(Romanian version)

Mircea Sârbu: A short introduction about you would be a good start...

Brian King: Professionally I am a software developer. I run a software consultancy, Briks Software and am heavily involved in the Mozilla community via mozdev.org and other channels. I am on the Board of Directors of the Mozdev Community Organisation.

Personally, I like to spend time with my family, cycle, watch movies, travel, and make wine even though I prefer to drink beer! Being Irish might explain that, but I have now settled in Slovenia, living here for over 6 years.

MS: How did you got involved in open source (at large) and Mozilla (in particular)?

BK: It was back in 1999. The company I was working for in Dublin was one of the first outside Mozilla to build an application using the source code which was only released 1 year earlier. I started to write a small bit of code for the Editor part of the Mozilla suite (Composer), and built up a relationship with some of the developers and other members of the community. I was hooked. The Open Source model appealed to me, and moving in that direction in my career seemed like a natural progression.

MS: What is Mozdev and how is Mozdev related to Mozilla?

BK: Mozdev has been around since 2000 with the primary goal to help developers build Mozilla software, whether that be XULRunner applications, extensions for Firefox and other products, or themes. This takes the form of providing web space, developer tools, and community support. While we are not affiliated directly with Mozilla, we do focus exclusively on Mozilla related projects and align ourselves with their goals. This includes to promote choice and innovation on the internet, promote the use of Mozilla technologies, and bring more users to Mozilla products.

MS: What about Briks?

BK: Briks is a small operation, just myself and a handful of part-time developers. However, we work with clients globally, and have goals that go beyond the for-hire model. We work mostly on 3rd party Mozilla applications and extensions. The Mozilla technology stack is built upon a FOSS sogtware, and we try to do the same. We use the Mozilla platform to develop software, but going beyond that we choose from a wealth of tools to provide the infrastructure for managing projects.

The other aspect of the services business model is that you are constantly learning about how other businesses work, and in turn passing on your knowledge and ideas to others. This migth seem non-intuitive in the business world which relies on intellectual property and protecting ideas, but it works well in many contexts. And of course, there are many levels of "open".

Some clients are tech-savvy and bring their own ideas to the table. Others rely on you for the solution, and this is the point where you can to a large extent advise on the direction that the software will take. This can be everything from encouraging use of standards to promote interoperability, choosing what tools to use, and urging the opening of the source.

MS: Do you have a "special client"?

BK: Zemanta is a very interesting startup here in Slovenia that aims to provide a range of open services based around their blogging technology. They have browser add-ons that harness their technologies to make blogging more fun and productive. They will supply a whole set of JavaScript libraries to ease the integration with other CMS systems. The founders are a group of developers with a background in FOSS (they established Kiberpipa -- , as a society, computer museum, and more for FOSS developers to gather and work on initiatives). Building a business from their knowledge and experiences in the FOSS world is a natural progression. If you mix a great idea with the right technologies, you are most of the way there.

MS: What about you will talk at eLiberatica conference?

BK: I will about how small and medium size companies can use FOSS as the foundation to quickly get their business or idea up and running. I will discuss some of the benefits such as community support and avoid vendor lock-in. Then I will propose some ways for business to then open up and allow participation in their products and services through various initiatives such as APIs and extensions. Most of my direct exposure to FOSS has come from the Mozilla project, so I will be applying some ideas learned from that model.

MS: Thanks and see you at eLiberatica.