When I first got into Linux it was circumstantial. I was 11 and trying to figure out how to put "free games" (homebrew) on my console and that got me into insta

When I first got into Linux it was circumstantial. I was 11 and trying to figure out how to put "free games" (homebrew) on my console and that got me into installing Linux. Back in those days (20 years ago) we didn't have the rich package managing ecosystems of today or fast internet access. I bought a Linux CD from a local computer store (though I called it Unix, magically the guy who sold it to me knew what I meant). I remember trying to learn how to install things like the packages or software I wanted and being told if there isn't an .rpm then you have to try "compiling" it. Naively, my world view was that there was a structured process for everything - the steps for compiling something would be the same for everything, one could simply learn those steps. In my mind I imagined it was as simple as typing "make" and an install wizard would appear in a terminal. When it wasn't that, I would go onto IRC channels and naively ask "how do I compile things". People tried to help and I guess they thought I was an adult with the comprehension of a child so people got pretty frustrated. Makes me laugh to think of how structured I thought the world was; thinking there was a uniform and consistent way to compile software. Even as I sit here with experience as a software engineer, compiling someone's random github project can be mind bending - especially with some of the objectively simpler yet also more complicated methods of producing binaries from within docker containers tailored to compilation.