I've been spending the last couple of years doubling down on learning Swift, and the Swift ecosystem. It's been 14 hours a day, seven days a week.

And I haven't been paid a dime.

All the while, I have been told that I'm "wasting my time," "you should be learning React Native and Javascript," and that "Apple is a dead company." etc. ad nauseam

Since I've been hearing that same refrain (substitute "Windows" for "React Native," and "C" for "JavaScript") for the last 34 years, it doesn't phase me that much.

The simple fact of the matter is, I can afford to take the time to do it, I really like Swift, and I really like developing for Apple systems.

Maybe it will result in some kind of lucrative stuff; maybe not. I don't care.

I spent over 30 years, writing software that other people used as toilet paper. I'm doing what I want.

This guy is doing what he wants. Good on him.

One of the nice things about art, is that it is something other people enjoy; maybe, even more than we (the artists) do.

I think it's great.

I also enjoyed this[0], a couple of years ago.

[0] https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1757088830996244

Seriously. This is one of the most tired criticisms out there. It has existed since I got into technology 25 years ago. "Wow, you sure spent a lot of time doing that, and it's just a game!" -- Said most everyone in high school trying to get me to stop writing C code and hacking on my MUDs [edit: to do my actual school work]. Turns out it was pretty darn important I got into C and MUDs, without it I would not be in tech most likely :)

Person A: Look at this cool thing I did. Purely because I wanted to.

Person B: Wow you sure spent a lot of time on that. Surely you could be doing something more productive.

I find people that make this comment tend to not really understand or appreciate hacker "culture". We learn through experimentation and scratching itches. Maybe its not directly applicable to real world skills. Maybe it is. The process is what makes a good hacker. This person surely learned a lot about engineering and design in doing this project. Most importantly they wanted to do it.

Many people fill their time with bullshit on the Internet these days. I personally wonder what cool projects and other "pointless" things people could be creating if they weren't stuck on social media and consumed content.

Not at all, just puzzled why people do things like this that don't seem to better their situation.

Unless he's doing exactly what he would really want to do with his free time, in which case it is optimal.