Thought of this the other day. I bet a lot of us are like this, because in today’s world a lot of things we used to tinker with are gone (electronics are made to be single use and unfixable, cars are proprietary and can rarely be modified or worked on without many many thousands of dollars now, etc).
Sure, there are still hardcore electronics projects going on and people doing massive restoration projects and such, but i consider them basically geniuses, not just tinkerers who enjoy messing around and learning in their spare time while working 50 hours a week.
Im glad linux gives us a space to exist!
There is a ton you can do now!! But its still quite a bit harder vs in the old days taking a vcr apart to repair and regrease it or replacing a cap in an amplifier. Im just saying the bar is a lot higher now to get into interesting stuff like solar, a high cost (to actually get useable power and not run 1 bulb) plus if youre putting it on your house or garage now you need to know carpentry to attach them safely, electrical standards for how to wire to your panel, voltage regulators etc. Is very hard for the average Joe or kid to do.