In 1997 I attended USENIX, a conference: in particular the "Uselinux" track. Many stories I could and have told, but it kicked off a career timeline I still marvel at:
* 1997 go home knowing I want to work with these people, start hacking on the Linux firewall code.
* 1998 at USENIX again, respond to a job ad with a proposal to instead sponsor my coding. Tour Australia' Linux User Groups promoting the idea that *we* should have a Linux conference.
* 1999 ran CALU, moved to Canberra to join some FOSS hackers I'd met. Joined the same startup. Hired hobbyist hackers from all around the country to join us at "OzLabs"
* 2001 wrote the state election software, then joined IBM with most of the OzLabs team.
Yesterday, IBM finally shuttered the OzLabs team, so I returned to Canberra for the wake. It's been over a decade, and not everyone was there, but feeling much nostalgia. Looking back is not my normal mode, but being here I can't help it.
That lab was such a formative crucible for young FOSS hackers: it really did get the best out of us all. I wish such a place still existed (ideally in my chosen home of Adelaide!) but I do wish everyone reading this can experience belonging to such a place at least once.
❤️
* 1997 go home knowing I want to work with these people, start hacking on the Linux firewall code.
* 1998 at USENIX again, respond to a job ad with a proposal to instead sponsor my coding. Tour Australia' Linux User Groups promoting the idea that *we* should have a Linux conference.
* 1999 ran CALU, moved to Canberra to join some FOSS hackers I'd met. Joined the same startup. Hired hobbyist hackers from all around the country to join us at "OzLabs"
* 2001 wrote the state election software, then joined IBM with most of the OzLabs team.
Yesterday, IBM finally shuttered the OzLabs team, so I returned to Canberra for the wake. It's been over a decade, and not everyone was there, but feeling much nostalgia. Looking back is not my normal mode, but being here I can't help it.
That lab was such a formative crucible for young FOSS hackers: it really did get the best out of us all. I wish such a place still existed (ideally in my chosen home of Adelaide!) but I do wish everyone reading this can experience belonging to such a place at least once.
❤️