From: jfairchild@tudado.org   
      
   D  writes:   
      
   > On Mon, 2 Sep 2024, Johanne Fairchild wrote:   
   >   
   >>> When I graduated from university, I wanted to become a programmer, but   
   >>> at that time, only 10+ years of experience was wanted on the job   
   >>> market, so life decided that I should work in infrastructure/system   
   >>> administration instead.   
   >>   
   >> I always thought of system administration as a programming job.  In   
   >> fact, a fun one.  Initially I wanted to be a UNIX system administrator.   
   >   
   > Yes, having worked as one, I can see that. For me, the pleasure was   
   > always in automation, and the quick feedback loops. I would work on a   
   > piece of the infra-stack, automate as much as possible, and you can do   
   > that in small cycles of days and weeks, instead of the endless bug   
   > hunting the developers at one of my jobs did, in some kind of million+   
   > line CAD software. I always got the feeling talking with them, that   
   > their job would never end, and you would only see small,   
   > micro-incremental improvements stretching over years.   
   >   
   > Mean while, I'd happily automate my systems, deployments, reports,   
   > statistics etc. so yes, some kind of programming always was there during   
   > my time as a linux/unix system administrator.   
      
   I recognize all of the above.  But I think there's an even stronger   
   point for system administration back then.  When I got introduced to   
   UNIX systems, it was a time where there were UNIX users and people would   
   still share the system.  So UNIX administrators did programming that   
   everyone around the system noticed.  There were mailing lists, NNTP   
   servers and IRC servers so that people living the same area could talk   
   to on a daily basis.  Getting online and seeing there were people online   
   too was a joy.   
      
   The web evolved and computers became cheap, so everyone got their own   
   and that seems to have isolated everyone.  Instead of talking to your   
   neighbor, you'd then interact with a lot of people across the world.   
   System administrators got buried.  We only notice their presence now   
   when things go completely wrong.  Today, the new generation of   
   programmers have not even heard of W. Richard Stevens.  I have no idea   
   how they understand the systems they use.   
      
   You offer a shell account to a ``tweenager'' and they decline---thanks,   
   but no, thanks.  ``I have my own system.''  They see no fun in sharing   
   in a UNIX system.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)