Retrogrouch

December 22nd, 2009
tech
I've been thinking about my approach to computing. It's a little strange. I mostly interact with computers remotely over ssh. I use emacs only in terminal mode. I don't use an IDE to program. I prefer tiling to overlapping windows. I prefer mailing lists to forums. I read mail in mutt. I like clicky keyboards. Talking about this with someone a while ago, the best word I had at the time was "luddite". That didn't really fit, though, as I like technology, just not "improvements" that make things worse. (So I like python, chrome's one-process-per-tab, lcd monitors, browser-integrated spell checking, and led bike headlights because these really do improve over the previous systems.) There is a word from bicycling, though, "retrogrouch", that means about what I want. (I'm also retrogrouch about non computing stuff. My bike has rod brakes, a coaster brake, internal hub gearing, an enclosed chain case, and is made of steel. I prefer to play acoustic instruments and listen to live music. I don't like teflon in cookware. I don't like cell phones. Learned music is better than read music.) The goal is not to be misled by new technology as good because it's new. Older technology has had a lot of thought put into it, and the faster new technology comes out the less time it has had to mature.
Referenced in:

Comment via: facebook, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

Paid Subscriber Questions Post

I have picked up a lot of new paid subscribers since the last time I did something like this, so: let's do a subscriber questions post!

via Thing of Things July 21, 2025

Retrospective on life tracking and effectiveness systems

I’ve been doing life tracking for around 10 years, and this post is looking back at some things I learned from the data (since my previous retrospective in 2017). Highlights include what I get out of the Oura ring, correlations between sleep and deep work…

via Victoria Krakovna July 4, 2025

Elixir's Last Dance

On May 18th, the contra dance band Elixir had their last gig ever. The dance was packed: there were three hundred people. It was the only dance BIDA has ever done where they sold tickets. People flew from across the country just to hear Elixir play one la…

via Lily Wise's Blog Posts June 5, 2025

more     (via openring)