0:00
Another camera, and you're fine.
>> I don't know. >> Is it working?
>> Is it working?
>> It's working. >> Are you selfieing?
>> Yeah, this is my selfie cam.
My Gimbal selfie cam.
>> It works great.
>> Yeah.
So this way, I can tape my meeting of Allen Downey.
>> Sweet.
>> That's gonna be sweet.
>> The moments.
>> The moment that I meet Allen.
>> That's how helpful.
>> It is.
0:20
>> Very cool indeed actually.
[LAUGH] >> Folks,
that's Allen Downey, who started the whole Think Java,
Think Python, revolution back 1999 and I'm gonna meet him now.
For the first time.
>> And you can ask him that question, that I should have asked him a long time ago.
Right?
1:00
>> So what are your thoughts, Jeff?
Right before we meet the great Allen Downey?
>> I'm excited, I'm excited, I'm excited. >> Okay.
>> [LAUGH] >> It's very exciting, but
you've met Allen before.
>> I have, I have. >> This is my first time.
>> But it's always exciting.
>> Exactly >> [LAUGH
1:21
>> Hi.
>> It's Allen Downey.
>> [LAUGH] >> I'm Charles Severance.
>> Charles, it's great to see you.
>> We're co-authors.
>> Yes. >> We've never met in person.
We talked on the phone.
This is the famous Jeff Elkner of course.
>> I'm thrilled. Jeff, it's nice to meet you.
>> Made famous by this guy.
>> [LAUGH] Yeah, well we all, everybody got made famous.
>> That's right.
>> So the first question I was asking Jeff, and
he doesn't even know the answer to.
Is why did you choose GFDL back in 1999?
That was before creative commons, before OCW.
Before everything.
>> Yeah. >> What possessed you?
>> You know actually the first version of the book I put it under the Gnu three.
>> GFDL?
>> No, not.
>> GPL >> The GPL.
>> Oh, you did GPL?
>> Because I didn't even know about the FTL.
>> And then somebody got a hold of you from MIT.
>> And they said, wait a minute, this is documentation, this is not code.
You should have used this other license and so I switched.
And then when Creative Commons came along, some of those licenses have been useful.
>> Yep. >> Actually part of the reason that
working with O'Reilly has worked out very well.
>> Yeah. >> I do things usually under
a non commercial >> Yeah.
>> Creative Commons license.
2:23
And then that's kind of a compromise.
>> Yep. >> It's maybe not ideal.
>> But those are the details the why questions.
>> No the non-commercial's I think
a beautiful thing >> Yeah.
>> And actually Creative Commons is thinking about getting rid of it.
I'm sad about that, because I think it's a fine middle ground, for
e-copies can be delivered free and no one feels bad about that.
Print copies you make money off of so it's pretty cool.
>> I agree.
I think there's a nice huge case for it.
>> So have you ever tried to count the number of derivative books
of Think Python?
>> No. >> Do you think it's 100, 200, 300?
>> I don't think it's 100. >> How
to think like a computer scientist, Java version.
The original.
>> If you go all the way back.
Yeah, all the way.
>> Java's the original.
3:03
There are a number of English language books that are modified versions.
>> Including mine.
>> There are also- yep. >> We need to get that data.
>> There are translations into other languages.
>> I count those as separate ones.
>> Yep. >> But
like Runestone like Brad Miller's stuff.
>> But then there's the interactive one.
>> The interactive ones, yes.
>> And then his book now.
>> Do you have an interactive version?
>> No, no, no, I just have the Python for Informatics print and e-version.
>> Yeah, but that's been out for a while.
>> Yeah.
>> I did that many years ago.
And then I fought with Cambridge Press, remember that?
>> Yes. >> Remember those calls?
So but why did you give it away?
I mean it wasn't so cool in 1999 just to give books away.
It was not normal.
>> True, no.
>> That's the question I had.
>> Can we pause?
I do wanna, I wanna finish signing books so these folks are-
>> Okay, so we'll have to talk later.
>> Okay, okay, we'll get back to this.
>> Let's talk more.
Charles SeveranceAssociate Professor
