So you literally make better software if you think like this from day one, you actively use your creativity and imagination to scheme how you can make other people's lives better as the end goal that makes any of this matter. It's a head start. And you don't end up pulling a Linus Torvalds later, or even a Tridge.

I do think software as activism is higher effort up front. But it pays off pretty much continuously from there, often reducing your effort while increasing your positive impact. It's very mutual. One of my big things I think about lately is how to make software that requires little to no maintenance - in the ideal case, permanent - so that I can spread myself to a wider scope long-term. I can't do that if I'm firefighting all the time! Which - you see now *how* it makes you better, as a worked example, right?