By Eclipse Foundation Team
“Different opinions create better solutions”
When Fred Peña saw a friend programming as a 13-year-old teen in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic, he could hardly imagine that this curiosity would grow into a lifelong passion for technology, teaching, and community building. Fast forward 22 years: Today, “Freddy” is a recognised leader in the Java community, an organiser of JConf Dominicana, and a Jakarta EE collaborator helping to expand open source opportunities across the Caribbean.
First steps in programming: from playing to building
Freddy’s first encounter with programming came when he was just 13. A neighbour, who coded in Visual Basic 6.0 and Delphi, showed him how simple components – buttons, text boxes, and forms – could come together to create something functional and alive.
“It was like magic,” Freddy recalls. “I saw him create things from nothing, and I wanted to do the same.”
A few years later, his mother gifted him his first personal computer. While video games kept him entertained for a while, Freddy soon felt the urge to build rather than play. His neighbour suggested installing Visual Basic 6.0, marking Freddy’s first steps into real programming.
Learning Java in the Caribbean, the autodidactic way
Access to technology and educational resources was far from easy in early-2000s Dominican Republic. Internet connections were unreliable, and most learning materials were only available in English.
“We didn’t have internet everywhere like today,” he says. “I spent a lot of time in the library, reading books, and talking to friends.”
At Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) in Santiago, Freddy studied C and C++, but he wanted to expand his skills. Even though it wasn’t taught at his university back then, Java’s versatility and community-driven growth caught his attention, so he decided to teach himself the language, together with his friends Héctor Ventura and Miguel Ángel – through books, experimentation, and sheer persistence. That’s when he realised that “programming isn’t just a technical skill,” he reflects. “It’s a way to create something that didn’t exist before.” Although he recalls that he liked C and C++ as well, Java, over time, became his first language and “first love.”
From student to educator
Years later, Freddy returned to academia – this time as a professor at PUCMM, where he teaches algorithms, data structures, and parallel programming using Java.
“It’s amazing to now teach Java to my students,” he smiles.
Learning under constraints shaped Freddy’s belief in resilience and collaboration. He now passes that same spirit on to his students, encouraging them to explore open source and contribute back to the community.
Freddy’s professional path
Beyond academia, Freddy is Founder of Alphnology, a Technical Consultant, and a passionate Software Engineer with now over 12 years of Java experience and 8+ years implementing SAP B1 projects. In 2024, he became a Vaadin Champion, motivated by collaborating on creating content in Spanish, be it articles, workshops, or talks.
Holding a Master’s degree in Web Engineering, he specialises in designing and deploying high-performance, scalable enterprise applications using Spring Boot, Vaadin Flow, Quarkus, Jakarta EE, Vert.x, and Hibernate.
“My focus is always on scalability and quality,” Freddy explains. “Technology evolves, but best practices and community values stay essential.”
He continues to explore emerging technologies and cloud solutions while remaining deeply committed to open source as a foundation for innovation. In his dual role as an academic and industry professional, he facilitates collaboration and knowledge exchange between universities and the software sector.
Discovering open source
Freddy’s introduction to open source was in 2009, in the middle of an OSS boom period, eager to learn more about it. He joined the Código Libre Dominicano education center (back then it was called Fundación Código Libre), a local Linux and open source advocacy group where his old friend Antonio Perpiñan was director at the time, and later became a leader in the Dominican Java Community.
His first open source contributions were to Eclipse GlassFish, followed by work on Eclipse Vert.x, Quarkus, Jakarta EE, Vaadin Flow, and Spring Boot documentation. Over time, Freddy became one of the most active contributors in the region.
“At first, I learned alone,” he explains. “But when I discovered the community, it changed everything. Working together makes us stronger – different opinions create better solutions.”
“Open source is everything”
For Freddy, open source is not about free labor, as some believe – it’s about collective knowledge and collaboration:
“Open source is about building a community, sharing and expanding knowledge.”
He credits open source with transforming his career and connecting him with people, ideas, and opportunities across the world.
“For me, open source is everything. Without open source, I might have been just another professional in a corner,” he says. “Instead, I became part of something global.”
Building the Java community in the Caribbean
Freddy is one of the main organisers of JConf Dominicana and a Java User Group (JUG) leader, helping to shape a vibrant and inclusive developer ecosystem.
The annual JConf Dominicana now attracts attendees from more than 15 countries – e.g. Sweden, Ireland, Russia, Ukraine, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Canada, the United States, Spain, and Germany. He emphasises that the JConf collaboration across Latin American communities (Guatemala, Mexico, and others) is extremely important as the communities support each other by leveraging synergies.
Jakarta EE and other global Java initiatives have been actively collaborating with the Dominican Java Community, highlighting the growing impact of Caribbean developers on the international stage.
“We’re small, but strong,” Freddy says. “When people recognise us abroad, it shows we’re doing something right.”
The JConf team operates entirely as volunteers, investing personal time and energy to keep the community thriving.
“It’s not for profit – it’s for passion,” he adds. “We give up time with family to make these events happen. But seeing students and professionals connect makes it all worth it.”
Technical, social, and language skills: Why organisations should look to the Caribbean
Freddy believes that the Caribbean and Latin America hold enormous, often overlooked potential in technology. With growing Spanish-English bilingualism (driven by the region’s thriving tourism industry and North American companies already maintaining a subsidiary there), solid technical education, and a culture of collaboration, developers from the region bring both technical skill and human connection to global teams.
“Dominicans have a special energy,” Freddy says. “We’re curious, passionate, hospitable, and collaborative. When speakers come to our conferences, they’re amazed by how engaged our audience is. That’s part of our culture.”
He adds that the community ethos of open source mirrors the Caribbean spirit of collective effort and mutual support.
Inspiring the next generation
Freddy continues to mentor young developers and encourages them to get involved in open source. His message is simple: start small, stay curious, and never stop learning.
“You don’t need to be an expert to contribute,” he reminds them. “Just start. The community will help you grow.”
His journey – from a curious teenager tinkering in Visual Basic on his own to an international community leader – embodies the spirit of open source and the power of collaboration.
“If the community grows,” Freddy concludes, “we grow with it.”
Freddy is one of the organisers of JConf Dominicana and a highly active member of the Java community – as a JUG leader, university lecturer, and open-source advocate. He is Founder of Alphnology, Technical Consultant, and Software Engineer with more than 12 years of Java development expertise and 8+ years managing SAP B1 implementations. In 2024, he became a Vaadin Champion, motivated by collaborating on creating content in Spanish, be it articles, workshops, or talks. Holding a Master’s in Web Engineering, he is dedicated to education, open source collaboration, and fostering technological growth in the Caribbean.
