I’m a similar age. My view of tech was shaped by sites like slashdot and the thought processes which went into that culture, but put control of my equipment as the important part. It was an eye opener when I entered the workforce and found tech people who genuinely loved the Microsoft eco culture, which makes sense given how much stuff was built for IE only.

I wonder how world views were shaped with those entering the industry post GFC and with google and aws on the ascendency.