<< spelk.online

Obsolescence

by spelk on October 8, 2020

Technology has escaped me

The other day I realised why, having been an IT professional for 3 decades, I find myself shipwrecked on a technological island without the power to reach or help other people.

However, as much as I’ve been able to keep myself up to date with multidiscipline computing throughout these times, only recently have I been estranged from the controls and decisions of operating and managing tech. I have been made obsolete.

The ever expanding Universe of waning control

There are layers of control and change now well out of my grasp.

Every problem needs a full detective investigation of versions, patches and platforms to get to a resolution.

However, people raised on the constrained functionality of one-button “wizard of oz” solutions, have no time to dig deep and try to understand the systems they devote their precious data to.

Every system overloads the hardware with behind-the-scenes telemetry and metrics and the tranmission of that data back to big brother!

The blind engineer

My “computing common sense” power tools don’t work anymore and the meagre dials exposed for me to use have been heavily obfuscated; their control outsourced to a premium administration subscription model on a corporate server.

Everything is going on behind the wizards curtain.

I am blind to it all.

Computer Support says no

If I’m asked a support question, I can no longer answer sufficiently to help. The proprietary mists of the corporate magician sting the eyes.

With a localised ecosystem, changing only every 3 or 4 years, I could maintain a level of competance in all areas of its support. I could provide a “jack-of-all-trades” solution for most peoples needs. That was my skill. A broad level of support.

However, a multi-layered cloud based corporate setup requires keen specialisation in narrow areas to maintain expertise in this ever changing outsourced landscape. I can no longer pursue every avenue to maintain a level of competance.

The shifting layers are stacked against me:

A retreat

This island has a shelter.

Sturdily built as Linux.

One where I can know the systems at play.

Where I can command and control how and what it does.

Where the OS I use is steadfast and infinitely configurable.

Where I can install free and open source software as I see fit, to provide functionality I actually want!

Where my data is my own and it is private!

Where I can help others, because the systems are localised and change is at my pace.

Where I can be free.