Danny Thorpe message for the Delphi Community

Post taken from the delphi.non-technical newsgroups. I'm including the text in order to avoid confusions, if you want to see the real text, go to the google newsgroups, it should show up there.


"
Members of the Delphi Community,


As you've no doubt read in other threads in this newsgroup, I have left
Borland to seek new opportunities at Google.

This was not a sudden action. I have tried my best to ensure a smooth
transition for the Delphi team, starting with transition plan
discussions with Borland management more than nine months ago.

Delphi is built by a team, not by any individual. Far greater talent
than mine has come and gone from the team, and Delphi presses on. More
importantly, far greater talent remains in the team, some of it as yet
untapped.

As you may know, my philosphy is that teams should be built to
anticipate, tolerate, and support the comings and goings of individuals
on the team. Everyone will eventually leave the team - either by
choice, or by pine box. To ignore this is childish.

I have full confidence in the Delphi team to continue to deliver the
right stuff to keep Delphi current, innovative, and competitive for
years to come. Though there have been some difficult spots between
myself and Borland corporate management, the internal changes in
attitude and messaging in recent months from Borland corporate toward
Delphi have turned my faith in Borland supporting Delphi back toward
the positive. I'm sure that will only get better as Todd Neilsen
steps in as the new CEO.

I'm also pleased that in some small measure my departure is creating
opportunities for advancement within the Delphi team, and that Borland
management (Boz and Steve Todd) was very supportive of "redrawing the
map" under the guidance of Allen, Michael, Eli, and myself. Several
individuals on the team have been promoted in title and/or in pay as a
result of this change. Many of those have not seen promotion or pay
raises for as long as 5 years. Borland has also committed to opening up
several new positions in the Delphi group in Scotts Valley, which may
be filled with entry or mid level engineering talent. This alone is a
significant reversal of the "No new hires in Scotts Valley" edict
earlier this year by then-CEO Dale Fuller.

I was not snatched away from Borland, and I am not leaving Borland for
lack of money. I sought out Google, and I'll be making at Google
exactly what I made at Borland, which is nicely comfortable but not
excessive. There were other suitors (including the obvious one) but,
quite frankly, Google outmaneuvered them.

Could Borland have bought me back? No, because I didn't leave for
money. Why, then? Opportunity. I'm going to Google to pursue ideas
and opportunities that are simply beyond Borland. I love Delphi, I
know it inside out, but there's a lot more in me than just Delphi.

After 15 exciting years doing a wide variety of things at Borland, it's
time for me to do something /completely/ different.

This is not goodbye. This is just changing channels.

-Danny Thorpe
Engineer, Google.
"

Thanks Danny, your legacy on our amazing development tool will never be forgotten. May the force be with you in your new ventures.


Nos vemos pronto.

Danny Thorpe left Borland.

In my opinion one of the smartest guys i have the honor to met, it was on a great developer's three day conference in Toronto where i got the pleasure to listen and share some time with the guy behind the latest improvements on the Delphi compiler.

After 15 years (some people say 20 :P) of working with Borland he is leaving for a new great adventure in Google, helping on the development of lots of new things related to FireFox. Before leaving, he gave the Delphi community a last gift, by helping to provide one of the strongest Delphi versions ever. Delphi 2006.

Borland, the Delphi team and the Delphi community for sure will miss him, i'm happy to know that for a couple of months now, new people is already taking his place. New minds working on the progress of the language, environment, etc that we love so much. In my opinion, the future looks very bright, we have a roadmap, we have a strong Delphi version and we have the chance of fresh ideas coming into Delphi.

Thanks Danny, you are 'Da Man. Enjoy your new venture and keep in touch with the community.