At the dawn of the information age at the end of the second millennium, a new class of artists and artisans appeared. This group includes programmers and IT techs of every manner handling hard and software. Like their forbearers they began the massive works of the third millennium, the information edifices.

The more things change the more they stay the same. The skill sets of the Techno Gypsies appear magical to the tech illiterate. With the exception of a Babbage or a few other visionaries, no one was computer literate until well into the twentieth century. These early literati had the demeanor and secrecy of high priests as they served room sized machines that would be unable to compete with today’s palm sized Blackberry’s. Just as the Stone Mason’s abilities to build larger, stronger edifices grew with experience, so the skills and ranks of the techies grew. The jealously guarded monster machines grew smaller and able to do more. The strangle hold of the mainframe was broken.

Now the demand for skilled help rose to new level

As the builders of the great information edifices of our age, they bear an uncanny resemblance to the freemasons of the thirteenth and succeeding centuries.

The term freemason came to refer to working masons as early as 1325 who were permitted to move from town to town at a time when the feudal system bound most peasants to the land. As used in this article the term freemason, refers to the operational Stone Masons and their guilds, not the Speculative Intellectual Freemasonry which continues to this day.

Recognizing the unbridled need for these skilled artisans, the rulers allowed their free movement at a time when maintaining control and power depended upon keeping the peasants tied to the land. What caused these conservative rulers to risk allowing free movement and other privileges to the stone masons?

The freemasons possessed the skills necessary to create the palaces, cathedrals, battlements, and castles, along with the requisite sculpted works and ornaments. In this regard the freemasons were both artisans and artists. In a time of rampant illiteracy at all levels of society, these skills must have seemed almost magical. As the late medieval transitioned into the Renaissance period the Stone Masons were the elite of the work force. In many instances the occupational Stone masons were exempted from taxation or regulation by the king or (later) local municipalities. Free indeed!

Unlike the other existing crafts and guilds the freemasons routinely collected in large groups to work on the large building projects of the day. The other trades tended to be solitary, competing for a local market in jealously guarded territories.

The freemasons regularly moved upon the completion of one castle, battlement or cathedral on to the next great project. As they spread from this project to the next, experience and knowledge were shared and developed.

While at a site, the freemasons regularly set up a common tent for mutual protection. As the works of the era tended to consume years, tents inevitably gave way to stronger lodging. In time, the term lodge came to describe freemasons in a particular locality.

Freemasons were semi-nomadic. Projects lasted years, occasionally decades. At the end of a project the assembled masons generally moved on to other great works.

Skilled artisans, the freemasons were4 dependent upon the sponsors of the great work, patrons if you will, for funding and livelihood. The initial sources were limited: either the nobility or the Church. As the Renaissance dawned a new class began to acquire wealth and with it, power. Successful merchants families such as the Medici’s began to commission the Stone Masons to build their ornate houses. This new class became the leader in patronage of the arts.

Two main systems of patronage existed in Renaissance Italy. A wealthy person could take an artist into his household and in return the artist would supply the patron’s artistic needs. In the second, a patron (whether an individual or an organization,) would commission a single work from an artist and employ him only until it was completed.

Only a few works were complicated or large enough to require years of labor. Accordingly, commission artists were always working on three fronts: first on their artistry; second, on the current patron’s assignment, and; third, looking for their next meal.

As the Renaissance progressed, artists were universally dependent upon patrons for their very sustenance. Lucky indeed were the few artists who had a single patron such as the Borgia’s, Medici’s or, a Pope. For the rest of the artists there evolved a system of patronage networks. Florence, perhaps, had the greatest of these.

At the dawn of the information age at the end of the second millennium, a new class of artists and artisans appeared. This group includes programmers and IT techs of every manner handling hard and software. Like their forbearers they began the massive works of the third millennium, the information edifices.

The more things change the more they stay the same. The skill sets of the Techno Gypsies appear magical to the tech illiterate. With the exception of a Babbage or a few other visionaries, no one was computer literate until well into the twentieth century. These early literati had the demeanor and secrecy of high priests as they served room sized machines that would be unable to compete with today’s palm sized Blackberry’s. Just as the Stone Mason’s abilities to build larger, stronger edifices grew with experience, so the skills and ranks of the techies grew. The jealously guarded monster machines grew smaller and able to do more. The strangle hold of the mainframe was broken.

Now the demand for skilled help rose to new levels

The freemasons possessed the skills necessary to create the palaces, cathedrals, battlements, and castles, along with the requisite sculpted works and ornaments. In this regard the freemasons were both artisans and artists. In a time of rampant illiteracy at all levels of society, these skills must have seemed almost magical. As the late medieval transitioned into the Renaissance period the Stone Masons were the elite of the work force. In many instances the occupational Stone masons were exempted from taxation or regulation by the king or (later) local municipalities. Free indeed!

Unlike the other existing crafts and guilds the freemasons routinely collected in large groups to work on the large building projects of the day. The other trades tended to be solitary, competing for a local market in jealously guarded territories.

The freemasons regularly moved upon the completion of one castle, battlement or cathedral on to the next great project. As they spread from this project to the next, experience and knowledge were shared and developed.

While at a site, the freemasons regularly set up a common tent for mutual protection. As the works of the era tended to consume years, tents inevitably gave way to stronger lodging. In time, the term lodge came to describe freemasons in a particular locality.

Freemasons were semi-nomadic. Projects lasted years, occasionally decades. At the end of a project the assembled masons generally moved on to other great works.

Skilled artisans, the freemasons were4 dependent upon the sponsors of the great work, patrons if you will, for funding and livelihood. The initial sources were limited: either the nobility or the Church. As the Renaissance dawned a new class began to acquire wealth and with it, power. Successful merchants families such as the Medici’s began to commission the Stone Masons to build their ornate houses. This new class became the leader in patronage of the arts.

Two main systems of patronage existed in Renaissance Italy. A wealthy person could take an artist into his household and in return the artist would supply the patron’s artistic needs. In the second, a patron (whether an individual or an organization,) would commission a single work from an artist and employ him only until it was completed.

Only a few works were complicated or large enough to require years of labor. Accordingly, commission artists were always working on three fronts: first on their artistry; second, on the current patron’s assignment, and; third, looking for their next meal.

As the Renaissance progressed, artists were universally dependent upon patrons for their very sustenance. Lucky indeed were the few artists who had a single patron such as the Borgia’s, Medici’s or, a Pope. For the rest of the artists there evolved a system of patronage networks. Florence, perhaps, had the greatest of these.

At the dawn of the information age at the end of the second millennium, a new class of artists and artisans appeared. This group includes programmers and IT techs of every manner handling hard and software. Like their forbearers they began the massive works of the third millennium, the information edifices.

The more things change the more they stay the same. The skill sets of the Techno Gypsies appear magical to the tech illiterate. With the exception of a Babbage or a few other visionaries, no one was computer literate until well into the twentieth century. These early literati had the demeanor and secrecy of high priests as they served room sized machines that would be unable to compete with today’s palm sized Blackberry’s. Just as the Stone Mason’s abilities to build larger, stronger edifices grew with experience, so the skills and ranks of the techies grew. The jealously guarded monster machines grew smaller and able to do more. The strangle hold of the mainframe was broken.

Now the demand for skilled help rose to new level

The freemasons regularly moved upon the completion of one castle, battlement or cathedral on to the next great project. As they spread from this project to the next, experience and knowledge were shared and developed.

While at a site, the freemasons regularly set up a common tent for mutual protection. As the works of the era tended to consume years, tents inevitably gave way to stronger lodging. In time, the term lodge came to describe freemasons in a particular locality.

Freemasons were semi-nomadic. Projects lasted years, occasionally decades. At the end of a project the assembled masons generally moved on to other great works.

Skilled artisans, the freemasons were4 dependent upon the sponsors of the great work, patrons if you will, for funding and livelihood. The initial sources were limited: either the nobility or the Church. As the Renaissance dawned a new class began to acquire wealth and with it, power. Successful merchants families such as the Medici’s began to commission the Stone Masons to build their ornate houses. This new class became the leader in patronage of the arts.

Two main systems of patronage existed in Renaissance Italy. A wealthy person could take an artist into his household and in return the artist would supply the patron’s artistic needs. In the second, a patron (whether an individual or an organization,) would commission a single work from an artist and employ him only until it was completed.

Only a few works were complicated or large enough to require years of labor. Accordingly, commission artists were always working on three fronts: first on their artistry; second, on the current patron’s assignment, and; third, looking for their next meal.

As the Renaissance progressed, artists were universally dependent upon patrons for their very sustenance. Lucky indeed were the few artists who had a single patron such as the Borgia’s, Medici’s or, a Pope. For the rest of the artists there evolved a system of patronage networks. Florence, perhaps, had the greatest of these.

At the dawn of the information age at the end of the second millennium, a new class of artists and artisans appeared. This group includes programmers and IT techs of every manner handling hard and software. Like their forbearers they began the massive works of the third millennium, the information edifices.

The more things change the more they stay the same. The skill sets of the Techno Gypsies appear magical to the tech illiterate. With the exception of a Babbage or a few other visionaries, no one was computer literate until well into the twentieth century. These early literati had the demeanor and secrecy of high priests as they served room sized machines that would be unable to compete with today’s palm sized Blackberry’s. Just as the Stone Mason’s abilities to build larger, stronger edifices grew with experience, so the skills and ranks of the techies grew. The jealously guarded monster machines grew smaller and able to do more. The strangle hold of the mainframe was broken.

Now the demand for skilled help rose to new level

Two main systems of patronage existed in Renaissance Italy. A wealthy person could take an artist into his household and in return the artist would supply the patron’s artistic needs. In the second, a patron (whether an individual or an organization,) would commission a single work from an artist and employ him only until it was completed.

Only a few works were complicated or large enough to require years of labor. Accordingly, commission artists were always working on three fronts: first on their artistry; second, on the current patron’s assignment, and; third, looking for their next meal.

As the Renaissance progressed, artists were universally dependent upon patrons for their very sustenance. Lucky indeed were the few artists who had a single patron such as the Borgia’s, Medici’s or, a Pope. For the rest of the artists there evolved a system of patronage networks. Florence, perhaps, had the greatest of these.

At the dawn of the information age at the end of the second millennium, a new class of artists and artisans appeared. This group includes programmers and IT techs of every manner handling hard and software. Like their forbearers they began the massive works of the third millennium, the information edifices.

The more things change the more they stay the same. The skill sets of the Techno Gypsies appear magical to the tech illiterate. With the exception of a Babbage or a few other visionaries, no one was computer literate until well into the twentieth century. These early literati had the demeanor and secrecy of high priests as they served room sized machines that would be unable to compete with today’s palm sized Blackberry’s. Just as the Stone Mason’s abilities to build larger, stronger edifices grew with experience, so the skills and ranks of the techies grew. The jealously guarded monster machines grew smaller and able to do more. The strangle hold of the mainframe was broken.

Now the demand for skilled help rose to new level

At the dawn of the information age at the end of the second millennium, a new class of artists and artisans appeared. This group includes programmers and IT techs of every manner handling hard and software. Like their forbearers they began the massive works of the third millennium, the information edifices.

The more things change the more they stay the same. The skill sets of the Techno Gypsies appear magical to the tech illiterate. With the exception of a Babbage or a few other visionaries, no one was computer literate until well into the twentieth century. These early literati had the demeanor and secrecy of high priests as they served room sized machines that would be unable to compete with today’s palm sized Blackberry’s. Just as the Stone Mason’s abilities to build larger, stronger edifices grew with experience, so the skills and ranks of the techies grew. The jealously guarded monster machines grew smaller and able to do more. The strangle hold of the mainframe was broken.

Now the demand for skilled help rose to new levels. No longer was the limited (but still better than everyone else’s,) knowledge of the mainframe jockeys enough. As tech evolved the demand for professional grew with it. Computer techs spread from the confines of the Fortune 500 to virtually every business in the U.S.

In today’s corporate setting the Techno Gypsies are the only group of employees who move freely and frequently between jobs. It is not unusual for some of them to think of job length in terms of weeks rather than the years other employees are expected to spend before moving. Corporate leaders and the venture capitalists that fund new companies use a starkly different mobility standard for Techno Gypsies than any other group of employees.

The modern need for ever increasing information and the rapidly evolving technologies have enabled the Techno Gypsies complete freedom of movement.

The reasons for the patronage of the Renaissance: prestige-pleasure-piety drifted significantly to today’s reasons: profit and information control. While the driving motivators have changed, similarity exists in the outlook of today’s patrons. The ‘A’ list being comprised of large enterprises with ongoing IT needs. These are the long term patrons. The alternative is to work for one of the smaller enterprises with immediate, but short work duration, needs, or take a risk with a start-up.

The start-ups have a certain cachet and appeal as each of them, theoretically, has the potential of becoming a major player and large enterprise- if they develop and market reliable, innovative products with staying power. This is becoming increasingly difficult to do- unless the founders of the start-up can develop a truly upsetting technology surpassing existing capabilities.

The kernel of thought behind many start-ups is the desire to solve an isolated problem. By the time they get a solution to market, if they ever do, others have already worked out a patch or the newer versions of software eclipse the need for their solution. Failures are many among start-up companies.

Crafting bits and bytes is truly different from working in stone. Stone works such as the Venus de Milo endure with lasting admiration and appeal. To date no one has suggested elevating old software in the same manner. Like the commissioned artist, the Techno Gypsies have to work on three fronts: first, developing new skills; second, on their current project, and; third, looking for their next meal.

Initially the IT techies believed they would stay for protracted terms at whatever enterprise they were working for. Some still do. The advent of rapid changes in hardware and software, increased storage capacity and faster and faster processing times created obsolescence as quickly as it created opportunity.

In modern times the patrons of the Techno Gypsies are the established business enterprises along with the venture capitalists that facilitate the growth of new technologies and companies.

Particularly in the start-up segment, people try to commercialize the next ‘best thing.’ A significant number of these new ventures fail; for a variety of reasons. The venture capitalists and the founders of these new ventures absorb the financial losses while the Techno Gypsies move on to a new patron, where they can apply the skills honed at the last job to a new one. In no other modern enterprise is such freedom with respect to the transfer of intellectual property tolerated.

This movement has created a Gypsy-like motion among techies. Many now think in terms of projects rather than jobs; expecting them to last a measured number of weeks instead of months and years.

As they continue to build and expand the information infrastructure, it is reasonable to contemplate on organized group emerging among the Techno Gypsies within the next few years rivaling that of the freemasons.

In any start-up time and money are in chronic short supply. For the new enterprise to survive, let alone succeed, it is necessary for the founders to have the skills or bring in a leader with the skills necessary to focus on the commercial necessities: viable product, timely development, attracting financing at each stage on commercially acceptable terms,