Community Stories
These tracks are curated sequences from the archive. Each one follows a specific line of practice instead of presenting interviews as an undifferentiated list.
Craftsmanship Lineage
A sequence of interviews from Software Craftsmanship North America that traces how practitioners discussed deliberate practice, mentorship, and professional standards over time.
Why this track: These interviews document the working language of software craftsmanship as it moved from hallway conversations into durable community practice.
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Interviewee: Sergio Pereira
Topic: Chicago Alt.NET
Video description: My first interview for Ugtastic is with Sergio Pereira who runs the Chicago Alt.NET group.
Chicago Alt.NET holds a special place in my heart as it's the first user-group I attended and the first user-group I ever spoke at. Sergio shares his feelings on providing a platform for developers who may not otherwise have an opportunity to get up and share their experience and passions via Chicago Alt.NET.
This was my first interview so comments and tips are welcome. Sergio is a great sport and I really appreciate him taking the time to sit down and chat about Chicago Alt.NET.
Interviewee: Dustin Updyke
Topic: Pittsburgh SC
Interviewee: London Software Craftsmanship
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Interviewee: Drew Shefman
Topic: Houston Adobe User Group
★ Transcript Available
Interviewee: Charler Baker
Topic: Denver Community
Interviewee: Bobby Johnson
Topic: South Sound .NET
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Interviewee: Zach Shaw
Topic: Boston SC
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Interviewee: Michael Norton
Topic: Cleveland & Pittsburgh Community
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Interviewee: Max Lancaster
Topic: DC Alt.NET
Interviewee: Ross
Topic: South Bend Software Craftsmanship
User Groups as Learning Systems
Conversations rooted in user-group ecosystems where engineers shared methods, tested ideas, and built local continuity.
Why this track: User groups are where durable habits form. This track shows how local working groups turned participation into long-term growth.
Interviewee: Scott Seely
Topic: Lake County .NET User Group (LCNUG)
Video description: Scott Seely runs a .NET users' group up in Grayslake, IL. He's also extremely active in the Chicago-land Microsoft Developer community that Microsoft recognized him as a Regional Director. He explains why he founded LCNUG and what exactly is a "Regional Director".
Interviewees: Pat Paasch, Clark Sell
Topic: angleBracket
Video description: Pat Paasch and Clark Sell founded angleBracket, a hands-on web-tech focused hackfest type users' group up in the Far Northern Suburbs of Chicago. I attended a meeting and then recorded the interview at a post-meeting get-together at a local bar. Not the best sound quality but the meeting was a lot of fun and provided a great opportunity to spend a little time pairing and hacking on a variety of things in a relatively short time.
★ Transcript Available
Interviewee: Brian Ray
Topic: ChiPy
Video description: Brian Ray (@brianray) took the time to sit down before the April 2012 ChiPy (pronounced Chippy) and chat about the Chicago Python community.
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Interviewee: Dave Hoover
Topic: Geekfest
Video description: Geekfest was considered the heart of Obtiva and since the acquisition by Groupon it has grown from a small group of developers to what feels almost like a weekly mini-conference. Dave Hoover chats with me about the origin and growth of Geekfest.
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Interviewees: Steve Kim, Jim Suchy
Topic: Chicago Software Craftsmanship
Video description: I stopped by the Chicago Software Craftsmanship meeting and got a chance to chat with Steve Kim and Jim Suchy. Steve and Jim run the Chicago Software Craftsmanship group at the 8th Light office in downtown Chicago. This interview is a little bit chaotic because we did the interview as people were beginning to file in for the meeting.
★ Transcript Available
Interviewees: Ethan Gunderson, Ryan Briones
Topic: Gathers.us and ChicagoDB
Video description: After a couple months of fighting schedules Ethan, Ryan and myself were able to sit down and chat about the work they're doing on Gathers.us and the ChicagoDB. This video is actually the second as we had a technical difficulty with the first recording. I really appreciate that we were able to finally get this interview recorded!
Oh, and they did end up getting some chicken.
Conference Ecosystem Shifts
Interviews across conference contexts that show how topics, constraints, and priorities shifted as communities matured.
Why this track: Conference interviews capture each period's practical concerns. In sequence, they show where the industry changed and where it stayed consistent.
★ Transcript Available
Interviewee: Milan Dobrota & Jen Lindner
Video description: Interview with Milan Dobrota and Jen Lindner on Tribune Tech's community engagement, including hosting local meetups and connecting Tribune engineering with Chicago user groups.
Interviewee: Justin Love
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Interviewee: Ryan Singer
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Interviewee: Jim Remsik
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Interviewee: Stephen Anderson
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Interviewee: Eric MacAdie
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