Fred van Dijk

"I initially try to do less for our customer."

That may sound strange from a developer since finding solutions for complex problems is our passion, right? But by changing to the "More is less" mentality from time to time, I find out how I can deliver more value for our customers.

Nothing is more annoying than a used car salesman that immediately tries to sell his most expensive car in the showroom, without allowing me to tell what options I value and the budget I have in mind. Why these practices are still accepted by any customer is a mystery to me. In software development, in contrast to physical products like cars, a tremendous flexibility is available in tools and methods.

The kick of Open Source Software to me is delivering high quality solutions that fit the requirements even with a small budget. Even if the customer is ambitious, we can provide smart solutions for complex problems that are stable, scalable and well designed.

Esther about Fred: "Develops like a diesel engine: once started he just keeps running."