The DDT Award!
As part of the European ChangeMan® ZMF User Group Meeting, we are excited to announce a contest for “The DDT Award.” This award is named after Doug Troxel (also known as Donald Douglas Troxel), the founder of SERENA and one of the very first developers of ChangeMan ZMF in the 1980s.
Honoring Excellence in ChangeMan ZMF
The award, sponsored by AbitMore and endorsed by Doug Troxel himself, includes a €1.000 (European format …) voucher. Its purpose is to honor an individual who has made a significant contribution to ChangeMan ZMF—one that has proven to be a major milestone for most ChangeMan ZMF customers over time. The nominee could be an (ex-)SERENA employee or contractor, or an employee or contractor of a ChangeMan ZMF customer, and may even be retired.
The nominees:
The ERO option, around 2004, by Dave Banovetz as its main developer
The XML services (as part of CMN 5.3.0), around 2003, by Steve Solomon, as the CMN/ZMF product manager (?)
The DB2 option, around 1990, by Joe Ossino as its original developer
The HLLX exits, around 2014 (?), by Steve Downes as its main developer
The REST services, around 2019, by John Skelton as its main developer
Voting:
All participants of the European ChangeMan® ZMF User Group Meeting (onsite or virtual) are encouraged to vote for their preferred nominee before Friday, January 24, at noon (CET). Onsite participants will receive the voting instructions during the nominee announcement. Virtual participants must have registered via the event website and should sent an eMail, using the email Id as mentioned on the event website.
And the Winners Are…
The highly anticipated announcement of “The DDT Award” winner took place during the conference closing session on Friday, January 24, at 4:30 PM (CET), revealed by none other than Mr. DDT himself—Doug Troxel! Joining us virtually from the PST timezone (an early 7:30 AM start for him!), Doug delivered the announcement on a particularly special day: his 80th birthday.
Award Result
The voting led to an unexpected but exciting outcome—a tie! Both the XML services (Steve Solomon) and the REST services (John Skelton ) were recognized as winners. The attendees collectively decided to share the award between these two outstanding contributors, acknowledging their invaluable impact on ChangeMan ZMF.
Doug Troxel’s iconic “And the winner is…” announcement was met with celebration as he joined the meeting virtually, adding a personal touch to the momentous occasion.
Celebrating Excellence
After the announcement, the focus shifted to double celebrations: AbitMORE’s 25th anniversary and Doug Troxel’s milestone birthday. The festivities concluded with a toast—Champagne in the heart of Leuven at the restaurant d’Artagnan around 8 PM CET.
Congratulations, Steve and John, on this well-deserved recognition! Stay tuned for more details in the coming days as we reflect on these incredible achievements and milestones.
The European ChangeMan ZMF User Group Meeting is proudly sponsored by AbitMore and is part of the celebrations marking AbitMore’s 25 years of excellence in ChangeMan ZMF.