Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

It wasn't for nothing

gexp.no

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 165 posts

Re: It wasn't for nothing

#101

Post by woojoo666 »

david_allison wrote: post #59
behnamoh wrote: post #4

I liked the article, I wish there were more of these. I've always wondered "who" are the developers who contribute to the open-source projects that I use without much hassle? Why do they do it? How does their life look like? And most importantly, are they OK?

Let's go! I'm currently living rent-free in an unoccupied student room in Edinburgh (it's out of term here, and I'm living with friends). I'm spending most of this month enjoying the Edinburgh Fringe Festival[0] (I saw 7 shows yesterday). The remainder of my time goes on Open Source/contracting work. Due to the Fringe, this month is unusual and I'm not satisfied with my open source activity: it's mostly code reviews,…

I was amazed that you were making $10/hr as an open source contributor, and I looked at your profile and found that you develop AnkiDroid. That's a wildly successful project, props

Re: It wasn't for nothing

#102

Post by noduerme »

There's a point, or should be one, where you realize your hobby is actually your vocation - because you love being excellent at your craft. Loving what you're building is worth more than all the money in the world.

Re: It wasn't for nothing

#103

Post by DocTomoe »

CogitoCogito wrote: post #97
oblio wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cozy up by the fireplace, pop a bottle of wine with a loved one. So your suggestion for his problem is... alcohol? :-) > Prepare for xmas, visit the various xmas markets. Where frequently the main activity is drinking mulled wine aka... alcohol? :-) > Spend the evening playing board games with friends, drinking and having it cozy by the fireplace again. More alcohol? :-)))

What I saw was the poster recommend things that can enjoyable during the winter. Alcohol can be enjoyable during the winter. What exactly is your issue?

The article specifically mentions getting away from alcoholism as one of the major benefits of the work on guix.

Re: It wasn't for nothing

#104

Post by tomashubelbauer »

behnamoh wrote: post #7
exolymph wrote: post #6

I'm not a developer but I totally relate to this. Most of my creative pursuits are weird, niche, sometimes avant-garde. If I didn't make my artifacts, nobody else would, and it is so intrinsically rewarding to see my visions instantiated, even if they pale in comparison to my first imagining of what they might be. Because I have fringe-y interests, most people don't necessarily "get" it. (Probably true of everyone el…

Does it bother you if people don't discover your work and don't use it? I've always wanted to do something of value that lasts, and many times I was discouraged by lack of interest from other people.

Other people usually means averaging out your vision with theirs which can lead to compromises that in the end make it not worth it. I'd rather make something that I think is perfect that no one else uses than something that started out being super satisfying and cool but ended but being mediocre and useful. The latter is called work and my hobby is not to "work, but more". It is to have fun.

Re: It wasn't for nothing

#105

Post by noduerme »

behnamoh wrote: post #7
exolymph wrote: post #6

I'm not a developer but I totally relate to this. Most of my creative pursuits are weird, niche, sometimes avant-garde. If I didn't make my artifacts, nobody else would, and it is so intrinsically rewarding to see my visions instantiated, even if they pale in comparison to my first imagining of what they might be. Because I have fringe-y interests, most people don't necessarily "get" it. (Probably true of everyone el…

Does it bother you if people don't discover your work and don't use it? I've always wanted to do something of value that lasts, and many times I was discouraged by lack of interest from other people.

I had this feeling for years touring as a musician in an (underrated, in my opinion) indie band. Ultimately I don't think it matters if you love the act of creation and value your own work. A sprinkle of public acclaim is plenty for most egos. It really doesn't need to be the reason you get up and do it.

Re: It wasn't for nothing

#106

Post by noduerme »

swayvil wrote: post #22
behnamoh wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it bother you if people don't discover your work and don't use it? I've always wanted to do something of value that lasts, and many times I was discouraged by lack of interest from other people.

Yes. And then I think that I need to take the project further, make it bigger and more attention -getting, and document it more, and push it in social media more. But I'm not going to do that. So there is some associated pain. But it's diminishing with time. And the attention my project got is definitely greater than zero. And the internet is forever. So there is a kind of peace.

social media is such a trap. It makes you feel like you're getting praise or criticism, but you're not getting either because it's just a way for your critics and followers to showcase their own egos. It eviscerates the actual work.

Re: It wasn't for nothing

#107

Post by prmoustache »

microtonal wrote: post #56
quickthrower2 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don’t have mouths to feed then options are massive and life is cheap. For example remote work live in south america type of thing.

life is cheap Unless you want to retire in a western country, you still have to build up a decent pension. And to reduce costs later, it probably also a good idea to buy a house.

For the most part and in most countries, including wealthy ones, people born after 1980 don't really expect to have the luxury of being able to retire at all.

Re: It wasn't for nothing

#108

Post by sfusato »

CogitoCogito wrote: post #97
oblio wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cozy up by the fireplace, pop a bottle of wine with a loved one. So your suggestion for his problem is... alcohol? :-) > Prepare for xmas, visit the various xmas markets. Where frequently the main activity is drinking mulled wine aka... alcohol? :-) > Spend the evening playing board games with friends, drinking and having it cozy by the fireplace again. More alcohol? :-)))

What I saw was the poster recommend things that can enjoyable during the winter. Alcohol can be enjoyable during the winter. What exactly is your issue?

"...But without Guix I would still be a confused alcoholic with daddy issues crashing on someones couch...."

Re: It wasn't for nothing

#109

Post by archi42 »

behnamoh wrote: post #4

I liked the article, I wish there were more of these. I've always wondered "who" are the developers who contribute to the open-source projects that I use without much hassle? Why do they do it? How does their life look like? And most importantly, are they OK?

Good question. Maybe you should do an Ask HN for that? (Don't forget to check the search in case there already was one).

Re: It wasn't for nothing

#110

Post by e12e »

flobosg wrote: post #57

Great post. It reminded me a bit of this one from the creator of SerenityOS: https://awesomekling.github.io/I-quit-my-job-to-focus-on-Ser...

So in a somewhat similar vein we have SerenityOS, GNU Guix and TempleOS (by the late Davis).

Might be room for some research in this area?

Post reply on HN