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.