1. I asked the OP to apply - I assume he is really good.
2. I use the brilliant as a shorthand to say we need people that are very talented.
3. We need very talented people because the code we have, while it looks simple, is very challenging. I was on the Win95 core team at Microsoft - our code is more challenging.
4. We don't do brain teasers in our interviews, they are not an indicator of how effective you'll be (read Word Rules). We mostly have you walk us through your code. And we'll ask you to walk us through how you would approach certain problems.
5. Any workplace is not for everyone. We try to be upfront with applicants as to what they'll be doing here and what the culture is like here. This includes a final "interview" where I go through what they'll be facing here and answer any question of theirs I legally/ethically can. So they come in knowing what to expect.
And hey, if we're not the right place for you that just means you're looking for something different. Never let a job interview define you. And never let a series of no's get you down.
We mostly have 2 people/office. We would have done individual offices but the office space we found to rent was perfect except the offices were larger and so it was a LOT cheaper to use the existing build-out.
It is working well. People mostly are heads down getting their work done. So add Windward Studios to the list where all developers get offices.
We have the best group of developers I have ever worked with, and that includes when I was on the core Windows 95 team at Microsoft. Very smart, motivated, and work really well with each other.
We want rock stars who work well with others.
Our existing code is Java and C#. We're presently creating an equivalent of Word + AutoTag in the browser using typescript & Sencha (for the U.I.).
PennApps is very cool. For those that liked it, please consider the Windward Intercollegiate Code War - its the largest student only event. http://www.windward.net/code_war.php
I started off with it being just me - part time. Then full-time me and a salesperson. And year by year we've grown - a lot (we don't release numbers).
We did this a sale at a time. No venture funding and not really even any self-funding. Just keeping it profitable and growing from those profits.
So yes, it can be done (my company is http://www.windward.net). The trick is to create something of value. And then to focus on what you need to do next to grow the company.
Word can write well to blogs (most of the time). But you need to create a new "blog" instead of a new "document." Word 2007 & 2010 both do this very well.
Yes, yes, YES! XSLT was the primary driver that led me to create Windward Reports. There are a few who do find it sensible but for the majority of programmers it is both painful and obtuse.
1. I asked the OP to apply - I assume he is really good.
2. I use the brilliant as a shorthand to say we need people that are very talented.
3. We need very talented people because the code we have, while it looks simple, is very challenging. I was on the Win95 core team at Microsoft - our code is more challenging.
4. We don't do brain teasers in our interviews, they are not an indicator of how effective you'll be (read Word Rules). We mostly have you walk us through your code. And we'll ask you to walk us through how you would approach certain problems.
5. Any workplace is not for everyone. We try to be upfront with applicants as to what they'll be doing here and what the culture is like here. This includes a final "interview" where I go through what they'll be facing here and answer any question of theirs I legally/ethically can. So they come in knowing what to expect.
And hey, if we're not the right place for you that just means you're looking for something different. Never let a job interview define you. And never let a series of no's get you down.