Rob Eisenberg, the creator and face of the Aurelia JavaScript framework, has taken a job with Microsoft, leaving some in the community to wonder what the future holds for Aurelia.
In a blog post, Eisenberg announced he was joining Microsoft as a Sr. Program Manager to work on their new documentation service. He says that the move won't limit his ability to work on Aurelia:
A strict requirement of me taking the job was that I could continue my work on Aurelia while being employed at Microsoft. I also wanted to ensure that Blue Spire, the company that owns and manages Aurelia, could continue to operate, providing the Aurelia community with the resources it needs. I'm pleased to say that all of this is nicely in order.
The news is a bit of a shock since Aurelia just hit version 1.0 less than two months ago. Some who have become disenchanted with Angular and React have looked to Aurelia as an alternative. Others may now take a closer look before deciding to build upon Aurelia. In a lively discussion on Reddit, user wisepresident asked if Aurelia is "left to die", saying that while Eisenberg says nothing will change, "I and many others raise doubt on that statement."
Ashley Grant, the Aurelia Community Lead, responded to a number of points in the Reddit discussion, trying to reassure the community.
Aurelia isn't going anywhere. Rob could get hit by a bus tomorrow and Aurelia will go on. Let's put it this way: Rob isn't the world's premier expert on Aurelia's templating and binding systems. Jeremy Danyow is. Nobody really hears about Jeremy because he's a quiet guy who doesn't like to draw attention to himself. But he has become the lead developer on our templating and binding system. He recently helped add new features to our router, as well. Rob's time as lead developer on our CLI probably will come to an end soon as we find another core team member to lead that development effort.
On Twitter, Grant reiterated that Aurelia is more than just one person:
I love when devs tell me I don't exist, since @AureliaEffect is "just Rob." It's a real slap in the face to the nearly 30 ppl on the team
— Ashley Grant (@ashleymgrant) September 25, 2016
Recently, Eisenberg made another change, announcing that Blue Spire Acquired Aurelia from Durandal and said that "Blue Spire is purging all projects and goals not related to its frontend technologies so that the company can focus 100% on Aurelia and its future." Blue Spire is owned and operated by Eisenberg.
Of course, since Aurelia is open-source, anyone can fork the project and take it in a different direction.
Editor's Note: This article was edited for clarity regarding the ownership of Durandal Inc.
