Yes, I do have a passion for code. Not to say I'm a code addict.

Have you ever experienced this passion for yourself? Then this site is for you!

Don't know why someone would ever claim he's passionate about code? -- Bear with me, I'll explain.

Where did it all start?

I've been having a passion for any complex machinery since I was a little boy. Started out playing with LEGO® bricks to create... - wonderful super-machines. Imagine a self-designed LEGO track asphalt paver utilizing self-dried corn grains as asphalt, built by a six-year-old.

What's next?

Boys grow older over time. And since it's just plain true that the bigger the boys, the bigger the toys, I pursued playing with more complex machines when I grew older. How complex can a machine eventually become? What's the ultimate building blocks for someone who loves to create his own toys from simple modules? For someone who comes up with an infinite number of ideas to try out today, and another bunch tomorrow? Metal construction kit? - Became boring at the age of twelve. Too limited set of available parts. LEGO® TECHNIC? - Sure, nice. But no robotics kit available back then. Became (really) boring around 14 due to lack of active control of the objects built. Girls? - Honestly, they did become interesting at some point in time, but hey, aren't they quite monolithic systems? I don't want to assemble my girlfriend from parts, would you?

Entering computers and software

For me, this ultimate construction kit is definitely a computer and some decent software development tools. Creating new machines from simple building blocks, fitting all the small parts together in the right way to create an object capable of performing more complex actions and fulfil a function of relevance, is the mainspring of both my playful and - years later - my professional carreer. If you're seriously into professional software development, you probably know that software complexity is what more often than not kills your project schedule or budget. To be successful one thus has to control complexity.

There are two main areas where I strive to control complexity today: professional software development - which I do not only for fun, but also for a living - and using computers and related machinery itself. As you might know from your own experience, at times the latter is challenging. This is even more true for Linux-based computers, which I usually prefer due to their openness.

What's in for you?

On this site, you will find experience reports, presentation of ideas, random thoughts, source code snippets, maybe open source software projects, ... -- all related to software development - and how we can tame complexity while at the same time build systems complex enough to deliver the value our customer demands.

Besides, I'll occasionally report on Linux-specific problems and solutions I encountered during my journeys of adventure trying to use common off-the-shelf hardware under a recent-decent Linux installation.