Tara Hernandez of Google Talks Code Rush, DevOps

Shortly after watching the documentary, Code Rush, I met with Tara Hernandez, the hockey stick carrying lead of the Netscape project that was being documented.

The hour-long documentary is a treat to watch, especially for those of us who can remember the cultural attitudes around the burgeoning "internet" space. The documentary does a good job of showing the youthful, counterculture vibe as the Netscape group strives to beat out the biggest browser rival of the day, Microsoft.

One the thing that pops out for contemporary viewers is how the work gets done on-site at all hours of the day and night. A few people mention working from home, or working remotely. That was unusual then but practically the norm today. What else has changed? Tara shared her unique perspective with me.

"As I've said many times, DevOps is not a position or a role, it's a way of life," she said.

Tara and I recently sat down at the Jenkins World Conference in San Francisco to talk about the effect that project had on her career, what she has been doing since with her work at Linden Lab, Pixar and now Google.

We started our conversation by exploring the relationship between the Netscape project in 1998/99 and the current state of DevOps. Would DevOps have made a difference in the Netscape project? Her answer might surprise you.

photo by Negative Space