i’m becoming the developer i used to make fun of

a few years ago, i was that guy.

i’d see someone posting their rice arch setup with 47 keyboard shortcuts, running everything in the terminal like a masochist, and i’d think: why are you suffering? just use windows, vs code, and get the job done. life’s too short for dotfiles and vim jokes.

“real productivity doesn’t come from pain”, i’d say. easier tools exist for a reason.

fast forward to april 2026. i’m writing this on arch linux. my daily terminal is kitty. i have neovim open more often than i care to admit. i wrote a post telling people to stop misusing vs code. i preach git worktree like it’s gospel. and i’m experimenting heavily with bun because i’m tired of slow, bloated toolchains.

i became exactly what i used to mock.

the shift didn’t happen overnight

it started when i got tired of fighting my tools. windows + wsl had constant friction. heavy vs code with too many extensions made everything feel sluggish. the easy path started introducing its own kind of suffering slow builds, mystery errors, and that constant feeling that i wasn’t in full control.

so i tried the things i used to laugh at.

i installed arch. learned enough to get a stable daily driver. switched to a minimal setup. started using the terminal for things i used to do with gui apps. picked up better git habits. started valuing speed and simplicity at the tooling layer even if it meant learning curves.

and here’s the annoying part: it worked. my workflow feels faster. i debug better. i context-switch less. i actually enjoy parts of the process again.

but i hate “it depends”

the worst part isn’t the change itself. it’s how my brain works now.

i used to have strong, clean opinions. “this is the right way.” now? everything is “it depends.”

• sometimes the terminal is 10x faster. sometimes i just want to click things.
• sometimes a minimal editor keeps me focused. sometimes i need proper debugging tools.
• sometimes fighting with linux is worth it for the control. sometimes i miss the it just works (mostly) experience.

i catch myself defending setups i would have roasted two years ago. and i hate it. i miss the intellectual comfort of clear superiority. certainty felt good.

what i actually gained

i’m not here to say everyone should switch to arch + vim. that would be missing the point.

what changed is my tolerance for trade-offs. experience showed me that “easier” often just hides the complexity somewhere else. the pain i used to make fun of sometimes buys you leverage, speed, and understanding.

i still use vs code (minimal). i still have python and node in my setup even while hyping bun. i’m not a purist (i’m a recovering one).

the mirror moment

if 2021-2022 me saw my current setup, he’d call me a tryhard or a configuration addict.

now i just shrug and say: it works for me.

i don’t know if this is growth or if i’ve just been slowly radicalized by the terminal lifestyle. probably both.

have you caught yourself becoming the developer you used to criticize?

drop it in the comments. i’m curious how many of us are in the same boat.

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