What is it with the Netherlands?, that just about everyone I know in the software factories domain in Europe (excluding all Microsoft folks) comes from the sunny Netherlands! I am amazed - and a little envious, to be fair!

I have to give the guys credit, they are all over this space, and most have great innovations and contributions to go with it. I keep meeting more all the time, and our little factory community network is heavily weighted by the flat-landers.

What's really funny is, that they are all from different companies in the Netherlands, and yet they all just about know each other personally!! I think it must be the green and red colours of Amsterdam that brings them all together.

I have to give the following guys special mention, since we keep in touch a lot:

Newly met members of the factory community:

Those unmet, but with a connection through p&p factory communities:

  • Gerben van Loon (Avanade)
  • Gerardo de Geest

Others, who do Software Factories:

It's pretty clear to me where the action in this space in Europe is, and where factories are mostly being doing for real.

Lastly, honorary members of this community with a dutch connection:

  • Don Smith (Don's wife is dutch anyways!)
  • Tom Hollander (it's there, in his name man!)
  • Stuart Kent (Regularly supports the dutch factories community with onsite visits as a principal designer of factory enablement tools)
  • Gareth Jones (Partook in a multitude of dutch activities in country, before abandoning them! to go build factory enablement tools)

Makes me wonder if I am missing some larger picture here. Have I forgotten anyone here?