History of Sympathy for Data

"Sympathy for Data" was created with a primary objective: simplifying code reuse through well-structured data exchange formats. The genesis of this vision took shape in August 2009, when Stefan Larsson, armed with a Ph.D. in control engineering and an unwavering dedication to the Swedish automotive industry, embarked on developing the initial prototype.

Seeing the potential of Stefan's endeavor, Krister Johansson, a mastermind in statistics and Stefan's colleague, readily joined the project. This wasn't just a regular day job for them; evenings and weekends were spent refining and expanding on their initial ideas.

By December 2009, a crossroads was reached. Balancing their day jobs and this side project became unsustainable. They proposed an audacious plan to their employer: to work on the software during official hours, but in exchange, its ownership would reside with a non-profit entity, and it would be released as open source.

With their employer's blessing, Stefan and Krister were now able to channel more energy into their creation. This development paved the way for the non-profit's inception.

However, to thrive, they needed more than their dedication. They aimed to rope in companies, especially for software upkeep. In May 2010, the duo presented their idea to a local technical consultancy company led by a CEO familiar to Krister. The presentation was a success, leading to the establishment of the non-profit "System Engineering Software Society" (SysESS) by December 2010.

The inaugural board was an ensemble of expertise: Krister Johansson, Stefan Larsson, Anders Movert, Alexander Busck, and Johan Hallnéus. Notably, Anders was the CEO of Combine, with Alexander being one of its core team members. As lead developer, Alexander's involvement marked a pivotal moment for the software.

The project gained momentum with the broader team. By February 2011, an internal version 0.1 of "Sympathy for Data" was launched. Combine's Erik der Hagopian joined the crew in spring, leading to the summer release of version 0.2.

Even as leadership at Combine shifted from Anders Movert to Peter Karlsson, the project's momentum remained unfazed, with Anders remaining engaged via SysESS from his new venture in the energy sector.

By February 2012, internal version 0.3 was in active use by several member firms. The following September saw the release of a robust version 0.4, thanks in part to the efforts of Greger Cronquist.

In 2019, ownership of "Sympathy for Data" transitioned from SysESS to Combine, marking a new era for the software. Under Combine's stewardship, the software continued to evolve, with the team working diligently towards the much-anticipated release of version 1.0, reflecting the original vision of its creators.