Back to the Core: How djb and a Renegade Spirit Shaped My Career (And Saved Me from Tech Chaos)
Let’s take a little trip back in time, shall we? To the late 90s, when cyberspace/information super highway. The internet was something unknown to most, not in the ubiquitous background hum of our lives. I was a young kid, glued to a monitor, trying to make sense of it all. And that’s when I stumbled upon something that truly changed my trajectory: djb. cr.yp.to
Specifically, Dan J. Bernstein, and his software/attitude. His website, at the time hosted at the oh-so-classic cr.yp.to (before even thinking about SSL!), felt like a secret society, a haven for folks who wanted to understand the real innards of the internet. It wasn’t about flashy GUIs or the latest trends. It was about code, about protocols, about understanding how the internet actually worked.
For me, this was gold. I was fascinated by the magic of DNS and SMTP. It wasn’t enough to just use the internet, I wanted to know how it worked. And djb’s tools were my Rosetta Stone.
I dove headfirst into the world of qmail (oh, the sheer joy of a properly configured qmail system!), djbdns, and ucspi-tcp. They weren’t the most user-friendly tools, that’s for sure. But the more I used them, the more I understood the underlying protocols. Suddenly, I could debug DNS issues like a seasoned pro. I could send an email with raw telnet commands! (That’s right, no fancy Gmail interface for this guy).
I remember the almost giddy feeling of accomplishment when I finally got my personal DNS and email up and running on supportedsystems.com (registered way back on 2000-12-24!). It was like I’d unlocked a secret level in the internet game. It was hard-won knowledge, and it felt powerful.
These weren’t just abstract concepts anymore. They were tangible things I could control, manipulate, and understand. This wasn’t magic, this was logic, this was engineering at its core. And the feeling of mastering these core components made me feel like a damn genius! It was empowering, and honestly, pretty thrilling for a kid who just wanted to get it.
What started as a personal experiment soon turned into something bigger. I went from powering my personal websites to running servers for large ISPs, school districts, and even high-volume e-commerce sites. All those “core” tools, all that knowledge from djb’s world, became my secret weapon.
And here’s the thing, nearly 25 years later: that knowledge still holds up. In a world where technologies come and go faster than you can say “JavaScript framework,” it’s a comforting thought that some things just stay the same. You learn the core protocols once, and they’re with you for life. DNS, SMTP, the fundamental principles of networking – they’re not going anywhere.
Amidst the constant churn of new technologies (that often feel like they’re designed to be forgotten), there’s something deeply refreshing about this. It’s like having a set of reliable tools in your mental toolbox that you can always count on.
I think a big part of it was djb’s renegade spirit. He wasn’t just building software, he was building secure, correct software. He was challenging the status quo, pushing back against bloat and complexity. That resonated with me on a deep level. That independent spirit, that drive to understand the underlying mechanisms of technology, has stayed with me throughout my career.
So thank you, djb, for giving this young kid a peek behind the curtain, for making me feel like a genius, and for empowering me with knowledge that has truly stood the test of time. It’s not just about the software, it’s about the understanding you instilled. And for that, I’m eternally grateful.
What about you? Any old-school tech that shaped your career? I’d love to hear about it!
