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Just got reminded of this talk I gave in 2011. Feels like a lifetime ago.
Watching it back, I cringe every time “#UX”—instead of just #design—and “users”—instead of people—comes out of my mouth. That, and my naïve embrace of “#open” and how mistaken I was to value it over free (as in freedom).
You can see I’m starting to question the business model of people farming but it’s so timid; almost an afterthought. But, hey, it’s been (and is) a journey, I guess.
https://archive.org/details/podcast_fronteers-videos_aral-balkan-the-future-is-na_1000106521975
@aral An indicator of your personal and professional development, I’d say. 
@aral that users vs. people one is something I still have to work on. It's a deep groove for anyone who has worked in the industry.
Part of the implicit military framing that is the internet's original sin.
@laprice I hear you (and ditto) :)
@aral does it make you wonder what things from your current talks and writings will make you cringe in a decade?
(To be clear, this is not meant as criticism; I'm genuinely curious.)
@FiXato Hopefully fewer things. I like to think there’s progress. But ask me again in ten years’ time ;)
Not much to be ashamed of, when you said what you said at the time it was where we all was in our thinking, and you just pointed at a likely point ahead of us, even then. :)
Here is Aral speaking at Future Of Web Design conference in London 2010 btw:
@aral you are right it is journey, it is a mental state freedom.
Happy hacking and stay with the GNU project philosophy!
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html
This is another great read the Philosophy of the RepRap project, where the 3D printing revolution started thanks to free licenses back in 2006
https://reprap.org/wiki/PhilosophyPage
@aral I think I can relate to your feeling (same reactions every time I re-read my old essays or blogs). We’ve all been naive at some point, and maybe depending on subjects and points of view we still are. I find valuable to admit it and recognise ‘I was wrong’ because it means you’ve grown and deepen your knowledge ;)
@alx Thanks :) In retrospect, that’s a bad use of the word naïve. I was instead misinformed and wrong. I see naïve as a much more positive word and I do try to approach things naïvely (and be disappointed if need be). To be naïve, in a sense, is to assume things are as they should be. And many times you’re disappointed because we live in a world where (usually due to greed and shortsightedness) they’re not. So I’d much rather approach things naïvely and be disappointed than become jaded.
@aral I wouldn’t be necessarily so harsh on you. Awareness grows with time and through a process of acquiring knowledge for parsing certain information in the correct form. Though you were misinformed and wrong, you moved on to a place now that allows you to see it, which is an achievement onto itself, isn’t it?
@alx You’re too kind; thank you 
@aral Don't be hard on yourself. Remember, Google's motto was "don't be evil" and would be tech bros who said they wanted to improve the world for everyone are now libertarian creeps building bunkers and private armies and supporting proto-fascism
@aral Very interesting reflections!