I've been spending the last couple of years doubling down on learning Swift, and the Swift ecosystem. It's been 14 hours a day, seven days a week.
And I haven't been paid a dime.
All the while, I have been told that I'm "wasting my time," "you should be learning React Native and Javascript," and that "Apple is a dead company." etc. ad nauseam
Since I've been hearing that same refrain (substitute "Windows" for "React Native," and "C" for "JavaScript") for the last 34 years, it doesn't phase me that much.
The simple fact of the matter is, I can afford to take the time to do it, I really like Swift, and I really like developing for Apple systems.
Maybe it will result in some kind of lucrative stuff; maybe not. I don't care.
I spent over 30 years, writing software that other people used as toilet paper. I'm doing what I want.
This guy is doing what he wants. Good on him.
One of the nice things about art, is that it is something other people enjoy; maybe, even more than we (the artists) do.
Since we are sharing: I've spent the last couple of years, on and off, building a physics engine from scratch. Pretty hard considering I'm not a mechanical engineer. Lots of fun though.
I'm first transcoding the Java code into Objective-C code with a Java to Objective-C transcoder that I wrote for fun. Google has their own Java To Objective-C transcoder, though I've never used it.
Seriously. This is one of the most tired criticisms out there. It has existed since I got into technology 25 years ago. "Wow, you sure spent a lot of time doing that, and it's just a game!" -- Said most everyone in high school trying to get me to stop writing C code and hacking on my MUDs [edit: to do my actual school work]. Turns out it was pretty darn important I got into C and MUDs, without it I would not be in tech most likely :)
Person A: Look at this cool thing I did. Purely because I wanted to.
Person B: Wow you sure spent a lot of time on that. Surely you could be doing something more productive.
I find people that make this comment tend to not really understand or appreciate hacker "culture". We learn through experimentation and scratching itches. Maybe its not directly applicable to real world skills. Maybe it is. The process is what makes a good hacker. This person surely learned a lot about engineering and design in doing this project. Most importantly they wanted to do it.
Many people fill their time with bullshit on the Internet these days. I personally wonder what cool projects and other "pointless" things people could be creating if they weren't stuck on social media and consumed content.
People said the same thing for those who invented email, the World Wide Web, tcp/ip, and other technologies.
Nobody saw the value in it at the time of doing it. That’s the thing about having true creative vision, to also have the conviction to do those things that nobody else sees the value of doing.
I mean, why does anyone have any hobbies? Why do people build model layouts, or models at all? Why read/write for fun? Why keep small gardens? Why do photograhy? Why do people still run their own dark rooms? Why do people write software in their spare time? Why do people cook?
This strain of thinking that every spare minute must be accounted for and be in the service of improving one’s circumstances is something all too common in tech.
It's also a very narrow idea of what someone's "circumstances" are. Physical and mental well-being are part of your circumstances as well, and hobbies often cater to one or both of those.
And I haven't been paid a dime.
All the while, I have been told that I'm "wasting my time," "you should be learning React Native and Javascript," and that "Apple is a dead company." etc. ad nauseam
Since I've been hearing that same refrain (substitute "Windows" for "React Native," and "C" for "JavaScript") for the last 34 years, it doesn't phase me that much.
The simple fact of the matter is, I can afford to take the time to do it, I really like Swift, and I really like developing for Apple systems.
Maybe it will result in some kind of lucrative stuff; maybe not. I don't care.
I spent over 30 years, writing software that other people used as toilet paper. I'm doing what I want.
This guy is doing what he wants. Good on him.
One of the nice things about art, is that it is something other people enjoy; maybe, even more than we (the artists) do.
I think it's great.
I also enjoyed this[0], a couple of years ago.
[0] https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1757088830996244