[sepositus]

Working in software professionally, the internal struggle I seem to have is separating "personal software" from "resume fodder." The line of thinking is generally: "Why create this one-off thing for myself when I can publicize it, get some contributors, and add it to my list of successful OSS projects." It's a terrible loop, to be honest.

[sho_hn]

I've been struggling with some sort of variant of this.

I'm a prolific FOSS contributor, but a few years ago I switched to a very time-intensive day job and we had our first kid, and my FOSS contributions have waned a fair bit as a result. I still need to do tech stuff outside work to have an extra creative hobby outlet, so I've been doing HW/SW DIY projects like [1] and [2] that don't put me into the critical path of anyone. They're fun, and I open source them, but I'm permanently stressed and a bit guilt-ridden that compared to my previous spare-time output they're not really of much use for anyone else. My "personal software" dies alone at home, whereas previously it was used by millions.

I'm working on a DIY toy robot now[3], and I'm trying to find a middle ground there by launching a new project with a library, tools and tester GUI to control serial servo motors by various vendors that the robot is the dogfood-test for. I'm hoping this is the solution: Build "personal software", but clearly pull out the parts that are usable for everyone into a module that you put in a little extra effort to make it more available for general consumption.

E.g. with the e-ink newspaper, I should look into making the display driver code I wrote into a lib as well I guess ...

1 = https://github.com/eikehein/hyelicht

2 = https://imgur.com/a/diy-automatic-e-ink-newspaper-using-rust...

3 = https://mero.ng/i/MHgQziFC.jpg

[sepositus]

You're not alone in that. I also have a very demanding day job along with a few fairly serious community organizations that I help lead. Oh, and also three kids :) I suspect people in situations like this are less represented in the hacker community simply because of time bias. I have to constantly remind myself that some of the (genuinely amazing) things I see people doing are often in a vastly different context than myself. When I don't, I fall prey to the loop again.

[tdeck]

Do you write scripts for you own use? I've usually been able to do that without thinking "I really should publish this".

[sepositus]

Yes, I tend not to feel the need to apply the loop to sufficiently small tasks. To give a recent example, though, I use a text-based bookkeeping system for my personal finances. I've recently started work on an API that can sufficiently increase the possibility of automating the more mundane parts. Of course, out of habit, as I'm designing the API, I'm immediately making tweaks to make it more accessible outside of my own personal needs.

It's a culture I've subconsciously adopted, and I appreciate the author's intent to shrug it off.

[jan3024-2r]

Like a creative person you have to develop overly experimental bad things before you retire and blame others.

[harrison_clarke]

a possible hack for that: write personal software to help you write the OSS project