I grew up with Unix.
I remember the days when Unix was a seriously advanced topic, available only to the elite privileged (adults) who were granted access to it as a technological resource only through machinations that were out of my scope of influence, as a 13 year old learning computing in 1983. It was a vast mystery.
It was only with great effort on my part that access was eventually granted in the form of a login over a slow modem. That was enough for me to move to the next phase.
Then, it was a mystery in terms of taxology. I had a near-infinite, seemingly overwhelming number of things to learn - more than what was in my high school curriculum, more than my little home 8-bit computer could teach me, more .. it seemed at the time .. than all the books on my shelf.
Well, it was only a few years - actually probably less than 10 months - until I was able to grasp at least a little bit of the subject, and do something with it. That was enough to propel me into the professional sphere - where I was able to move from a clueless teenager into the clued-up programmer zone.
And then (late 80's) it became a game of "which Unix do you want to know?", and that game was as thorny as any other. I chose Risc/OS (from MIPS, pre-SGI) and it worked out: I gained my own machine (physical hardware) as a result of commercial delivery of products - a few files of .c/.h - which I'd managed to build as a result of eager learning applied to real application.
And then: Linux. This changed the world completely, at least for me at the time. When I first saw Linus' post on the minix-list, announcing his sharing of work I thought completely inapproachable and beyond the horizon, I immediately applied myself to catching up. And then, through the 90's, the commercial applications of these skills gave me an even deeper understanding of the subject - and Unix became less of a mystery and more of a resource for living. And so it was: for a decade I built Unix software, like no other, which resulted in many great things for many great people.
Then, we flipped the century bit, and Unix - in spite of all the predictions from industry experts - was still with us. It didn't just go away because of pop-culture desires and mores, it was seriously entrenched. That 80's decision seemed all the more wise in 2001, when it became clear to me that Unix was not going away.
So I kept at it. I coded all I could. I got a tiBook - astounded, but content nevertheless, that Apple (of all companies) was producing a portable Unix workstation - something that I'd dreamed of for over a decade. And there it was, the tiBook. So I've upgraded my way from there, to my current extremely satisfying device (MBP Retina) .. and beyond that, even beyond my wildest teenage dreams: here we are today - I carry around a Unix workstation in my pocket.
Its my primary means of communication, just like I always knew it would be. It does all the things that I used to do with the Risc/OS pizza box. It does it in a way that makes total sense - a simple interface, like the embodiment of the holy pipe, but at my fingertips.
It has been a challenge, a fantasy, and a real desire to see Unix become what it is today - but its also been a privilege. I think that all of my fellow hackers who professed faith in the technology, must feel the same - at least those who have watched it happen over decades. Truly, a unique human experience.
And therefore I'm really glad to see this article. It has been very enlightening - and as well, personally satisfying - to see that others recognize the power of this technology, which took decades to become the force of power that it is today.