Seeing How Far I Can Go — More Than a Decade of Software Development and Making a Living
AI machine translation: This article was translated by AI from the original Korean version.
Hello. I’m Hodong Kim, the developer of Nimf and Guiyom.
The work I took on to keep developing software
I’ve been developing input methods since 2015, starting with Dasom and moving on to Nimf. Alongside my own projects, I’ve regularly reported bugs and contributed patches to other software projects.
Keeping that work going hasn’t always been easy. If I couldn’t resolve a request or was slow to reply, I sometimes heard accusations that I was incompetent or ignoring users. The repeated insults and disparaging remarks I encountered online caused considerable stress and disrupted my development schedule.
Around 2016, I worked day shifts loading delivery parcels onto trucks in Gunpo. I was also deeply involved in developing Nimf at the time.
In 2017, I had an opportunity to take another job, but I wanted to keep working on Nimf. The stress had reached a breaking point, yet I had no intention of giving up development.
I thought, I’ll just see how far I can go.
To cover my living expenses while making time for development, I began taking day-labor shifts at Coupang’s logistics hub and fulfillment center (FC) in Deokpyeong in 2017. I worked at the logistics center during the day or at night, then returned to researching and developing Nimf after my shifts.
I didn’t give up software development to make a living. I took on the work I needed to make a living so I could keep developing software.
I took this photograph near Coupang’s Deokpyeong logistics center at around 7 a.m. on December 7, 2018. The building in the picture is a different logistics facility nearby, not Coupang’s logistics center.
On June 17, 2021, a fire broke out at Coupang’s Deokpyeong logistics center. I had finished my shift and was on my way home when it happened. I wasn’t able to work there again afterward.
Thanks, everyone. A photo I took on the third floor of Deokpyeong Coupang (nicknamed “Deokku”) on October 23, 2020.
Development continued beyond Nimf
Nimf wasn’t the end of my development work.
I developed Clair, a library intended to replace GLib; Cim (Common Input Method), intended to bring fragmented input methods together; and an input method for the console. While exploring how to fix a problem where console input would freeze, I also began developing the Guiyom GUI toolkit.
I’ve built other software too, including Sonbal, Fasyn, and Vring, and I’m still developing Adac. As I built the tools I needed, one project led to another.
Open-source licensing and working alone are different things
When I was developing Nimf as open-source software, I went through disputes and faced criticism that sometimes delayed development. Since 2019, I’ve distributed and maintained Nimf as freeware.
I no longer run my projects as open-source collaborations in the way I once did. I’ve released the source code of some projects under open-source licenses, but I don’t accept outside pull requests. I develop and maintain these projects independently, on my own.
Making source code available and developing a project jointly with outside contributors are two different things.
What I hope to build next
In 2026, I filed two patent applications to protect technology I’ve developed. I’m planning additional applications, but the costs mean I’ll probably file them around November rather than October.
I plan to release Nimf as shareware and register a business. I want to turn the technology I’ve developed through Nimf, Cim, Clair, and Guiyom into software products. I also plan to use AI to help rewrite some of my older applications with Guiyom and release them again as shareware.
If I keep at it, perhaps I’ll even develop my own desktop environment one day.
In the meantime, I still need to earn a living and deal with things I didn’t expect. In October 2026, responding to online posts disrupted both my work and my development efforts. I’ve described what happened and the harm I experienced in a separate article (in Korean). That doesn’t mean the people involved in earlier incidents and the author of the recent posts are the same person.
To make up for the financial losses from this incident, I’m thinking of taking night shifts loading delivery parcels again, alongside development. I expect to earn around 150,000 won a day, though the actual amount will depend on the shifts I work. As I did in Gunpo in 2016 and Deokpyeong in 2017, I intend to keep developing software while doing what I need to support myself.
I’ve published my real name and photograph on my About page. I’m comfortable showing my name and face because I’ve lived with a clear conscience.
My life took a wrong turn in 2017.
Despite the hardships I’ve faced and the painful experiences I’ve had online, I won’t give up.
I’ll keep going and see how far I can get.
Thank you.