored. As software engineers, we get the chance to participate in impactful ways to the whole lifecycle of the product, from long-term objectives to small design improvements.
Open Source impressions
Was Open Source something you had an interest in before XWiki?
I've been interested in Open Source since high school when I started installing Linux distributions. Then my interest grew as I started learning software development. Some of my work on the private sector, as well as the work I did during my PhD, are open-sourced. But now, my largest contribution to Open Source is clearly the work I do on XWiki.
What's the Open Source value you identify with the most?
I really value the freedom to allow users to have access both to the source code that drives the software as well as the data they manipulate.
Being an XWikier for 1 year and counting
What has kept you at XWiki so far?
Being able to work from home is a really nice thing. Also, the work environment is very welcoming and even though I haven't had the chance to meet most of my coworkers for one year and a half, I still felt well integrated.
If you ever wished for a job change, what made you decide to stay?
The flexibility and the good spirit.
What were the most important or drastic ways in which XWiki changed during the years you've been around?
I wasn't here to witness how XWiki was pre-covid but from what I can see, what's noticeable is how the company managed to stay the same and keep its values.
Lessons learned
What would you say is the most valuable lesson you learned during your time at XWiki?
I'd say the thing that most distinguishes my work at XWiki from what I did earlier is the will to be transparent and open on the work we do, to involve the community in the product evolution as much as possible.
The XWiki experience
If you could describe XWiki in one word, what would it be?
I would say XWiki is welcoming, and I think it is true for the employees, the customers, and the Open Source community members.
What is your favorite memory of the years as part of XWiki?
The various online social activities organized by the HR team were a real plus to bond with people. But the real highlight so far is the on-site activities from this year's seminar, when I finally met most of the people from the Paris office. And we also got the chance to practice rafting which was both new and really fun for me.
