Computing for work vs hobby
This topic came to mind during a discussion about minix. Someone says “I love minix”, I say “cool beans”. If someone says “let’s all migrate to minix because “ideological purity” and it’s ok because “minix runs BSD software” - and I’m nowhere near jumping aboard. Makes no sense. To me.
Thing is - I love computers as a hobby too. I’ve played with Linux for decades because it’s always had that fun element precisely because it’s not all polished. Having to learn it was part of the appeal. Over the years, Linux has acquired more and more polish and more folks find that they can part ways with Windows or Mac and enjoy Linux. Like DHH, the Ruby on Rails and Basecamp guy (and lots more). He eventually became so incensed with Apple (they banned his email app/service) that he spent many months tailoring Linux to get a workflow that he likes FAR BETTER than what he had with the Mac. Great for him!
I look at and say - I don’t have those many months to do that kind of work and I have needs he doesn’t. But I loaded his Omarchy Linux on a no-longer supported MacBook Air to have fun. Linux is fun.
Minix - is likely fun too. I’ll never know if BSD is fun because every “BSD week challenge” I’ve tried, I’ve never gotten it to run on my hardware. I’m sure it’s a wonderful unix operating system. I have heard about its architecture and security wins. MacOS shares roots with BSD and has a kernel that started with BSD (but didn’t stay there). MacOS has all the BSD user land commands and is a POSIX compliant Unix OS.
But the Mac is not fun in for me in the nerd tingly way that Linux is. It’s fun for a lot of other reasons.
Thing is, my hobby use of computers is heavily aligned with my work use. My career is so intensively connected to learning the next big thing that enterprise customers are clamoring for - that I don’t have the bandwidth to play with Minix. That’s ok. I also don’t have the time for learning the piano or drums. I mean, I have the same time as everyone, but I’m lucky that my “itch to learn cool tech things” is also really aligned with my career.
I’ve spent 3 years learning generative AI. I use it as a hobby and for work. For years before I was able/allowed to use it for work, it was only hobby. Well hobby and “up-skilling for future work” investment. And I’ve enjoyed it immensely. I spent years learning photography and digital photo editing as a hobby. Once digital cameras came out, my “love of learning tech” and interest in photography joined. And while I became a weekend professional wedding photographer - and people loved my work - all that hobby time did nothing to add value to my day job.
I run a home lab and have for almost my entire career. I’m always tinkering and playing and exploring - but - almost always with an eye to self training for better work.
There’s no lesson here. This is just me reflecting on why I’m not thrilled to explore Minix to free myself of politics in my tech. People say if you do what you love you’ll never work a day. I’m way too blue collar born and raised to accept that as a general truth. I have a work ethic from working class heritage. But yes, It is really nice that I enjoy learning tech as a hobby and career.
