Java Magazine - March/April 2012

Souza proudly wears
the flag of Brazil, a
country that embodies
the spirit of Java.

learn to get by with the resources we have, which helps spur creativity.

We’re also optimistic and unafraid to take risks—we assume things will work out. I’ve seen projects in Brazil that have won the Duke’s Choice Award that might not have taken off elsewhere because of all the risks. Brazilian developers just went ahead instead of assessing all the risks involved. Java Magazine: Where in the process of programming do you have the most fun? Souza: I’m the guy who starts things. I like to be there in the beginning, believe in the original idea, make it happen, and create something new—and then just let someone else finish the work and maintain it for the long term. I enjoy the initial creation and development—and then someone else comes in and can fix my mistakes! Java Magazine: What do you do when you get stumped? Souza: When I get stuck, I just keep working and trying different things. I don’t like to stop when I’m stuck. And I always like to rest when something is done. When I’m stuck, I feel like nothing is complete, so I keep working until I can see some solution. Then I can take a break and rest. I also like to discuss what’s going on with someone. I’ll try to explain what’s wrong and why I can’t go forward, and that helps me think more than anything else. Having someone take a look at what you’re doing can usually bring the flaw to the surface. </article>

Java. Also, the JCP was created shortly after that. So Java was always more of a community-driven technology than a vendor-driven technology. It lined up with this idea of freedom that the companies were looking for, and with the idea of user groups and the community. There were a lot of Java user groups in Brazil from the beginning—we are a very social culture, so a community-driven technology fits well in Brazil.

All these things combined to push Java in

Brazil, and for many years now, it’s been the main development technology in the country. Java Magazine: James Gosling once remarked that there were excellent developers throughout the world, but the craziest developers were definitely the Brazilians—he meant this as a compliment.

Souza: One thing about Brazilian culture— we like to do things on the fly and do whatever needs to be done to make something work. And we try to make things fun. The fact that we’re willing to operate this way is one reason why Java is a good fit and why user groups are so important in Brazil. What’s more, in Brazil we have often not had the resources to do everything we want so we

JAVA IN ACTION

COME TOGETHER
“A JUG is a great
way to network. It

ABOUT US

not tying you to a single vendor, a single platform, or a single development model. And the government and large companies were looking for this freedom. That’s why Java is so successful in Brazil and worldwide.

Moreover, around the year 2000, the Brazilian government started to promote open source and free software, which was an important part of this search for freedom. Java was created from the start with a focus on building communities around it. So when Java came out in 1995, it came out with the source code and allowed people at universities, developers, companies, and others to actually see what was going on and participate in the creation and evolution of