3 ms·

There's a point you may be missing - they're seeking fanatical Canonical fans that share in a common vision. Their lengthy process might mean they don't get yo

by Alupis 3y ago

There's a point you may be missing - they're seeking fanatical Canonical fans that share in a common vision. Their lengthy process might mean they don't get your typical fast-flying FAANG engineer, but it does mean they get someone who's a die-hard Canonical fan.

whatshisface 3y ago
Who's a die-hard canonical fan?
- Alupis 3y ago
  Who's a die-hard Mozilla fan? People who love Ubuntu, tend to love Ubuntu. A very long hiring process pretty much ensures the only ones still waiting around are the ones who really want to work at Canonical.
  - tschwimmer 3y ago
    This is not exclusively true. You will get people who are willing to jump through a lot of hoops to get hired. Some of them may have strong affinity for Canonical, some may just really really need a job and have no other options.
    - Alupis 3y ago
      The folks who really really need a job are probably not the people Canonical is looking to hire. They are being extremely deliberate with their length hiring process. However it is true, it's not a universal thing of course.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - kragen 3y ago
    i installed ubuntu or kubuntu on most of my new machines since it came out, but for my newest install i picked debian instead, especially since the softening of the debian social contract eliminated most of the install hassles because i usually use xpdf for pdf files and ubuntu dropped it https://askubuntu.com/questions/1245518/how-to-install-xpdf-on-ubuntu-20-04 https://askubuntu.com/questions/1245518/how-to-install-xpdf-... i was skeptical about ubuntu's business prospects when mark pitched me on it at the ceo conference in 02004 (he was attending, i wasn't) but i've always thought the distribution was pretty decent, and the company's behavior has also been excellent. a couple of my friends have worked there and had no complaints. i would have no hesitation about working there unless i had a better offer on the table but i'm definitely not a die-hard ubuntu fan
    - Alupis 3y ago
      If you were looking for a new job today, would you tolerate an 81 day process like the OP did? My guess is probably not, unless you were just in love with Canonical and their mission (ie. it was your dream job). Most available top-tier talent can land a job in much less than 81 days with much less effort at much more prestigious places... and they won't wait around for an average offer like what will come from Canonical. By dragging out their process, Canonical either intentionally or unintentionally limits themselves to people who really just love Canonical and it's mission (and/or people like Mark). Additionally, this lengthy process ensures the most desirable candidates self-eliminate from the pool due to accepting offers elsewhere in the meantime.
      - kragen 3y ago
        yeah, i would, unless i were desperate to get some income (as in fact i am right now, but almost never have been) like, yeah, if i had just been laid off and i was trying to get two or three offers on the table at the same time so i could choose between them, getting me an offer in a couple of weeks instead of three months would be crucial but usually when i've interviewed for a job, i've already had another job, or at least hourly contract work sufficient to pay the bills
        Alupis 3y ago
        Well, consider if you had a job, were looking for another job, and had put some time/effort into a couple places. If you received say 1-3 offers, and Canonical was still 2+ months away (and you had no idea if an offer would even be made) - would you wait (meaning decline your other offers)? Probably not. Unless you really just wanted to work at Canonical (the dream job opportunity thing). None of this is to say Canonical isn't a fantastic workspace. It's just a comment on their hiring process and possibly missed opportunities. If you're looking for top-tier talent, it would behoove you to move fast.
        kragen 3y ago
        agreed, but they're probably hoping to hire people whose job search isn't very active, rather than people who are desperate to work there
  - triceratops 3y ago
    You might be right but gosh, what a terrible way to treat your most faithful supporters.
  - nextaccountic 3y ago
    I was extremely passionate about Ubuntu some 15 years ago. I would receive live CD-roms and distribute them in my campus, and teach people to install Ubuntu. Would show up things like Beryl or whatever weird stuff you could do with Linux at the time. Organized free software meetups too. Today? I couldn't care less about whatever Canonical is up to. I don't know if the tipping point was when they put ads in the frigging desktop or if it was just a slow but persistent decline in quality It seems to me that Canonical doesn't care about desktop anymore (does anyone remember bug #1?) but is focused all in on servers. Which I suppose pays the bills, but resulted in Canonical burning an immense amount of goodwill the last decade+
- usrusr 3y ago
  Strike Ubuntu, insert "Linux", or "desktop Linux". Yeah, there will be a few who'd consider it quite awesome working on it full time and getting paid, and who wouldn't mind doing that Ubuntu-flavored. And it's not far off if they consider themselves attractive enough that they can skip everybody who's idle and looking for a seat to fill, and instead focus on those who are already employed but consider a change.
cbozeman 3y ago
Too bad that common vision isn't a Desktop that isn't absolutely garbage. Maybe they should spend more time hiring people that actually make competitive applications against Microsoft than die-hard nutjobs who think waiting a year to work for an open-source company is a good idea. Microsoft might not have 70% of the desktop market if they'd done that. Apple managed to claw back 15% of the desktop market to 20% with their BSD-clone OS, and it still has garbage software compared to what's available on Windows, but at least it's a start...
isk517 3y ago
By hiring their biggest fans they're guaranteed to produce a product that their biggest fans will love. Everyone maybe not so much but their biggest fans will love it.
klntsky 3y ago
> $X is bad > $X bad on purpose > $X is made to appear bad for those who are not die-hard $X fans You just invented a consipracy theory that has surprisingly huge explanative power in modern world

by Alupis 3y ago

whatshisface 3y ago

Who's a die-hard canonical fan?

Alupis 3y ago
Who's a die-hard Mozilla fan? People who love Ubuntu, tend to love Ubuntu. A very long hiring process pretty much ensures the only ones still waiting around are the ones who really want to work at Canonical.
- tschwimmer 3y ago
  This is not exclusively true. You will get people who are willing to jump through a lot of hoops to get hired. Some of them may have strong affinity for Canonical, some may just really really need a job and have no other options.
  - Alupis 3y ago
    The folks who really really need a job are probably not the people Canonical is looking to hire. They are being extremely deliberate with their length hiring process. However it is true, it's not a universal thing of course.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- kragen 3y ago
  i installed ubuntu or kubuntu on most of my new machines since it came out, but for my newest install i picked debian instead, especially since the softening of the debian social contract eliminated most of the install hassles because i usually use xpdf for pdf files and ubuntu dropped it https://askubuntu.com/questions/1245518/how-to-install-xpdf-on-ubuntu-20-04 https://askubuntu.com/questions/1245518/how-to-install-xpdf-... i was skeptical about ubuntu's business prospects when mark pitched me on it at the ceo conference in 02004 (he was attending, i wasn't) but i've always thought the distribution was pretty decent, and the company's behavior has also been excellent. a couple of my friends have worked there and had no complaints. i would have no hesitation about working there unless i had a better offer on the table but i'm definitely not a die-hard ubuntu fan
  - Alupis 3y ago
    If you were looking for a new job today, would you tolerate an 81 day process like the OP did? My guess is probably not, unless you were just in love with Canonical and their mission (ie. it was your dream job). Most available top-tier talent can land a job in much less than 81 days with much less effort at much more prestigious places... and they won't wait around for an average offer like what will come from Canonical. By dragging out their process, Canonical either intentionally or unintentionally limits themselves to people who really just love Canonical and it's mission (and/or people like Mark). Additionally, this lengthy process ensures the most desirable candidates self-eliminate from the pool due to accepting offers elsewhere in the meantime.
    - kragen 3y ago
      yeah, i would, unless i were desperate to get some income (as in fact i am right now, but almost never have been) like, yeah, if i had just been laid off and i was trying to get two or three offers on the table at the same time so i could choose between them, getting me an offer in a couple of weeks instead of three months would be crucial but usually when i've interviewed for a job, i've already had another job, or at least hourly contract work sufficient to pay the bills
      - Alupis 3y ago
        Well, consider if you had a job, were looking for another job, and had put some time/effort into a couple places. If you received say 1-3 offers, and Canonical was still 2+ months away (and you had no idea if an offer would even be made) - would you wait (meaning decline your other offers)? Probably not. Unless you really just wanted to work at Canonical (the dream job opportunity thing). None of this is to say Canonical isn't a fantastic workspace. It's just a comment on their hiring process and possibly missed opportunities. If you're looking for top-tier talent, it would behoove you to move fast.
        kragen 3y ago
        agreed, but they're probably hoping to hire people whose job search isn't very active, rather than people who are desperate to work there
- triceratops 3y ago
  You might be right but gosh, what a terrible way to treat your most faithful supporters.
- nextaccountic 3y ago
  I was extremely passionate about Ubuntu some 15 years ago. I would receive live CD-roms and distribute them in my campus, and teach people to install Ubuntu. Would show up things like Beryl or whatever weird stuff you could do with Linux at the time. Organized free software meetups too. Today? I couldn't care less about whatever Canonical is up to. I don't know if the tipping point was when they put ads in the frigging desktop or if it was just a slow but persistent decline in quality It seems to me that Canonical doesn't care about desktop anymore (does anyone remember bug #1?) but is focused all in on servers. Which I suppose pays the bills, but resulted in Canonical burning an immense amount of goodwill the last decade+
usrusr 3y ago
Strike Ubuntu, insert "Linux", or "desktop Linux". Yeah, there will be a few who'd consider it quite awesome working on it full time and getting paid, and who wouldn't mind doing that Ubuntu-flavored. And it's not far off if they consider themselves attractive enough that they can skip everybody who's idle and looking for a seat to fill, and instead focus on those who are already employed but consider a change.

cbozeman 3y ago

Too bad that common vision isn't a Desktop that isn't absolutely garbage. Maybe they should spend more time hiring people that actually make competitive applications against Microsoft than die-hard nutjobs who think waiting a year to work for an open-source company is a good idea. Microsoft might not have 70% of the desktop market if they'd done that. Apple managed to claw back 15% of the desktop market to 20% with their BSD-clone OS, and it still has garbage software compared to what's available on Windows, but at least it's a start...

isk517 3y ago

By hiring their biggest fans they're guaranteed to produce a product that their biggest fans will love. Everyone maybe not so much but their biggest fans will love it.

klntsky 3y ago

> $X is bad > $X bad on purpose > $X is made to appear bad for those who are not die-hard $X fans You just invented a consipracy theory that has surprisingly huge explanative power in modern world