We live in two different worlds. At one point, though, not so long ago we did live in the same world. Or at least I thought so. A world of biology class and band concerts. Track meets and movies. Now the only thing our worlds seem to have in common is the other, and this is questionable at times.
He comes from a world where Microsoft is evil. I come from a world where Microsoft is a lifesafer. Only cursed when it crashes, but quickly praised again once running. His world praises (and writes) free software. My world sees free software as something that happens when you get 1,000 free hours of AOL. His world sees HTML email as rude. My world doesn't even know what HTML email is or why it could be considered rude.
Somehow I am living on the brink of both. He has seen to this. He shares his views with me and my eyes have been opened to this other world. I have learned about Linux and the GNU project from him. I understand what free software is and why it helps so much. I, too, see why Microsoft is evil. And yet, here I am on my mother's Windows running computer. In a world that sees CS majors as geeks and anti-socials. A world that laughs at my interests in programming.
And where does this leave me? They seem like totally diffent worlds, and yet they aren't. We read the same books, eat the same food, watch the same movies. It's only the views on technology that differ. Somewhere in the middle I hope to meet him some day.