In 1997 I attended USENIX, a conference: in particular the "Uselinux" track. Many stories I could and have told, but it kicked off a career timeline I still marvel at:
* 1997 go home knowing I want to work with these people, start hacking on the Linux firewall code.
* 1998 at USENIX again, respond to a job ad with a proposal to instead sponsor my coding. Tour Australia' Linux User Groups promoting the idea that *we* should have a Linux conference.
* 1999 ran CALU, moved to Canberra to join some FOSS hackers I'd met. Joined the same startup. Hired hobbyist hackers from all around the country to join us at "OzLabs"
* 2001 wrote the state election software, then joined IBM with most of the OzLabs team.
Yesterday, IBM finally shuttered the OzLabs team, so I returned to Canberra for the wake. It's been over a decade, and not everyone was there, but feeling much nostalgia. Looking back is not my normal mode, but being here I can't help it.
That lab was such a formative crucible for young FOSS hackers: it really did get the best out of us all. I wish such a place still existed (ideally in my chosen home of Adelaide!) but I do wish everyone reading this can experience belonging to such a place at least once.
❤️
Rusty Russell
npub179…elz4s
2026-01-16 21:41:25 UTC
Author Public Key
npub179e9tp4yqtqx4myp35283fz64gxuzmr6n3yxnktux5pnd5t03eps0elz4sPublished at
2026-01-16 21:41:25 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": "In 1997 I attended USENIX, a conference: in particular the \"Uselinux\" track. Many stories I could and have told, but it kicked off a career timeline I still marvel at:\n* 1997 go home knowing I want to work with these people, start hacking on the Linux firewall code. \n* 1998 at USENIX again, respond to a job ad with a proposal to instead sponsor my coding. Tour Australia' Linux User Groups promoting the idea that *we* should have a Linux conference. \n* 1999 ran CALU, moved to Canberra to join some FOSS hackers I'd met. Joined the same startup. Hired hobbyist hackers from all around the country to join us at \"OzLabs\" \n* 2001 wrote the state election software, then joined IBM with most of the OzLabs team.\n\nYesterday, IBM finally shuttered the OzLabs team, so I returned to Canberra for the wake. It's been over a decade, and not everyone was there, but feeling much nostalgia. Looking back is not my normal mode, but being here I can't help it. \n\nThat lab was such a formative crucible for young FOSS hackers: it really did get the best out of us all. I wish such a place still existed (ideally in my chosen home of Adelaide!) but I do wish everyone reading this can experience belonging to such a place at least once.\n\n❤️",
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