CraftBuzz recently had the opportunity to interview veteran developer and server administrator Tux, who, after 6 years of involvement in the Minecraft community, has announced that he will be leaving to pursue other goals and interests. Tux is widely recognized as the leading contributor to BuycraftX—the official Buycraft plugin—and as the previous developer of The Chunk and, later, CubeCraft.

BUILDBLOX: You’re known as a highly competent and sought-after developer and server administrator. What do you think has led to your success?

TUX: I believe the factor that has led to my success has been relentless determination and motivation and my insistence on high standards for my work.

B: How were you first introduced to the Minecraft community?

T: It was my little brother who introduced me. He told me about it and I was interested, so I bought the game. However, back then my computer was very low-end and didn’t run Minecraft very well. So I had to let it sit for a bit. Some months later, I got a new computer that could run Minecraft. I’ve only briefly stopped playing since.

B: When did you start working on The Chunk, and later, CubeCraft? Do you think the merge of the two servers was a good idea, and why?

T: I started working at The Chunk in August 2013. I started at CubeCraft around the end of December 2015. In retrospect, the merge was a terrible idea, and it contributed to me leaving Minecraft behind. CubeCraft’s management was poor, the codebase was chaotic, and their server management was literally Multicraft – the management panel preferred by Little Timmy’s Minecraft Hosting Emporium.

B: How did you initially become involved in the production of BuycraftX?

T: Around the time of the Chunk-CubeCraft merger, I wanted to have a contingency plan. At Chunk, I was acutely aware of the low quality of the existing Buycraft plugin and I also thought that this could help improve the quality of life for other server owners. I think this was a good move on my part.

B: In your farewell message, you stated that you will continue to do web development. Do you think you’ll ever return to the community in this role?

T: Well, I’m already working on this with CraftServers.net, which is a Minecraft server list I wrote using Django. So I’m still in, but only from a wider role of making gaming better.

B: You’re currently one of the most active developers working on Buycraft. Do you have any thoughts regarding your replacement?

T: I don’t know who my replacement is yet.

B: Why did you choose the name Tux for your online persona?

T: It dates back to 2009. Back then, I was obsessed with using Linux as my primary operating system. Tux, as you may or may not know, is the Linux kernel’s mascot. You may find it ironic that I now primarily use macOS and just have some Linux servers.

B: Given that you’ve been involved in Minecraft for 6 years, in your opinion, what has been the single most significant change in the community?

T: From my perspective, that would be the DMCA that Wolverness filed against Bukkit in 2014 after the revelation that Bukkit’s team and assets were acquired by Mojang.

B: Do you have any thoughts regarding EULA?

T: I felt that the practices of most servers needed to be reined in, but I think Mojang’s inconsistent enforcement of the EULA is a serious showstopper that stifles creativity.

B: What are your top 10 favorite plugins?

T: I’ve written at least ten plugins. How about we say all my plugins?

B: When you’re not creating or maintaining awesome plugins, what do you do during your free time?

T: I do a lot of reading and political discussion.

B: Z750, a Spigot IRC moderator, claims that he has an unhealthy addiction to tacos. What’s your comfort food?