I’ve received many reactions to my latest blog post.
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EDIT: I've posted this - that will clarify even more things: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/10/10/when-bigger-stops-being-better/
I’ve received many reactions to my latest blog post. Some constructive, others critical, but all useful to better understand different perspectives.
However, two recurring dynamics emerged in the comments (mostly outside the Fediverse).First: I didn’t mention any names. I understand the disappointment, but naming them wouldn’t have helped anyone. Before publishing, I did my homework - that draft had been ready for over a year - and I even asked some of the people involved.
They took action privately to warn friends and colleagues, with good results, but they didn’t want public exposure. Many years have passed, and that company no longer has the same relevance anyway.
Some understood my choice (naming them could have meant serious legal trouble for me), but others started quoting US laws and amendments to "prove" that I could have safely done it. What many don’t realize is that the world isn’t the United States - not everyone plays by the same legal rules. And even if I won such a case, it would still mean wasted time, energy, and peace of mind. Cui prodest?Second: "Stories like that can only happen in Italy because there are so many small, family-run businesses".
That one annoyed me more - especially because it often came from Italians themselves.
First of all, I’ve worked in several countries, and I never said the story was about an Italian company.
Second, small businesses are not a problem - they’re a strength. My experience taught me that large corporations tend to turn employees into replaceable parts of a giant machine. Customers become faceless numbers, almost subjects rather than clients. At some point, a company’s need for endless growth becomes a trap - not a service that enriches people’s lives, but a "necessary evil".
And that, to me, is the real danger: believing that bigger automatically means better - in tech, and in life.
I wrote about this a few months ago, and I still believe it even more strongly today: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/06/09/macbook-pro-vs-car-why-small-businesses-still-win/#ITNotes #BlogPost #TechCulture #SmallBusiness #Writing #Reflections #PersonalThoughts
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EDIT: I've posted this - that will clarify even more things: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/10/10/when-bigger-stops-being-better/
I’ve received many reactions to my latest blog post. Some constructive, others critical, but all useful to better understand different perspectives.
However, two recurring dynamics emerged in the comments (mostly outside the Fediverse).First: I didn’t mention any names. I understand the disappointment, but naming them wouldn’t have helped anyone. Before publishing, I did my homework - that draft had been ready for over a year - and I even asked some of the people involved.
They took action privately to warn friends and colleagues, with good results, but they didn’t want public exposure. Many years have passed, and that company no longer has the same relevance anyway.
Some understood my choice (naming them could have meant serious legal trouble for me), but others started quoting US laws and amendments to "prove" that I could have safely done it. What many don’t realize is that the world isn’t the United States - not everyone plays by the same legal rules. And even if I won such a case, it would still mean wasted time, energy, and peace of mind. Cui prodest?Second: "Stories like that can only happen in Italy because there are so many small, family-run businesses".
That one annoyed me more - especially because it often came from Italians themselves.
First of all, I’ve worked in several countries, and I never said the story was about an Italian company.
Second, small businesses are not a problem - they’re a strength. My experience taught me that large corporations tend to turn employees into replaceable parts of a giant machine. Customers become faceless numbers, almost subjects rather than clients. At some point, a company’s need for endless growth becomes a trap - not a service that enriches people’s lives, but a "necessary evil".
And that, to me, is the real danger: believing that bigger automatically means better - in tech, and in life.
I wrote about this a few months ago, and I still believe it even more strongly today: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/06/09/macbook-pro-vs-car-why-small-businesses-still-win/#ITNotes #BlogPost #TechCulture #SmallBusiness #Writing #Reflections #PersonalThoughts
@stefano excellent post, I wholeheartedly agree. When we buy from small businesses we:
- talk directly to the owner, always someone who cares, put their hearts at work, are proud about doing it well, and have their lives dependent on it
- do not pay for unexplainable overheads and time-lags, and will definitely not been led by the nose into nonsensical labyrints of buzzwords, lingo, meetings, powerpoint, and bureaucracy
- contribute to the local economyLong live small businesses 🙂 !
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undefined stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe shared this topic on
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@stefano excellent post, I wholeheartedly agree. When we buy from small businesses we:
- talk directly to the owner, always someone who cares, put their hearts at work, are proud about doing it well, and have their lives dependent on it
- do not pay for unexplainable overheads and time-lags, and will definitely not been led by the nose into nonsensical labyrints of buzzwords, lingo, meetings, powerpoint, and bureaucracy
- contribute to the local economyLong live small businesses 🙂 !
@hdeangelis exactly!
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EDIT: I've posted this - that will clarify even more things: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/10/10/when-bigger-stops-being-better/
I’ve received many reactions to my latest blog post. Some constructive, others critical, but all useful to better understand different perspectives.
However, two recurring dynamics emerged in the comments (mostly outside the Fediverse).First: I didn’t mention any names. I understand the disappointment, but naming them wouldn’t have helped anyone. Before publishing, I did my homework - that draft had been ready for over a year - and I even asked some of the people involved.
They took action privately to warn friends and colleagues, with good results, but they didn’t want public exposure. Many years have passed, and that company no longer has the same relevance anyway.
Some understood my choice (naming them could have meant serious legal trouble for me), but others started quoting US laws and amendments to "prove" that I could have safely done it. What many don’t realize is that the world isn’t the United States - not everyone plays by the same legal rules. And even if I won such a case, it would still mean wasted time, energy, and peace of mind. Cui prodest?Second: "Stories like that can only happen in Italy because there are so many small, family-run businesses".
That one annoyed me more - especially because it often came from Italians themselves.
First of all, I’ve worked in several countries, and I never said the story was about an Italian company.
Second, small businesses are not a problem - they’re a strength. My experience taught me that large corporations tend to turn employees into replaceable parts of a giant machine. Customers become faceless numbers, almost subjects rather than clients. At some point, a company’s need for endless growth becomes a trap - not a service that enriches people’s lives, but a "necessary evil".
And that, to me, is the real danger: believing that bigger automatically means better - in tech, and in life.
I wrote about this a few months ago, and I still believe it even more strongly today: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/06/09/macbook-pro-vs-car-why-small-businesses-still-win/#ITNotes #BlogPost #TechCulture #SmallBusiness #Writing #Reflections #PersonalThoughts
Hi @stefano, this story and the way you depicted it immediately remind me the Register.com "OnCall" stories (you should try to send them one or two :p ).
The Reg also don't put names or countries on their stories, and nobody blame them for that or say gibberish about Brit companies.
So, to me, none of those remarks are relevant.
-
EDIT: I've posted this - that will clarify even more things: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/10/10/when-bigger-stops-being-better/
I’ve received many reactions to my latest blog post. Some constructive, others critical, but all useful to better understand different perspectives.
However, two recurring dynamics emerged in the comments (mostly outside the Fediverse).First: I didn’t mention any names. I understand the disappointment, but naming them wouldn’t have helped anyone. Before publishing, I did my homework - that draft had been ready for over a year - and I even asked some of the people involved.
They took action privately to warn friends and colleagues, with good results, but they didn’t want public exposure. Many years have passed, and that company no longer has the same relevance anyway.
Some understood my choice (naming them could have meant serious legal trouble for me), but others started quoting US laws and amendments to "prove" that I could have safely done it. What many don’t realize is that the world isn’t the United States - not everyone plays by the same legal rules. And even if I won such a case, it would still mean wasted time, energy, and peace of mind. Cui prodest?Second: "Stories like that can only happen in Italy because there are so many small, family-run businesses".
That one annoyed me more - especially because it often came from Italians themselves.
First of all, I’ve worked in several countries, and I never said the story was about an Italian company.
Second, small businesses are not a problem - they’re a strength. My experience taught me that large corporations tend to turn employees into replaceable parts of a giant machine. Customers become faceless numbers, almost subjects rather than clients. At some point, a company’s need for endless growth becomes a trap - not a service that enriches people’s lives, but a "necessary evil".
And that, to me, is the real danger: believing that bigger automatically means better - in tech, and in life.
I wrote about this a few months ago, and I still believe it even more strongly today: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/06/09/macbook-pro-vs-car-why-small-businesses-still-win/#ITNotes #BlogPost #TechCulture #SmallBusiness #Writing #Reflections #PersonalThoughts
@stefano I can't directly compare it, but in France, we have some similar problems and corruption affects big and small corporations. So yes, your observations are right and it's not only happening in Italy :)
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Hi @stefano, this story and the way you depicted it immediately remind me the Register.com "OnCall" stories (you should try to send them one or two :p ).
The Reg also don't put names or countries on their stories, and nobody blame them for that or say gibberish about Brit companies.
So, to me, none of those remarks are relevant.
@fosdembsd thank you.
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@stefano I can't directly compare it, but in France, we have some similar problems and corruption affects big and small corporations. So yes, your observations are right and it's not only happening in Italy :)
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EDIT: I've posted this - that will clarify even more things: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/10/10/when-bigger-stops-being-better/
I’ve received many reactions to my latest blog post. Some constructive, others critical, but all useful to better understand different perspectives.
However, two recurring dynamics emerged in the comments (mostly outside the Fediverse).First: I didn’t mention any names. I understand the disappointment, but naming them wouldn’t have helped anyone. Before publishing, I did my homework - that draft had been ready for over a year - and I even asked some of the people involved.
They took action privately to warn friends and colleagues, with good results, but they didn’t want public exposure. Many years have passed, and that company no longer has the same relevance anyway.
Some understood my choice (naming them could have meant serious legal trouble for me), but others started quoting US laws and amendments to "prove" that I could have safely done it. What many don’t realize is that the world isn’t the United States - not everyone plays by the same legal rules. And even if I won such a case, it would still mean wasted time, energy, and peace of mind. Cui prodest?Second: "Stories like that can only happen in Italy because there are so many small, family-run businesses".
That one annoyed me more - especially because it often came from Italians themselves.
First of all, I’ve worked in several countries, and I never said the story was about an Italian company.
Second, small businesses are not a problem - they’re a strength. My experience taught me that large corporations tend to turn employees into replaceable parts of a giant machine. Customers become faceless numbers, almost subjects rather than clients. At some point, a company’s need for endless growth becomes a trap - not a service that enriches people’s lives, but a "necessary evil".
And that, to me, is the real danger: believing that bigger automatically means better - in tech, and in life.
I wrote about this a few months ago, and I still believe it even more strongly today: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/06/09/macbook-pro-vs-car-why-small-businesses-still-win/#ITNotes #BlogPost #TechCulture #SmallBusiness #Writing #Reflections #PersonalThoughts
@stefano I love this! Several years ago I was approached by a rep from one of the big roofing companies here in the Southeast US, telling me they had come on my property (WITHOUT my permission!!) and inspected my roof, and it was at least 15 years old (duh, at that time I had owned the house for 10 years and hadn't had it worked on) and in severe need of replacement.
The first thing I asked him was who had given him permission to trespass on my property, and he was floored by that question. Apparently people around here are perfectly okay with a stranger performing an inspection (climbing on the roof!) without permission and just hoping they don't fall off and injure themselves? Anyway, after that I told him to leave and if his company contacted me again or trespassed again I'd go full Karen and get the police involved.
Once I calmed down from that, I called a self-employed roofer who was a customer of my company I had gotten to know over the years, and asked him to give me a quote. Turned out he was able to do it for about a third of what the big company wanted, he found and fixed some other issues (asking my permission first of course) the other company would have considered out of scope, and overall treated me like a person and not a number.
Local is always, ALWAYS better in my opinion.
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@stefano I love this! Several years ago I was approached by a rep from one of the big roofing companies here in the Southeast US, telling me they had come on my property (WITHOUT my permission!!) and inspected my roof, and it was at least 15 years old (duh, at that time I had owned the house for 10 years and hadn't had it worked on) and in severe need of replacement.
The first thing I asked him was who had given him permission to trespass on my property, and he was floored by that question. Apparently people around here are perfectly okay with a stranger performing an inspection (climbing on the roof!) without permission and just hoping they don't fall off and injure themselves? Anyway, after that I told him to leave and if his company contacted me again or trespassed again I'd go full Karen and get the police involved.
Once I calmed down from that, I called a self-employed roofer who was a customer of my company I had gotten to know over the years, and asked him to give me a quote. Turned out he was able to do it for about a third of what the big company wanted, he found and fixed some other issues (asking my permission first of course) the other company would have considered out of scope, and overall treated me like a person and not a number.
Local is always, ALWAYS better in my opinion.
@kaidenshi thank you for sharing this! It's similar to my experience and it reinforces the idea that smaller business is usually better than larger, "more powerful" ones
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EDIT: I've posted this - that will clarify even more things: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/10/10/when-bigger-stops-being-better/
I’ve received many reactions to my latest blog post. Some constructive, others critical, but all useful to better understand different perspectives.
However, two recurring dynamics emerged in the comments (mostly outside the Fediverse).First: I didn’t mention any names. I understand the disappointment, but naming them wouldn’t have helped anyone. Before publishing, I did my homework - that draft had been ready for over a year - and I even asked some of the people involved.
They took action privately to warn friends and colleagues, with good results, but they didn’t want public exposure. Many years have passed, and that company no longer has the same relevance anyway.
Some understood my choice (naming them could have meant serious legal trouble for me), but others started quoting US laws and amendments to "prove" that I could have safely done it. What many don’t realize is that the world isn’t the United States - not everyone plays by the same legal rules. And even if I won such a case, it would still mean wasted time, energy, and peace of mind. Cui prodest?Second: "Stories like that can only happen in Italy because there are so many small, family-run businesses".
That one annoyed me more - especially because it often came from Italians themselves.
First of all, I’ve worked in several countries, and I never said the story was about an Italian company.
Second, small businesses are not a problem - they’re a strength. My experience taught me that large corporations tend to turn employees into replaceable parts of a giant machine. Customers become faceless numbers, almost subjects rather than clients. At some point, a company’s need for endless growth becomes a trap - not a service that enriches people’s lives, but a "necessary evil".
And that, to me, is the real danger: believing that bigger automatically means better - in tech, and in life.
I wrote about this a few months ago, and I still believe it even more strongly today: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/06/09/macbook-pro-vs-car-why-small-businesses-still-win/#ITNotes #BlogPost #TechCulture #SmallBusiness #Writing #Reflections #PersonalThoughts
@stefano eh, as an Italian who has been living abroad for many years, the instinctive reaction of our countrypeople of "it can only happen in Italy" is both funny and frustrating.
Alas *even that* is not specific to Italy, everybody thinks they're exceptions, tho some are louder and the specifics vary.
Apart from that: crazy story.
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EDIT: I've posted this - that will clarify even more things: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/10/10/when-bigger-stops-being-better/
I’ve received many reactions to my latest blog post. Some constructive, others critical, but all useful to better understand different perspectives.
However, two recurring dynamics emerged in the comments (mostly outside the Fediverse).First: I didn’t mention any names. I understand the disappointment, but naming them wouldn’t have helped anyone. Before publishing, I did my homework - that draft had been ready for over a year - and I even asked some of the people involved.
They took action privately to warn friends and colleagues, with good results, but they didn’t want public exposure. Many years have passed, and that company no longer has the same relevance anyway.
Some understood my choice (naming them could have meant serious legal trouble for me), but others started quoting US laws and amendments to "prove" that I could have safely done it. What many don’t realize is that the world isn’t the United States - not everyone plays by the same legal rules. And even if I won such a case, it would still mean wasted time, energy, and peace of mind. Cui prodest?Second: "Stories like that can only happen in Italy because there are so many small, family-run businesses".
That one annoyed me more - especially because it often came from Italians themselves.
First of all, I’ve worked in several countries, and I never said the story was about an Italian company.
Second, small businesses are not a problem - they’re a strength. My experience taught me that large corporations tend to turn employees into replaceable parts of a giant machine. Customers become faceless numbers, almost subjects rather than clients. At some point, a company’s need for endless growth becomes a trap - not a service that enriches people’s lives, but a "necessary evil".
And that, to me, is the real danger: believing that bigger automatically means better - in tech, and in life.
I wrote about this a few months ago, and I still believe it even more strongly today: https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/06/09/macbook-pro-vs-car-why-small-businesses-still-win/#ITNotes #BlogPost #TechCulture #SmallBusiness #Writing #Reflections #PersonalThoughts
@stefano overall i felt your conduct was well done. ive been in a similar situation and its not easy to navigate. staying professional as you always do and finding common ground the best you can usually works.
to your point on eu/us. im a citizen of both. the general vibe in .us is blowtorch everyone on the internet (even businesses at times do it). whereas in .eu ive found reputation and following the guidelines to a t yields more fruit.
the only way ive stayed sane (relatively speaking) is to keep a small client base that's diverse in vertical and operations, show value, keep them on long retainers and clearly defined contracts that spell out project proposal initiatives and what not. its served me well.
btw the email migration reminds me of a similar situation when i migrated a healthcare entity from google to zimbra. this was over a decade ago. the client had an exclusive they did not disclose with a zimbra vendor which got ugly quickly. was fortunate enough at the time to have a client law practice (they keep me out of jail on red/black team gigs) who offered to settle the matter. luckily all could come to an agreement although i lost all revenue i kept the clients in a good spot. a year later ironically enough i was hired by zimbra to expand my migration tool.
really respect how you conduct yourself and how transparent you always are. ciao! -
@stefano overall i felt your conduct was well done. ive been in a similar situation and its not easy to navigate. staying professional as you always do and finding common ground the best you can usually works.
to your point on eu/us. im a citizen of both. the general vibe in .us is blowtorch everyone on the internet (even businesses at times do it). whereas in .eu ive found reputation and following the guidelines to a t yields more fruit.
the only way ive stayed sane (relatively speaking) is to keep a small client base that's diverse in vertical and operations, show value, keep them on long retainers and clearly defined contracts that spell out project proposal initiatives and what not. its served me well.
btw the email migration reminds me of a similar situation when i migrated a healthcare entity from google to zimbra. this was over a decade ago. the client had an exclusive they did not disclose with a zimbra vendor which got ugly quickly. was fortunate enough at the time to have a client law practice (they keep me out of jail on red/black team gigs) who offered to settle the matter. luckily all could come to an agreement although i lost all revenue i kept the clients in a good spot. a year later ironically enough i was hired by zimbra to expand my migration tool.
really respect how you conduct yourself and how transparent you always are. ciao!@jae thank you!
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@mikkaels
In ogni modo è una pianta che ha un valore inestimabile per la sua singolarità. L'altro fratello superstite, che sta in Piemonte, mi ha raccomandato di non farla fuori, dato che alcuni mesi fa avevo espiantato un mandarino, un clementine e un arancio per mettere delle piante di olivo. Di mandarini mi sono rimaste altre due piante, sto mangiando mandarini da oltre un mese e ne ho ancora per alcune settimane! Piante vecchissime, hanno più di 40 anni di età, ma molto generose
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@NullTheFool i don't bother with the NC or ND variants, because they mostly just make trouble for regular well intended community members, CC-BY-SA is sufficient to discourage big corporations, and scammers aren't going to abide by the license anyway
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In the country
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Minneapolis Mayor Demands ICE Leave City After Fatal Shooting | TIME
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@mikkaels
Il giardino, molto trascurato e incasinato, è in comune con la mia casa e quella in cui abitava mia madre e un mio fratello, ma io non me ne sono mai occupato per vari motivi. Ma nell'ultimo anno e mezzo sono deceduti in successione mia moglie, mia madre e il mio fratello, quindi ho deciso di ridare vita e rigoglio a questo giardino. Ci sto lavorando dall'autunno del 2024 ma c'è parecchio lavoro da fare. Domani faccio una foto.
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it's a map to a magical land
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@NullTheFool i use Apache 2 for code because it is a permissive license that makes it clear that any contributions to the project are made available under the same license by default, thus avoiding the need to make contributors put it in writing.
for media, usually i pick whichever of CC0, CC-BY, CC-BY-SA best fits my intent for a given project.
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@NullTheFool For free assets I’d just use one of the Creative Commons licenses. They offer a lot of options.
For code, I guess the question is permissive or copyleft? For a less common permissive license, there’s Apache. It’s like MIT/BSD but requires a more clarity on modifications and patents. Or for kind of an oddball, there’s the Artistic License 2.0, which has broad relicensing compatibility with GPL or similar copyleft licenses but different requirements on distribution.
