Neil Hopcroft

A digital misfit


Do you think that the world will be a better place, or a worse place in 100 years from now?
Of course the world is going to be a better place! Now the important question is one of in what way its going to be better, and, even more importantly, what are you doing to make it better? Me? I’m trying to make people believe that there is more to be gained by working together than by stabbing each other in the back all the time. Oh, and I’m trying to improve the state of the software industry, but I’m only a little lonely voice in a sea of monkeys. Or something.

Would you rather be a member of the world championship sports team, or be the champion of an individual sport?
Not a sports person. Much rather be part of a team, I think. Not sure.

Would you accept £1,000,000 to leave the country and never set foot in it again?
No. Well, I might accept that to leave Japan and never return right now, but I’m assuming thats not the point of the question in this context.

Which sex do you think has it easier in our culture? Have you ever wished you were of the opposite sex?
Thats a difficult one, I don’t think either has it easier, they’re just different. Yes, I have wished I were female, but that was a long time ago and I don’t now. Though there are some things that are easier, it would just be too much responsibility and need too much planning, I couldn’t cope with that.

You are given the power to kill people simply by thinking of their deaths and twice repeating the word “good-bye”. People would die natural deaths and no-one would suspect you. Are there any situations in which you would use this power?
No.

If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain wither the body or the mind of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?
Body. I would like to think my mind would keep growing, well, at least until it got dementia, but I see that as potential for a lot of fun too.


5 comments

  1. Anonymous

    Save the Software Industry!

    Neil,

    I want to improve the software industry, too! We should form a secret society to change the state of the industry. (Hope no-one else is reading this…)

    Mind you, I tried at Gnocchia UK without much success and with a lot of frustration… :-(

    Chip

    • Good question! Dunno. I think they’re probably basically good but being abused, they did a lot for development of other types of engineering when they were introduced and the principle is good. The practice, however, leaves a lot to be desired.

      One of my concerns is that most of the people rallying against software patents are Free Software people on a high horse. I’ve a lot of problems with the way “Open software” develops, especially with some of the attitudes of the people involved. Most open software has a long way to go before it is actually useful, but its never going to get there because the people involved don’t have the right focus, they’re driven by getting cool features into their product not by usability. Software houses used to suffer the same but they’ve now realised that there is a balance to be drawn.

      Thats not to say open software cant get there in the end, just that it isnt there yet. I think its a question of incentives, patents provide a structure for one set of incentives, free software another structure, they dont mix too well.

  2. Though there are some things that are easier, it would just be too much responsibility and need too much planning, I couldn’t cope with that.

    … do explain?

    • I’m too used to being a guy now, we dont have to plan anything, it just kinda happens around us, girls seem to plan stuff in varying degrees of detail, from makeup and clothes to holidays to saturday evening in front of the telly to painting the house a particular shade of pale green to match that vase they bought in Truro market last autumn. Maybe I just happen to hang around with the women who are like that and theres actually a whole bunch of disorganised unplanning women lurking somewhere so unprecontemplated that I never meet them.

      Or maybe they’re just better at hiding how unplanned everything actually is?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.