Where are you from, and where do you live now? 

I'm from a small village in Sweden called Knutby (yes, THAT Knutby to you Scandinavians). Right now I live in Knivsta, which is a city between Uppsala and Stockholm.

How long have you been programming? 

I've been programming sporadically since taking a computer science class at university, back in 1998. Mostly ASP and VBA, but also Java and JSP. I started with PHP when I joined the XOOPS community a little over a year ago.

What is your expertise? 

In programming, nothing! However, setting up business/enterprise performance management solutions and running projects (especially combining business and IT) has been my forte for the last 6-7 years.

What got you into XOOPS? 

I wanted to do a better web site for my floor ball team, and being the lazy guy that I am, I figured there must be a better way than to do it myself from the ground up. I looked into a few CMS's, decided to try XOOPS and I've been hooked ever since.

What do you like the most about XOOPS? 

Easy to start using, easy to customize, modular, and a very friendly community.

In what area of XOOPS do you contribute and why? 

I contribute wherever I can. Since I am not an experienced coder I leave the advanced stuff to the pros and focus on some of the small, but (hopefully) useful things that no one else gets around to doing. Basically, though, I just try to pitch in.

If you could add one feature to XOOPS, what would it be? 

Chat functionality similar to what Facebook has. Not only would I find it extremely useful for all my sites, but I also think it would be a "bells and whistles" feature that could draw some new users to XOOPS and we need more of that (both users and this kind of feature). That's why I keep bugging you guys about this in the forums 

What is your major achievement in programming that you're most proud of? 

While not really hardcore programming (actually more like some scripting and a lot of project management), setting up a budget and forecast solution for the Swedish sales organization of a global pharmaceutical company.

What are your hobbies, when you're not coding? 

Besides spending time with my family, I play floorball and run a website for the team (yes, it's on XOOPS), watch Premier League football/soccer and run a website for my own league of fantasy football (yes, that one's on XOOPS too), and do some occasional computer gaming. During the summer I also spend a lot of time in my cottage on an island on the Swedish east coast.

You favorite dish and drink? 

I don't really have a favorite dish, but I do enjoy beer and XO cognac. Since I'm a Swede, I also enjoy excessive consumption of vodka from time to time 

What about movies and music? 

Movies like Memento, The Usual Suspects, and The Godfather are on top of my list. When it comes to music I like different genres, but they all seem to lean towards the heavier side, e.g. Iron Maiden, Rammstein, Hardcore Superstar, and The White Stripes.

Where are you from, and where do you live now? 

I am Lebanese and I am living in Lebanon

How long have you been programming? 

Since 2006. My first websites were simple HTML pages built with FrontPage.

What is your expertise? 

I'm not an expert, my expertise is a little mix from a lot: Photoshop, HTML and CSS, jQuery, and a little PHP.

What got you into XOOPS? 

Good question! And I'm sorry if my answer is long, but let me tell you the story - I am graduate in psychology, and as undergraduate I was looking for part-time job. I found one in printing press: resizing pictures with Photoshop then submitted them to the press‘s website by using the famous photo album Coppermine. I liked the idea especially that I learned at school some of Photoshop basics but I didn't have any idea about managing pictures online, a week ago I could understand every task in coppermine . I was surprised by PHP options and I decide to build paid websites for clients and create for them their online identity, sure in HTML because it was so easy for beginners, but still looking how to learn PHP and build websites written in that language. I've tried for the first time PhpNuke, because it was used a lot in my country, but I didn’t like it a lot. When my friend asked me to develop his new political website with a secure application, I spent 2 days thinking about it, but I knew well that PhpNuke cannot be the right choice due its big susceptibility to be hacked. I felt that I cannot build such a websites so I decide to give up and leave the world of web development with beautiful memories and useful experiences. However, at the same time a precious advice from someone motivated me to look forward and find another CMS written in PHP. I found XOOPS and many others CMS, but while comparing their features, XOOPS was always in the top, especially since I could find an Arabic support at ArabXOOPS. I contacted Mowaffak without knowing him and asked him if XOOPS can do my friend’s website requirements. I found a very generous assistance from him and I did the first website with XOOPS!

What do you like the most about XOOPS? 

Lot of things: Simplicity and security are the most important, and XOOPS let you always get more by doing less

In what area of XOOPS do you contribute and why? 

I am a moderator in ArabXOOPS community, also a member in XOOPS official website here and the French community. I like to contribute in the forums and helping newbies to better use XOOPS and solving their technical problems : in CSS, in PHP…etc, I create free xoops themes, and also translate modules from English and French into Arabic and vice versa

If you could add one feature to XOOPS, what would it be? 

I think it will be a nice "look & feel" for module templates and blocks by adding AJAX effects or to make them more friendly use and editable from the home page.

What is your major achievement in programming that you're most proud of? 

I am proud of everything I did so far with XOOPS, especially since my major (a psycho-analytic help in schools) is totally different from web development. But even with my limited skills, I was able to create over 20 free XOOPS themes and developing one module (Obituaries) and now I am preparing the second one with Nikita (a moderator on the French support)

What are your hobbies, when you're not coding? 

Sport, cooking, reading, I like to spend time with my family and my friends, helping seniors and homeless through NGOs, walking on the beach in the morning and listen to a quiet music,

You favorite dish and drink? 

Pizza is always in the top of my list

What about movies and music? 

I prefer comedy movies. Regarding music , I consider it a part of me, I listen to all kind of music except rap. Music for me is a friend that can change my mood, and that can intervenes in my life without permissions.

If you would have a chance for a 30 seconds commercial with a message to the world, what would you say? 

As Gandhi once said: Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviors. Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.

If you could choose a place and time to live, what would it be and why? 

Usually today and here, but if it’s for a few days vacation, I would like to live a true adventure in any forest or desert with the team from Animal Planet Channel to pack my curiosity and venture into the very heart of adventure and discover a world I never knew existed.

Who is the person that you would like to meet and why? 

The only person in my mind now is my father, who passed away when I was little child, so I would love to meet him one day just to tell him "I love you"

I would like to say "Thank you" to all XOOPSers, especially to you Mamba, to Mowaffak Ali, Kraven, Nikita, Trabis, Kris, Ghia and Marcello Brandao - I learned from your kindness a lot.

Where are you from, and where do you live now? 

I'm from Portugal and I live in a small town north of Lisbon.

How long have you been programming? 

Since around 2003. My first sites were simple HTML pages linked together and built with FrontPage.

What is your expertise? 

I could say PHP since I've been using it for so long, but with the fast pace the web evolves, it can be a challenge to keep up. 

What got you into XOOPS? 

One of my first clients required a web site where he could update is own content. At the time I thought; "surly there must be a system that can do this". The first one I encountered was php-nuke and I gave that a try, but it was very "clunky" and not very modular. I then stumbled onto xoops. The ease to create and tailor websites along with it's modules (in those days the xoops was downloaded with modules) was a giant leap forward compared to competing systems.

What do you like the most about XOOPS? 

If you look at the cutting edge languages, such as Ruby on Rails, they provide a "scaffolding" system onto which you can build a website. XOOPS has had this for many years. This, along with "content separated from design" gives web designers and coders the freedom to create and innovate.

In what area of XOOPS do you contribute and why? 

I like to write tutorials in order to get new people involved with coding xoops modules/core. One thing that I've seen over the years is that, since this is an open source project, coders and designers come and go, so it's important to provide new users, who want to learn, with as much help as possible.

If you could add one feature to XOOPS, what would it be? 

2 features: 
One- speed. I think xoops is getting a little bloated on file includes and code. 
Two- admin themes same as front end. 2.4 allows you to write admin themes, but it's very different from writing them for the front end.

What is your major achievement in programming that you're most proud of? 

I'm always proudest of my latest work, however there are two events I remember: 
WebmailFX, which was my very first xoops module. It was a simple webmail program I released back in 2004 along with flyingtux. I was very "green" using PHP and I constantly asked questions. The people on xoops forums were incredible with their help. 
The other moment was my first xoops tutorial. At the time, it you wanted to learn the basics of a xoops module, you had to open up an existing one and analyze the code. If you weren't familiar with PHP this could prove to be a monumental task. So I decided to write a simple guide. From the feedback I've received, I think I have helped people with this initial step. 
Now I like to write tutorials on how to apply new technology to xoops.

What are your hobbies, when you're not coding? 

I'm a coin collector.

You favorite dish and drink? 

Pepperoni pizza and beer. I like to keep it simple :)

What about movies and music? 

I'm a sci-fi fan so the classical movies like star wars (movie) and lotr (lord of the rings) (book and movie) were great hits with me. There are 3 others that I really liked: 
-Gattaca. I remember seeing this and thinking, my god! This could actually happen. 
-Dark city. For me this was a prelude to another movie everyone is familiar with: The Matrix. 
-Brazil, the 1985 film directed by Terry Gilliam. If you enjoyed the 1927 film metropolis, you are really going to like this one.

If you would have a chance for a 30 seconds commercial with a message to the world, what would you say? 

Let's have a little compassion for our fellow human beings. Even small individual gestures can greatly improve our society.

If you could choose a place and time to live, what would it be and why? 

I think we currently live in an exciting time. I've seen the Berlin wall fall, computers become a commodity, old borders become landmarks, as is the case of the European union and mankind becoming globally linked through something called the Internet. Of course all this comes at a price our generation has still to fix; vast amounts of waste and the dilapidation of our natural resources. But I think we all can work together to reverse this trend. If not for ourselves, then for our children.

Who is the person that you would like to meet and why? 

Leonardo da Vinci. An inventor, astronomer and visionary. You could think of him as the first sci-fi author.

Where are you from, and where do you live now? 

We are all from Taiwan, a beautiful island once called "Formosa" by the Portuguese in the 16th century. It lies off the southeastern coast of mainland China and in the middle of Japan and Philippines. Maybe you have heard of Taiwan, maybe not. In addition to the world's tallest building Taipei 101, Taiwan has established many world's top industries like personal computer (ACER/ASUS), bicycle (GIANT), footwear, tennis racket, textile and etc. The forest and marine ecosystems are abundant and the people here are very kind to foreigners. If you have a chance to travel in Asia, we sincerely invite you to visit Taiwan. Our club is located in Tainan City, a traditional city famous for its historic constructions, culture and cuisine in the southern part of Taiwan. Most of our members live in the south part of Taiwan and some come from the eastern Taiwan.

How long have you been programming? 

Most of us have 1~3 years experience in programming and some others are just starting, using XOOPS as the learning tool.

What is your expertise? 

We mainly study on new module development, theme design and other free software. Most of our members take it as a hobby, but there are few of us who apply it to their jobs and some even use it to make a living. 

What got you into XOOPS? 

Because XOOPS is easy to use and is rich in resources. Also quite a lot of people are using XOOPS here in Taiwan.

What do you like the most about XOOPS? 

XOOPS is easy and quick to install. Moreover, there are plenty of ready-made modules and themes for use.

In what area of XOOPS do you contribute and why? 

We have started to provide some useful and free modules. In addition, we help our local users to set up their websites with XOOPS.

What are you major achievement as the CK2 Club that you're most proud of? 

This year, three members of our club (including Tad, our instructor) have developed a school software system for the Tainan Community College. This school software is a large, complex and full-featured system. The fact that Tainan community college is willing to use it indicates our developing capabilities have reached a reliable level. In addition, many modules developed by us got very positive feedback and appreciation from a lot of users. This is what we are most happy about.

What are you goals for 2010?

For 2010, we hope to create more easy-to-use and practical modules in international versions, such as a new school system or a shopping cart system. Also, we hope to go out for a tour that all club members can join together in the coming year.

How often do you meet, and what are you typical meetings about?

We have regular member meetings on the last Sunday of every month. Generally speaking, we arrange one or two courses for members to learn new techniques. At the rest of the time, we have free talks, chat and eat some local delicious food.

What is the biggest challenge to keep a User Group such as CK2 Club going and keep the members engaged?

To find an interesting topic in the complex techniques is the most challenging part. Too complex coding discourages the novice and too simple programming are unattractive to the experienced members.

What would be the most important advise for somebody starting a XOOPS User Group in their city?

Just do it. It just needs one person to take the initiative. In addition, there must be clear objectives for the Club.

What are your hobbies, when you're not coding? 

Our club members have different kinds of hobbies such as watching movies, reading books, traveling, shopping, go sporting....when we get together and are not coding, we chat, have refreshments or a meal. Also, we plan to go out for a tour together but the time is not yet determined, because all of us are too busy.

What dish and drink would you recommend to somebody visiting Taiwan? 

We recommend Oyster omelet and Bubble Tea, it is delicious and you can find it in any night market.

Who is the person that you would like to meet and why?  

phppp! He is really an excellent programmer. Moreover, we could talk with him in Chinese 

Where are you from, and where do you live now? 

I live in Austin, TX (USA) for the last 25 years, and was born in Garland, TX (near Dallas). For the record, I was conceived in California. I've had the opportunity to be in every state but Alaska and Hawaii as well as travel some of Europe (but not nearly enough).

How long have you been programming? 

About 30 years now, starting initially on TRS-80, TI 99-4a, and Commodore 64 computers. Never stopped and still love coding more than most anything else in the job/business world.

What is your expertise? 

Good question. I often wonder myself. An information technology consultant, systems architect, and security analyst, my consulting and professional experience remain focused on developing strategies for, and the architecting, integrating and administering of secure, multi-platform networks and n-tier server environments that contribute to the realization of each business’s unique strategic objectives. Strengths include project and risk management; network architectures, security, continuity, and administration; software test plan development and implementation; and database design and development. I also think I'm a good parliamentarian as well as Boy Scout. While I've managed many a project and team, my love is coding, developing, and hacking out solutions.

What got you into XOOPS? 

After leaving the corporate world and focusing on smaller clients, I needed a good, solid CMS for the needs of my diverse clients, now mostly small businesses, non-profits, and community organizations. Knowing that every CMS has a learning curve, I wanted to invest my time and energy in a solution that always led to the future while providing a solid, stable, flexible and robust foundation. Around 2004, as a fan of open-source software, I studied a number of PHP-based CMS applications, and after trying and looking under the hood of the top 10 of the day, I decided that XOOPS was the best choice over with an excellent foundational architecture and the most flexibility to customize for the exacting needs of me and my clients.

What do you like the most about XOOPS? 

There are too many to list, realistically. However, some things I truly appreciate are the object-oriented programming, the foundational aspects that make module development easier and more secure, the focus on security, the focus on lightweight (instead of the resource hog aspects of other CMSes), the separation of presentation and development layers, and of course the large, friendly contributive community that gives back as much as they get out of it. You can learn more about my XOOPS experiences from the information I've put together for friends and colleagues (and anyone else that finds it). Most of it has already been posted to the X.o site.

In what area of XOOPS do you contribute and why? 

I give back as much as I can and as regularly as I can but as yet haven't published a full module (although I developed a couple of proprietary ones for clients). I try to touch base with the website daily to share what I can, but don't always make it. I have worked on FCKeditor integration -- I've found it to be the best and most configurable WYSIWYG editor and that's what my clients want. I have also contributed process documentation for upgrades of mature XOOPS installations and checklists related. I help some in moderating the forums. I also help test and debug the XOOPS core and various modules that I've put into use.

If you could add one feature to XOOPS, what would it be? 

A tough one as robust as XOOPS is, and now that the profile module is included.... But, of course, there is always something to add. Based on client requests, an auto-thumbnailing feature usable in all modules and WYSIWYG editors -- and one that resizes the image to the desired display size so that less bandwidth is used (and authors don't have to think). AJAX foundational capabilities for modules would be another benefit. User-selectable blocks, and administratively selectable block positions for each block for each module. Searching of PDFs and other common uploaded binary documents. I'd also like to see some additional organization and rework of the current X.o website to continue to make it easier for newbies to get started, and I'd like to see us close threads on the support forums after a certain period of inactivity as they get re-opened by folks asking a different question when a new topic should have been started. I think that was more than you asked....

What you you major achievement in programming that you're most proud of? 

Whew; that's a tough one, too. I'm not sure that exists, although I've done a lot of programming. At age 15, I wrote some real-time software for timing and photo-finish of sporting events for the family business; maybe that qualifies. However, I'm very proud of each and every site that I've built for every client whether it was for money or for the joy in knowing I was enabling an organization to do good in the world. When they tell me how much better they are able to interact with their folks, then that makes my day. I also lead the strategic internet efforts for a Fortune 100 company throughout the 90s and worked as a consultant in the early 2000s providing enabling architectures and solutions to our clients and I've always been proud of my work. The latter was an employee-owned company that was a great idea (that I'm not sure actually achieved what it originally set out to do).

What are your hobbies, when you're not coding? 

Paddling (canoeing, kayaking), backpacking, camping, volleyball, radio, mountain-biking, music, reading and still photography. I like to spend time with my family, and seeking spiritual one-ness with the universe as well as follow politics. Past hobbies include sailing, massage, drumming, skydiving, and producing television programs and videos.

You favorite dish and drink? 

Pho and most any locally crafted beer. Real Ale Full Moon Pale Rye ale is at the top of my list.

What about movies and music? 

I watch a lot of movies preferring Sci-Fi for escapism and thinking about the future, and documentaries for learning. I'm a huge fan of Babylon 5 and the Star Trek series of all flavors -- yes, even the original, especially for what it brought to its time. I also love the foreign and independent movies as they create the next generation of movies, and I enjoy some comedies and action flicks (and the occasional romantic comedy, aka chick flick, with my SO). I love most kinds of music, but my collection focuses on "progressive rock". I also DJ a weekly "prog rock" show -- Virtual Noise -- on a local community radio station (KOOP). I'm working on their new site -- built on XOOPS of course.

If you would have a chance for a 30 seconds commercial with a message to the world, what would you say?

Ground yourself with regular moments of reflection. Live your life to the fullest. Live each day as if there was no tomorrow. The three greatest things to remember in life are to be respectful of all -- even when they aren't, be tolerant -- even when you don't agree, and be compassionate -- because it's the sign of an enlightened individual. Respect yourself and everyone and everything around you. Think daily about how you would like others to remember you after you're gone. Give of yourself to others and your community as you are able. Turn off the television. Take a 14-day dory ride on the Grand Canyon and feel the heartbeat of the universe. Take any of this sage advice (once attributed as a hoax to a favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut).

If you could choose a place and time to live, what would it be and why? 

The place and time is anywhere and anywhen money is no longer the manner in which we measure our self-worth across this globe, rather who you are and what you have done to make the world a better place defines you; and when wars are no longer fought and we work together for the common good of all. And then when reality sets in for me, I think I'd like to live during the last century and watch my parents and grandparents grow up and see the things they saw and experience the same.

Who is the person that you would like to meet and why?  

Thomas Jefferson -- for his efforts during the age of American enlightenment in the construction of the US Constitution and it's founding principles that remain foundational today. I'd love to have many a discussion over beer (although today's beer, most likely) about all of that thinking. Ben Franklin, for his entrepreneurial aspects, inventiveness and pragmatic thinking during the same age as well as his love of beer. And finally, while there are many worthy people I'd love to meet, I think it would interesting to meet the father of science fiction, Hugo Gernsback.

Where are you from, and where do you live now? 

I'm from a small town in Germany / Northrine-Westphalia, called Schiefbahn, near to Krefeld, Moenchengladbach and Duesseldorf.

How long have you been programming? 

I would not call it programming what I am doing, but I started to "program" a bit in PHP when XOOPS 2 came out about 6 years ago.

What is your expertise? 

Nothing in fact. A bit of everything, but nothing really well. Wait - I found my expertise: copy'n'paste-programming! 

What got you into XOOPS? 

I got to XOOPS per accident. My boss asked me to search for a CMS we could use for our own homepage. I tried several and first we started with "backend". I tried the XOOPS 1.3x series as well, but wasn't convinced. When XOOPS 2 came out with smarty support we / I stayed with XOOPS.

What do you like the most about XOOPS? 

What I like most about XOOPS is the way it could be hacked and the ease of use. The code is far from perfect, but it is easy to adapt. Even being a low-level-programmer you can get some nice and quick results.

In what area of XOOPS do you contribute and why? 

Answering questions on the forums, making small hacks to make XOOPS better and developing my own module. Repairing xoopsforge on dev.xoops.org is another thing which keeps me busy. At the moment I am focused on my module (debaser), which is a nightmare, because I have so many ideas, but not enough time / knowledge.

What you you major achievement in programming that you're most proud of? 

I am most proud of debaser, because the last version is nearly 5 years old and still working (with some quirks). What else? Making my modules bloated. I like the freedom of choice, but often I exaggerate a bit with the options -> see also tinyeditor which should be called hugeeditor.

What are your hobbies, when you're not coding? 

Playing a bit handball, playing rough with my dog and playing games on PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP (who shouted fanboy?).

You favorite dish and drink? 

Pancake, Pizza with Tuna (+ hot + garlic), Lasagna and Boerek (Turkish food).

What about movies and music? 

Any movie with action, blood and violence, SciFi movies and sometimes comedy.

 My favorite music depends on what is inside the CD changer in my car. At the moment it is Tocotronic , Sampler with German Indie Classics, Kitchens of Distinction , Wolfsheim  and Deine Lakaien .

If you would have a chance for a 30 seconds commercial with a message to the world, what would you say?

It won't take 30 seconds anyway: While you are here, make your personal hell a comfortable one.

If you could choose a place and time to live, what would it be and why? 

I am quite satisfied with the time I live in.

Who is the person that you would like to meet and why?  

The persons I would like to meet already passed away or don't give a ????? about me. I am too negative, I know, so here some not so negative answers: Leonardo da Vinci, because I would like to see a real genius at work. Charon, asking him if he already delivered Elvis. Frank Black (Pixies), drinking some beer with him.

Where are you from, and where do you live now? 

I'm from Bombarral, Portugal, you know, just beside Spain! .

How long have you been programming? 

About 3 hours, just stopped to reply your kindly invitation. Well, I started coding when I was 10 or 12, can't remember. My mother gave me a Spectrum 48k, not so good as Wishcraft commodore, but good enough to learn "elses", "ifs" and other good things in life! I broke my Spectrum when I was 15 so... I've met the internet at the end of 2005, met XOOPS at the beginning of 2006. Started learning PHP in 2007. Started making modules for XOOPS in 2008.

What is your expertise? 

I'm not an expert in anything I must say, what I do worst is what I do best. I'm a bad electrician, a bad guitar player, a bad poet, bad lover and even worst coder. You can call me a "wannabe developer".

What got you into XOOPS? 

Luck, I must have been blessed that day. A friend of mine from a crackers forum opened a hosting company and offered me cheap space on a server. He recommended me XOOPS. I asked him why and still remember is answer - "It is very quick and easy to administrate".

What do you like the most about XOOPS? 

Who said I like it? I love it, and I love it all, starting with block positions and ending in groups permissions. I've tried other CMS, I moderated sites with other CMS but you know, XOOPS was my first love. I have made a successful site with XOOPS from ground 0. When I started I could not tell the difference between an email address and an URL. XOOPS has given me a new life and I'm in debt to it. That is why I'm struggling to give back because of everything that this community has given to me.

In what area of XOOPS do you contribute and why? 

I like to contribute in the forum and getting old modules back to life. I have missed support on my early days here and I know how important is to help newbies. I want to feel useful here so, I'll help every time I have the chance and (as a newbie I still am) will not hesitate to post my doubts here.

What you you major achievement in programming that you're most proud of? 

"Mytabs" is being a very grateful experience as a team work, but I believe my best achievement is still to come. I have great plans crossing my head everyday. If there will be a module of the year, you and me will make it.

What are your hobbies, when you're not coding?

I used to play in a band but not anymore, we have to make choices, time won't stretch. My hobby now is getting some sleep. I bet you know what I'm talking about.

You favorite dish and drink? 

The dish-washer. I can't drink anymore, I had my share!

What about movies and music? 

Matrix. I like psycadelic trance, black metal ... Nirvana, Doors, Sepultura, Bolero de Ravel, that kind of stuff.

If you would have a chance for a 30 seconds commercial with a message to the world, what would you say?

I would turn red and say nothing.

If you could choose a place and time to live, what would it be and why? 

Nice question. It could be anywhere, just plug me to internet and I´ll be where I want when I want.

Who is the person that you would like to meet and why?  

As a poet that I am, I could not answer this any other way --> I would like to meet myself.

Where are you from, and where do you live now? 

Living in Denmark, city of Skagen

How long have you been programming? 

Hmm good question. I started making small programs on my commodore 64 back in the good old 80's, this lead to amiga in the 90s and then came a long break from learning. Late in the 90's I began learning html and last 4 years I have been looking at php (a little on/of) until now that is.

What is your expertise? 

Actually my main computer skills are placed along the sound editing area, which is pretty far from php, but still getting better (I hope) at programming.

What got you to XOOPS? 

I was updating the website of "Tiger FM", a local radio station, but people still needed me to post news, pictures, edit streams and post them. From Google I stumbled upon www.xoops.org and realized that if I tried this, they could do most of it themselves from the radio.

What do you like the most about XOOPS? 

The potential. Dusins of people working together to improve every aspect of the project. There's basically nothing you cannot do with xoops.

In what area of XOOPS do you contribute and why? 

Still working on my first module (100% xoops coded) and I feel every time I write 1-2 lines I learn something new. Hopefully with this new knowledge I can help someone having the same obsticals I have/had. I am pretty curious from nature so these problems I havent encountered yet I am sure I will plow into at some time.

What you you major achievement in programming that you're most proud of? 

This award obviously. And of course the feeling you get when making onair and you see it working.

What are your hobbies, when you're not coding? 

Music. Used to work as a DJ but had to give it up. The weekend is short enough as it is. I still have a few shows at the local radio station and still do some odd jobs mixing music, making ids etc.

You favorite dish and drink? 

Food in general is my favourite. Havent tryed anything I didn't like yet. Coffey is a must have! But I would never turn down a cold beer. (I recommend Zagorka or Red Carlsberg)

What about movies and music? 

Definitely horror / mystery movies. As for music basically anything goes.

If you would have a chance for a 30 seconds commercial with a message to the world, what would you say?

Don't be afraid to take chances or to make changes but take your time to use logic in the time between (30 seconds is a lot of speaking for a commercial  )

If you could choose a place and time to live, what would it be and why? 

"Right now" and "right here" feel pretty good for now, but ask me again Monday and I'll give another answer probably.

Who is the person that you would like to meet and why?  

Hmm don't know, there are so many but there is no one I would just die to meet. Plato maybe ..but I don't speak Greek.

Where are you from, and where do you live now? 

I'm from Romania, currently living in the UK for the past 2years, Scotland to be exact, in a small town called Alyth.

How long have you been programming? 

I started programming about 1year after I discovered XOOPS, so that will make it late 2005

What is your expertise? 

Photoshop work spiced with a bit of JQuery

What got you to XOOPS? 

I was part of a small community on mIRC and we decided we should have a website and since none of us had any coding background someone suggested we should use a CMS and so XOOPS was introduced to us. We were amazed how easy it was to have the desired features and how fast we could change from one skin (theme) to another. After getting the hang of it, I started to get addicted to the the community and couldn't stop refreshing the main page of www.xoops.org to see what other questions I haven't thought of are being asked, what other ideas this and that user had for his site.

What do you like the most about XOOPS? 

I'd have to say the easiness to develop for it.

In what area of XOOPS do you contribute and why? 

I make themes and templates for modules because designing is the thing I do best

What you you major achievement in programming that you're most proud of? 

Every site that is using one of the themes I've done, I consider it a major achievement!  Being acknowledged as a good designer is enough for me.

What are your hobbies, when you're not coding? 

I'm a huge fan of video games and the more scarier the better ...find me on XBOX Live for some L4D   , my gamertag is aph3xUK.

You favorite dish and drink? 

Favorite drink is definitely coffee!  As for the favorite dish, it is rather hard to nominate just one, but the Chinese Cuisine is my favorite

What about movies and music? 

My all time favorite movie is Donnie Darko, all time favorite TV series is Six Feet Under, as favorite musician... Nas is the definitely The man but am also huge fan of Depeche Mode, Linkin Park and Massive Attack

If you would have a chance for a 30 seconds commercial with a message to the world, what would you say?

Taking something what Stefan the Great (Moldavian king) once said, but to a higher level...."Take care of the Earth as it doesn't belong to us, it belongs to generations and generations to come"

If you could choose a place and time to live, what would it be and why? 

I like it here and now seriously, but I would go about 2000 years in the future just to see how off are we today with the predictions about it

Who is the person that you would like to meet and why?  

If it could be anyone from any time at all, then I'd have to say Leonardo da Vinci for a number of obvious reasons 

Where are you from, and where do you live now? 

I’m from a little place at the very top of England called Scotland. Many people seem to think that the British Isles is England only, but that is not true. I currently live at the Bonnie bank of Dundee.

How long have you been programming? 

Since the days of the Spectrum, back in the days when you would load your program, sit and wait for 30 minutes to find out that there was a loading error right at the end. That was fun. So, you could say on and off from the 80’s.

What is your expertise? 

Retail. I have spent my last 20 years in various aspects of the retail trade.

What got you to XOOPS? 

I was working for a company that decided to update their website. I was given the task of looking for alternatives to static html. I think I tried just about every CMS that there was at the time and that is when I discovered Xoops. Well Xoops v1 at the time. It was still very much along the lines of the Nuke version, but even then it had something that just made it stand out from the others.

What do you like the most about XOOPS? 

When I first stated using Xoops, I had no real idea of the issues using a CMS at all, and the community were wonderful with helping no matter what issue or problem I had or with answering my questions, no matter how silly they seemed. So I would have to say the community to start off with.

I have developed for so many different CMS’s. Mambo, Joomla, Drupal and Xaraya and the list can go on. Yet, I have to say that Xoops, even with its older code, is far the easier to work with and develop on.

In what area of XOOPS do you contribute and why? 

I’m not sure where I should start with this. I like to think I try to contribute to as much of Xoops as I can right now, from Support within the forums, to working on the core. Right now, I am trying to get WF-Projects back up and running again, and have all the WF-Project modules moved over to work with 2.3 branch and PHP5. So this will require some real change. I also want to refactor many of the modules like WF-Links and WF-Downloads to be lighter, more compact and use more of Xoops technologies and PHP5 throughout.

I am helping on the ‘Move to Blue’ initiative with the Xoops Module development Team. What this means is, we are driving to make sure that no matter which module you use, is will work with Xoops 2.3 and PHP5. We are still in the early stages of this and if you would like to help, you know where to contact me 

As part of the Move to blue, we are also working on the new Module repository. This is still in the early stage of planning, and we are looking into many different technologies we could use to make adding modules to the repository as easy as possible and to making it extremely user friendly, but at the same time content rich for everyone.

At the moment I am working on the 2.3.4 branch of Xoops.

What you you major achievement in programming that you're most proud of? 

I would like to say that within the Xoops environment, it would have to be WF-Sections. I basically broke into using PHP with this module. Though I have to say that this is not what I consider my most proud achievement in programming.

I basically have two that I hold with fond memories and when I look back I sometimes wonder how I managed to do them lol

1. I wrote a complete OS for a computer called the SAM Coupe (many of you may not have heard of it). The programming language was Basic and very easy to use. I didn’t like the interface that came with the original OS, so I wrote my own and complete with new disk format for it.

2. Me and my Brother wrote a football managerial game many years ago. The game was complete with real football player stats, player negotiations and graphic animations for in game. That was a lot of fun for us to write.

What are your hobbies, when you're not coding? 

Music: I have been a musician for as long as I can remember. Played guitar in numerous bands, also did a lot of session work and taught budding guitarists for a good few years. Over the last few years I have been writing and producing more with Computer related tools and instruments.

Gaming: I find that this helps me relax a lot.

You favorite dish and drink? 

Lol, ok, I have to admit, I am not a food person. Very picky about what I eat, and I am not one of those people who get excited about eating. Though I must admin, I am very partial about Indian food, when I am in the mood for it.

Drink, Tea. I have one of those thermal cups and it sits there all the time when I am coding full of tea. My whole family are tea drinkers. When we visit other members of our family, the first thing that goes on is the kettle.

What about movies and music? 

Anything with Tom Hanks in it will do me. The man is a fantastic actor and puts everything into any film that he stars in. and, I have to say Braveheart, with being Scottish, even though the film was nothing like what happened in real life. I like the fact that it changed a lot of politics here in the UK.

I listen to a lot of music, especially when I am programming. If I am doing something that I need to concentrate on, I normally listen to ambient or dance, otherwise I will mainly listen to hard rock. At the moment Nickleback – Dark horse is blasting out.

If you would have a chance for a 30 seconds commercial with a message to the world, what would you say?

Your life on this planet is shorter than you think. Rather than spending all your time trying to kill each for just having different points of views, politics and religion. Why not get in a pizza, six pack and kill each other on Halo?

If you could choose a place and time to live, what would it be and why? 

I honestly think I was born too early. I really would have liked to have been born around the time of space exploration, warp drive and all that. Visit new worlds, meet new races, civilizations (Without the need to kill them first) and exchange history, culture, technology and new ways of life and living.

Who is the person that you would like to meet and why?  

I think that of all the musicians that influenced me more anyone else with my guitar work, I would have to say Gary Moore did. So yes, from that point of view I would like to meet him, discuss guitar styles and techniques and maybe have a jam with him.