Microsoft Regional Director India, President of INETA APAC, and founder of CommunitiesRUs, Sanjay Shetty has been instrumental in growth and success of the developer community in Asia and around the world. This month, I sat down with him to get his take on the evolution of the developer community, his favorite development projects, and what he's excited about in 2013.
SF: You have been instrumental in the growth and success of the developer community in APAC and around the world. How has community changed over the past 10 years and where do you see it going?
SS: In the current Microsoft ecosystem, successful communities are the ones which are truly independent in terms of their operations.
Earlier Microsoft provided a lot of structured support, whether directly or whether via independent organizations like INETA. Now the support provided is dependent on local subsidiaries that do their own thing, and not necessarily in a standardized or consistent format. Moreover Microsoft’s initial support was geared towards seeding as many communities as possible whereas today their goals propel them to support those communities which can support their goal of app development.
Because of this and other factors, we’ve seen tremendous churn in the community space, with a large number of groups disappearing. For example, less than two years ago in India there were more than 60 user groups. Today, less than 10 are truly active.
SF: Those are interesting numbers, to be sure, but not unlike what we are seeing in the States. It is truly indicative of the evolution of community, I believe.
SS: I agree.
SF: Along the lines of evolution, 2012 was an exciting year in the developer space in that regard. We are at an inflection point in our industry. What are you looking forward to most in 2013?
SS: I think it’s going to be an interesting year to see how developers build applications on the new operating systems which Microsoft has released- both on the phone and the desktop and specifically the new Windows Store apps.
I’m quite upbeat about the Microsoft story, really. I think it’s providing the most complete business platform.
Let me give you an example: When people generally think about the new Windows 8 operating system, they are typically focused on the new touch interface and the new look and feel aspect. I, however, feel one of the most interesting aspects of the new Windows Store application is the ability to build an extremely different kind of application. Applications which roam with the user irrespective of the kind of device the user switches to, so for instance I might start using an application on the desktop, switch to my laptop and then ultimately switch to my tablet or phone and the experience follows me and provides me what I need irrespective of the kind of device I’m using. To me, that is a mind blowing experience to have. However, from a developer perspective it changes the way an application is built and provides a new stream of opportunity for developers.
SF: Definitely. Very exciting time to be a developer. Let’s move from the future to the past. You have been involved in many development projects over the years. What was the more memorable project you worked on?
SS: Creating a Business Intelligence (BI) solution for Samsung using Microsoft’s BI stack was by far the most interesting project I worked on. The most interesting part of it was seeing the jaw drop of some very senior executives when they saw the kind of possibilities with the BI solution.
SF: That must have been really gratifying and fun! And on the topic of fun, in your role as an RD, with INETA APAC, CommunitiesRUs, and a developer you have had an opportunity to travel the world. What country/city do you enjoy visiting the most and why?
SS: This is a difficult choice and I’m slightly biased out here. I’ve been to the USA many more times than any other country so I do like it quite a bit. My favorite city there is San Francisco. Totally loved it. On the other hand Zurich, Switzerland fascinated me more than any other city I’ve ever visited, though the cold weather out there is something which I’m not sure I want to deal with.
SF: Oh, I loved Zurich too. And you can’t argue with San Francisco! The interesting thing to me is that regardless of whether you are in the US, Switzerland, or India, the way community looks, acts, and feels generally remains the same. Do you agree?
SS: Communities are made of people, so yes. For the most part, there is nothing different really.
SF: Well said. Makes perfect sense. So when you aren’t building community, traveling, or writing code, what do you like to do?
SS: I’m an avid reader, non-fiction, topics ranging from using visuals, to marketing, negotiation, social media, about the brain, the science of influence, it’s a fairly long list of topics. At any time I’m reading at least 3-4 books.
SF: Ah, you can’t argue with a good book. That’s for sure. And movies? Any favorites?
SS: Easy! It’s a tie between Star Wars and The Godfather.
SF: Classics. Just like you, my friend. Thanks for taking the time today! Happy 2013!