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Now who’s working at a non profit..?!

November 3rd, 2003 · 2 Comments

My husband announced today that he has accepted a position with the Open Source Applications Foundation (OSAF) . We are excited how well this opportunity fits Ted, his experience and passions, what he’s worked on in the past and what he wants to be working on now. The recent Wired and Technology Review articles helped me understand more about OSAF’s visions and challenges, painting colorful pictures of the first project – an open source desk-top application, code-named Chandler – and some of the people, such as founder Mitch Kapor. Ted has been excited about Chandler for a while – I remember him describing it to me months ago – and it is wonderful that he will be working on it.

For us as a family, life will still seem mostly the same. Although the foundation is in San Francisco, Ted will be OSAF’s first employee working remotely. So he’ll still be working in his office, two doors apart from our dining room, just as he was during his consulting. It’s pretty amazing.

For me personally, what I find fascinating about Ted’s new position, is that he will now be working for a foundation. He’ll be employed by a nonprofit. A quote from the OSAF history page:

Why a non-profit? Mitch, the successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist, had not all of a sudden ceased to believe in the virtues of capitalism. Rather, he wanted to make a clear statement: the intent of this effort was not to use this as a vehicle to make more money for himself. However, he would be very happy for others to make money and intended to find a licensing scheme which would permit both non-commercial and commercial development on the code base.

Ted and I both like the fact that Mitch Kapor started a foundation. We both believe strongly in nonprofits, and in the principles and passions behind them.

When we lived in the Valley, years ago, while Ted worked at Apple and IBM, I worked for a small nonprofit. I began by volunteering my time at Cupertino Community Services down the street from our home and soon I became deeply involved, coming on staff and studying nonprofit management courses at night. At that time the agency provided food, shelter and other necessities for the needy. Homeless men and hungry families would come to CCS to find help.

Our joke back then was that Ted worked where he did so that I could work where I did. He had the high-earning job so I could work for a nonprofit. He supported me.

So it’s a bit funny to both of us that now Ted is the one working for a nonprofit. And now it’s my turn, in some sense, to support him, as I can. I’m very happy for my husband!

Tags: marriage

2 responses so far ↓

  • 1 enoch // Nov 4, 2003 at 8:03 am

    congradulations! i like working for a non-profit as well. we take care of folks regardless of insurance.

    hope to see Ted when he comes down for meetings!

    funny in a 6 degrees of separation kind of way: Mitch Kapor bought my folks’ san francisco home, before they moved down the peninsula. only kept the facade, and gutted the place. sad to see that old georgian remodeled after all we put into it.

  • 2 Shane // Nov 10, 2003 at 10:29 am

    Congrats to Ted!
    Yes, I occasionally read both of your blogs, mainly because I know Ted from ASF work and he’s mentioned your blog a bit. Actually, it seems like you are putting even more in your blog than he is.

    I’m looking forward to seeing him again at ApacheCon, and now I wish I could meet the rest of the family too!