July 10, 2000. I can’t believe it’s been almost eight years since Netscape launched its web browser, and now we’re living through the aftermath of the dot-com bubble burst. My world as an early Linux admin is slowly but surely changing, with new technologies like Apache making their way into the hearts (and hard drives) of businesses big and small.

Today, I’m sitting in my tiny office at a company called XYZ Corp., where we’ve got a mixture of Windows NT boxes running IIS alongside our trusty old Unix servers. But there’s a rising tide, and it’s pulling us towards open source like a whirlpool. Apache is the name on everyone’s lips.

A Day in the Life

My alarm clock blares at 6:30 AM. I stretch out of bed and head to the kitchen for coffee. As I pour myself a cup, I can’t help but think about how much has changed since the Y2K scare. The world was so different back then, but now we’re moving faster than ever.

After a quick breakfast, I head into my office. A box of Band-Aids sits on the desk next to my computer—band-aides for the inevitable finger cuts from hammering out shell scripts all night. My monitor displays the Linux login screen, and as usual, it’s time to get into work mode.

Debugging Apache

One of our main servers has just gone down, and I’m diving into the logs. The error message reads something like “Premature end of script headers.” I’ve seen this before, but that doesn’t make it any easier when you’re trying to fix a production issue at 8:00 AM on a Monday.

I ssh into the server and start tailing the Apache error log:

tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

The message keeps popping up. I pull up the configuration file /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf in vim to check for any recent changes. Aha! The php_value directive is missing its semicolon, causing PHP scripts to fail.

Fixing the typo and restarting Apache:

service httpd restart

The server comes back online, and with it, so does some semblance of sanity. I take a quick glance at the clock—9:00 AM. Time to dive into the queue of tickets that need attention today.

The Linux Desktop

Later in the day, a colleague approaches me with a complaint. “Hey Brandon, my laptop keeps freezing.” I know exactly what he means; it’s been happening to everyone who switched to the Linux desktop.

I sit down next to him and take a look at his machine. It’s running Fedora Core 5, which is still relatively new for most users. We spend some time troubleshooting, eventually narrowing down the issue to an outdated kernel module causing issues with the video driver. Upgrading the package fixes it, but not without some cursory lessons in the nuances of RPM packaging and dependency resolution.

Early VMware

As I’m wrapping up my day, a colleague asks if he can borrow my laptop for some VMware testing. VMware is still pretty new, and they’re using it to virtualize old Windows applications on Linux servers. I hand him my machine, feeling slightly guilty knowing that the virtualization experience back then was far from seamless.

Y2K Aftermath

I sit back in my chair and stare at the screen, processing everything. Y2K is behind us now, but who knows what’s coming next? The dot-com bubble burst might be causing ripples, but open source projects are quietly gaining traction. Apache, Sendmail, BIND—they’re not just buzzwords anymore; they’re part of everyday operations.

I decide to spend some time reading up on IPv6—something that was discussed in hushed tones among the more technically inclined. The future is here, and it’s time to start thinking about how our infrastructure can adapt.

Concluding Thoughts

As I shut down my laptop for the day, I feel a mix of excitement and anxiety. Excitement because the world is changing so rapidly, and we’re right in the middle of it. Anxiety because with change comes uncertainty, and that can be hard to manage.

But here’s the thing: I love this work. Every bug fix, every technical debate, every new technology—that’s what makes me come alive. And even though the world is different now, the core principles haven’t changed. We still have problems to solve, challenges to overcome, and a community eager to tackle them together.

Goodnight, Y2K. Good morning, tomorrow.

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That’s my day in the life back then. What an era it was!