My 5 minutes of glory xD
Yesterday the guys of MS published my brief interview MVP site. However, it is not the full version, that I copy here.
About Lluís Franco
Born in Barcelona (Spain) with more than 20 years of experience in the software development sector, now lives in Andorra for the past 15 years with his family. Lluis holds a number of Microsoft official certifications such as MCP and MCTS and has been recognized as MVP for the past 10 years due to his active participation and moderation in the MSDN forums since 1997.
Currently works as project development manager at FIMARGE a finantial services company based in Andorra. He founded the AndorraDotNet user group in 2007, being the first and almost unique user group based in the country. Since 2010 he is also the president of the Andorra IT Professionals Virtual Association.
He owns several blogs and is also a regular host and speaker in local events in the region, such as the “Geek-A-Paloozaa” conference that took place each summer. He also contributes articles to the technological section of a local newspaper.
Lluís Franco Interview
1 What does it mean being an MVP?
At first, I didn’t fully realize what it meant, but over time it became a huge deal. The MVP award opened the door to amazing opportunities and let me connect with incredibly talented people—both technically sharp and personally inspiring. Some of my best friendships started thanks to the MVP community.
2 How was your start in the community?
Honestly, it was pure chance. Like many devs back then, I had a problem, posted a question in Microsoft newsgroups, got an answer, and thought, “This works!”. Eventually, I started giving back—answering questions, then blogging, speaking, even starting a user group. That snowballed into events, meetups, and more. And I still enjoy doing it.
3 What would you ask Steve Ballmer?
Most people would ask about Microsoft’s long-term business strategies, but I’d go for something different: What moment, in your opinion, defined Microsoft’s history? That key turning point that shaped the company into what it is today.
4 What is the best software product in history?
For me, C# is the crown jewel—elegant, powerful, and just fun to code in. And paired with Visual Studio (2012 back then, but still), it’s hands down the best IDE I’ve ever used. Not to say I’ve only ever used Microsoft tools, but VS + C# is my happy place.
5 What would you change on Visual C#?
I’d keep evolving it with more functional features. We’ve got generics, delegates, LINQ, lambdas—which already made it my dream language. But things like proper nested functions would elevate it even more. Also, I’d love to see the Framework/IDE slimmed down a bit—trim some collections, make it lighter overall.
6 Which is the last book you have read?
I devour technical books, but I also enjoy sci-fi. The last one I finished was Ready Player One—packed with 80s geek culture: games, music, movies, comics. It felt very familiar. Outside tech, my favorite will always be The Silmarillion.
7 Which music CD would you recommend?
If I can only pick one: OK Computer by Radiohead. I love their early stuff. That said, my taste is all over the place—Bach, jazz, heavy metal—you name it.
8 What makes you an excellent MVP?
I wouldn’t call myself “excellent.” Being an MVP is about having the skills and, more importantly, the attitude to share knowledge freely. If you think the title makes you better than others, you’ve missed the point completely.
9 What is in your “Computer Bag”?
These days, it’s more gadgets than software—adapters, devices, things that make travel smoother. And a quirky MVP keepsake: a Swiss Army knife with the MVP logo. Never actually used it, but it’s still in there.
10 What is the best thing that happened to you since you are an MVP?
Popularity, women, money… kidding 😅. Probably being named C# MVP of the Year 2011. That one meant a lot because it’s voted by fellow MVPs. My first trip to Seattle was awesome too. But if I had to pick one thing—it’s the people. Nothing beats hanging out with geeks over beers.
11 What is your motto?
Simple: Try to be a better person. Mostly, I want to be someone my daughters can look up to.
12 Who is your hero?
In fiction: Spock, Samwise Gamgee, Cálico Electrónico, Fuckowsky… but if I had to pick one—Tony Stark. Genius, playboy, armor included (half joking). In real life though, true heroes are the ones who do the right thing no matter what—for example, a sick kid inspiring their parents through tough times. That’s heroism.
13 What does success mean to you?
Loving your daily work. Step one: having a job (which isn’t a given). Step two: enjoying it so much it doesn’t feel like a chore. That’s the real win in life.
14 What would be your personal Project for this year?
This year’s already packed: MVP Summit in Seattle, first Geek-a-paloozaaa in Andorra. Next up, I want to finally wrap up a series on parallel computing I’ve been drafting for ages. On the personal side—just more time with family.
Resistance is futile.