Hacker News Reader

Python is not an appropriate example.

Guido van Rossum started working on python in the late 80s while employed by a computer science research center in Europe, then continued working on it while employed by a computer science research in the United States. He didn't start working at Google (working 50% on python) until 2005.

View on HN

continued working on it while employed by a computer science research in the United States

I was referring to this specifically, not his time at Google.

His employer didn't realize he was working on Python.

How many employers at universities have any idea about what their employees are doing beyond 'something with computers' or 'something with microbes' ? (exaggeration - but not a whole lot, in academia by definition most people are not in a position to understand what others are doing because what they are doing is supposed to be cutting edge)

His employer didn't realize he was working on Python.

That sounds like a fascinating story, but I'm not quite sure what to search for to find it. Do you have a link, by chance?

Check out his talk here, he talks about that and much more:

"Guido van Rossum on the History of Python": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugqu10JV7dk

Reply on news.ycombinator.com