Editorials & Essays

Opinion and longer pieces — warm, personal, and in no hurry.

Editorial

In praise of boring technology

The most reliable system I ever ran was also the least exciting — no launch thread, no keynote, just years of quietly doing its job. After thirty-five years in Unix, I've come to think boring is the highest compliment technology can earn.

Frank van Doorn·8 min read

Opinion

Your next phone should be a tool, not a slot machine

Infinite feeds are designed to keep you scrolling. A few deliberate choices — and a homescreen with almost nothing on it — give you the tool back.

Frank van Doorn·5 min read

Essay

Thirty-five years of Unix, and the terminal still feels like home

Shells changed, vendors merged, and everything moved to the cloud. The prompt stayed. Notes on what three and a half decades at the command line teaches you.

Frank van Doorn·9 min read