iDempiere enthusiasts share many examples of how iDempiere changed people’s lives for the better. Here we present to you our hero of the month for his contributions during the month of October.

Ricardo is a constant contributor, in fact, he has been a nominee for several months, during October he was very active in testing and reporting issues on Jira and contributed a code commit to improving the core.

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Tell us a little bit about your childhood and where you grew up.

I was born in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. I remember playing soccer in the street with my friends. My parents are originally from a small city in the countryside of Brazil called Culturama, so I spent every summer vacation in this small city. My father loves fishing, so most of the holidays we spent fishing and camping.

How did you get into programming?

We had a computer called TK-90X (Brazilian-version of ZK Sprectrum) and I remember spending hours trying to get that thing to work in the early ‘90s, that was for sure my first contact with programming. After that I was involved with computers, but not with programming per se, and when I joined the university I was able to get the path of programming again.

How long have you been part of iDempiere?

I have been involved with iDempiere since 2012 if I’m not mistaken, but more actively the last 5 years or so.

How and why did you get involved with iDempiere?

In 2005 I worked for a Norwegian-Brazilian company that replaced their ERP system with Compiere. A couple of years later we hosted a conference to get to know other members of the Brazilian community and launched the first version of Localization Brazil. When we moved our business model to cloud systems, choosing iDempiere was the perfect fit and the best choice we ever made.

What is your experience in other OS projects?

Every time I need a new software solution, I always prefer an open-source solution. Some of the projects I use/contribute are: Linux, Metabase, Rocket.Chat, LibreOffice, Jenkins, Zammad, Jitsi, Discourse, Postal, Asterisk, and so on. 

I also maintain the Localization Brazil of iDempiere.

Is there something that makes you passionate about open source in general and iDempiere in particular?

I think what makes open source really special is the community.

What does your typical day look like?

We work really hard every day. I choose to work from home a couple of days per week, so I can get closer to my two kids and my wife. Weekends I like to watch movies, fly with my drone, and play with my 3d-printer. Sometimes in the office we play some online games during lunch time.

If you have your customers for whom you implement or customize iDempiere, what are they like and what do they typically want?

Every company operates differently, even companies of the same segment have different ways to operate and achieve their success. The best part of implementing iDempiere is that we can offer a very fast and affordable way to bring the customers business model to the ERP, using its powerful framework.

What are some of the things you would like to improve in iDempiere?

I think the learning curve to get ready to work with iDempiere has improved (remember Buckminster times?), but there’s more room to improve there. Like a new README in the GitHub page or a better way to search and install plugins.

How does it feel to win the October 2021 Hero of the month title?

I’m honored. This recognition of the work is really good for the community.