Marc-André Lafortune: A Journey in Programming and Open Source
In this interview with Marc-André Lafortune, a longtime contributor to the Ruby and Elixir communities, the article explores his journey in programming and open source. Lafortune shares his early experiences with programming, starting with an Apple II Plus and learning BASIC. He discusses his professional path, initially trying to resist programming but ultimately finding himself working in the field for 16 years. Lafortune also reflects on his first exposure to open source, highlighting the challenges of working in a closed environment and the importance of open source for bug fixing and collaboration. As a member of the Ruby and rubocop core teams, Lafortune discusses his work on the abstract syntax tree and rewiring Rubocop. This interview provides insights into the life of an open source maintainer and the impact of open source on the development community.