My hair? Really, you want to start with my hair?

I guess that's fair. I've been a member of the Borland community for more than 15 years, and for most of that time I had short hair.

No, I was not required to have short hair. I just found it easy to deal with. But in the Winter of 1999 I decided to grow a beard during a week off. My wife, Loy Anderson, insisted that I grow my hair at that time as well, something she'd been trying to convince me to do for a long time. She thinks my hair is a very cool color. It's a light shade of red, approaching strawberry-blonde.

I joke that I look like I am going through a mid-life crisis, when in fact I'm going through my wife's. But seriously, at some point I am going to get it cut, and donate the ponytail to an organization that makes wigs for children going through chemotherapy. But in the meantime, I'm having fun with it.

You have written 18 books. What was your first book, and what is your most recent book?

The first book was Harvard Graphics: The Complete Reference (1990, Osborne/McGraw-Hill). It was cited by Computer Currents as one of the top ten books of 1990. The latest was Building Kylix Applications (with Loy Anderson, 2000, Osborne/McGraw-Hill).

Over the years I have gotten more efficient. I feel that I've always done a good job on structure, but I can work out the structure of a chapter much more quickly now than in the early days. As for style, the more I write, the more I enjoy the process of communication. I think I have developed a more relaxed style over the years.

I think the most successful, in terms of sales, was Programming Paradox for Windows 5 (with Loy Anderson, 1995, Sybex). The product was a mature one, and the book remained relevant for many later releases.

In terms of personal satisfaction and growth, I think it has to be JBuilder Essentials (with Blake Stone and Loy Anderson, 1997, Osborne/McGraw-Hill). Working with Blake was great, and JBuilder is just so amazing. Borland really did a wonderful job with that product.

Each has its special rewards. Training is focused and goal oriented, but is still highly interactive in nature. With consulting I get exposed to specific, and often complex, issues that need resolution, and get the satisfaction of helping direct the efforts. Writing, like programming, produces a tangible result, which is satisfying in and of itself, but it's also an artistic form of expression.

If I had to pick, it would choose writing, and by writing I mean not only books and articles, but I also consider software development to be a form of writing. But I'll say this. Being able to consult, write, program, and train is simply the best combination I can imagine.

Most of my sessions are between two to five days in length. The current Delphi Developer Days Power Workshops are two days in length, with two courses offered back to back. When I'm delivering an onsite course, I have a two-day minimum, but sessions often last a week.

That depends on when you talk to me. When Loy and I are in the middle of writing a book, there is little time for much else. When I am not involved in a big writing project, I spend about equal amount of time consulting, developing new courseware, and training.

Yes. Experimental psychology is a rich field that involves the application of scientific process, experimental design, statistics, technical writing, and testing and measurement, among others. This training taught me how to perform research, solve problems, and think critically; skills that can be applied to a very wide range of interests.

Human Factors is an interdisciplinary field that is often associated with Psychology, as it was at Rice, although in some universities it is taught in the Engineering or Computer Science departments. The bulk of my work was basic research in human perception and cognitive processing. Specifically, how people interpret information on visual displays. That must sound pretty boring, but I found it fascinating.

I should point out that I am not a practicing Human Factors researcher. Loy and I started our company right out of graduate school (she also received her Ph.D. in Human Factors from Rice). But from the beginning our company was a training and software development company, specializing in database development.

Do I use my formal training in my work? Yes, every day. But I think it is important to understand that science is largely about formulating questions, researching the answers, and being able to effectively communicate what you have learned. And that's my job today.

Let me not answer that question directly, but say this instead. The computer is a tool, but it is not the only tool. Because most of us focus on software, we sometimes miss that. The computer is one part of the larger process. Success can often be measured by how well we integrate the hardware, the software, and the processes they serve.

Absolutely. Good software changes people's lives, which can make software development an extremely satisfying profession. But I'd add this. Even though there is good money to be made in software, I'd only recommend it to people who love programming. All the really successful developers I know would be coding whether or not they got paid for it.

I know that some people will disagree with me, but I think that specific technologies are less important than learning how to learn. Technology is always changing, and we need the skills to constantly update what we know.

Certainly, any student should have a strong foundation in core computer and networking technologies, but a well-rounded education is also very important. Unless you end up working in the technology industry itself, your software is going to be about something else, be it banking, communications, manufacturing, or any number of other fields.

I have attended every one of the US conferences, and many of the international conferences as well. I am honored to be serving on the Advisory Board for this year's US BorCon, and has served on five previous US BorCon Advisory Boards.

For personal reasons I'd have to say it was the 1991 2nd Annual International Paradox conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was the first major conference that I spoke at, and I have spoken at every other Borland conference I've attended since. It was also the conference at which I released my first book on a Borland product.

But really, they are all great. You get to learn from the experts, and also share problems and solutions with your fellow developers. This one coming up in November in San Jose should be the best yet. Borland has so many new tools it will be hard to choose which talks to attend. Also, Borland is celebrating its 20th year in business at this conference. There are sure to be some fun surprises.