2008 Candidate:
Tracy Ragan
Chief Operating Officer
Nominee for Contributing Member representative
Involvement with Eclipse has become a substantial part of my background and experience. I have
been involved with Eclipse in some capacity since 2002 when I started hearing about the "Eclipse Project". At
that time, I took a closer look at Eclipse and was immediately surprised by what I found, an open source effort
focused around a common IDE platform. By the end of 2002, I had become a "founding steward" of this new
and exciting community. I've watched the Eclipse organization grow and change, always adding my "2 cents" along the way.
During 2007 I have had the pleasure of serving on the Eclipse board representing the Eclipse Eco-system of Add-in Providers. It is my belief that the Add-in Provider community is and will continue to be the core of Eclipse. Even though our strategic members our important, it is the Add-in providers who bring a well rounded commercial market based on the Eclipse technology.
| email: | tracy.ragan at openmakesoftware.com |
Vision
Involvement from Add-in Provider companies is a critical component of the overall success of Eclipse. Some Add-in Providers have learned how to stay involved even as Eclipse has grown. I believe there are many more Add-in Providers who want to be active, not passive, members of Eclipse but simply don't know how. Add-in Providers need to be better organized so that they can more easily see how to get involved. In addition, Add-in providers need to be recognized as a core pillar of Eclipse. This can be done through better recognition programs for active Add-in Providers and an increased focus on Add-in Providers through Public Relations contacts. Add-in Provider contribution is important. What we don't want is for the Eclipse organization to evolve to a place where Add-in Providers simply serve as an audience to the Strategic Members. We are the "members at large" and represent one of the core pillars of this organization.
About the Candidate
I have served as both CEO and COO for OpenMake Software since 1995. I started my IT career as a mainframe programmer in the mid 1980s and moved into C programming mainly in OS/2 PM by the late 1980s. I worked as an independent consultant for 8 years before forming OpenMake Software with my partner Steve Taylor. Since that time we have created the now emerging market of enterprise build management tools with Openmake Meister the leader and most complete solution available. We have done this without any level of VC funding by letting our superior software fund itself. The experience of growing OpenMake Software will be extremely valuable when is comes to serving as a member of the Eclipse Board.
Affiliation
OpenMake Software is the leading vendor of Enterprise Build Management Solutions. OpenMake Meister, our flagship product, was launched in June of 1995. Since that time OpenMake Software has revolutionized the way developers manage their build process by mashing up the individual developer's IDE builds with the team build executed outside of the IDE. OpenMake Software enjoys close partnerships with other Eclipse Members such as Serena Software, Computer Associates, MKS Inc., and IBM.