- Favorite artist: Leonard Cohen
- Best book ever read: Plato - Socratic Dialogues. Not necessarily the book I enjoyed reading the most but the one I felt I've learned the most from.
- Dream destination: Milliways
- Quote you live by: “Kings and philosophers shit, and so do ladies.” - Michel de Montaigne
- At the office or remote? At the office, for reasons that I'm sure will be unfolded below.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name's Paul Panțiru (no middle name), I'm 28 and I've been a Software Engineer at XWiki for over 6 years. I love a good philosophical discussion/debate and talking about weird things that most people find hard/uncomfortable to talk about. I also like new tech gadgets, cutting-edge technology, and keeping up with new discoveries in the scientific/physics community, like the weirdness of quantum phenomena and AI advancements.
The journey to XWiki
What were you doing before XWiki? Did you change careers when joining our team?
Before XWiki, I was but a mere student at the Faculty of Computer science. XWiki was my first, and I stuck with it.
What is it like to be working in the Support team at XWiki? What was your career evolution like?
I'll start by saying what it's not like, and that's "boring". There is never a shortage of things to do and those things are varied enough that there is always something to learn and new puzzles to solve. Working in the support team is a good mix of development, infra, and psychology (understanding what the clients think/want).
Open Source impressions
Was Open Source something you had an interest in before XWiki?
I was a big fan of Linux ever since I was in high school, even though the Open Source concept was probably a blur back then, but I was actually introduced to Mandriva even earlier than that in primary school, and over time the Open Source values rubbed off on me.
What's the Open Source value you identify with the most?
The transparency and the control you have over the software.
Being an XWikier for 6 years and counting
What has kept you at XWiki so far?
First and foremost the people, they shackled me to the office with their kindness and coolness. The other important thing is the diversity in the work I do, which doesn't let me get bored, which also ties in with the freedom to experiment with ideas and solutions.
If you ever wished for a job change, what made you decide to stay?
There were moments where I wanted to try something different, something new, and was looking for other options but after voicing my desires, opportunities quickly arose and I just shifted inside the company and found the diversity I was looking for.
What were the most important or drastic ways in which XWiki changed during the years you've been around?
I would have to say the atmosphere in the office. It used to be a bit gloomy with only the ticking of pressed keys and muffled headphone music disturbing the sound of silence, but over time it evolved to be more vibrant and cheerful due to good HR-ing.
Lessons learned
What would you say is the most valuable lesson you learned during your time at XWiki?
To not get paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes because almost any mistake can be resolved one way or another.
The XWiki experience
If you could describe XWiki in one word, what would it be?
Dope - Cool people, cozy environment, neat ideas, awesome product, Open Source values.
What is your favorite memory of the years as part of XWiki?
I presume this will be the choice for many of us, but the seminars are hard to beat in terms of awesome memories.
