What did you do with your summer vacation? John McLean wrote software to help IBM automate the process of counting computers on its Research Triangle Park campus. Last summer, at Raleigh-based Red Hat, he developed software that helps control robots.

Next week he's starting his freshman year at Duke University, with plans to study computer science and religion. His college costs will be partly paid with a 2009 Fedora scholarship, which recognizes students for their contributions to free, open-source software.

Here are some highlights from a recent telephone interview with McLean, who is 18 and lives in Cary: