I was updating my portfolio the other day, meandering across my various code repositories like a man shuffling through the grocery aisles, when I was struck by how many of my projects are data exporters or converters. There's something very satisfying to me to find data structures of two disparate systems and transmuting the old to something new.
The more time I've spent in technology, the more I dislike systems that try to hold onto their users/ customers by holding data hostage. I value and will be more apt to try open systems that I can retract from if I feel like the product is no longer a good fit. A system that makes the cost of entering and exiting easy is one I trust more than one who makes the street one-way or at least arduous to extract from. I saw a picture of a road sign near a rural road that said "Choose your rut carefully. You'll be in it for the next 50 miles". Some technological choices are like that sign, forcing users to choose now where their data and maybe livelihood will be stored and processed. These choices can have far-reaching consequences and require herculean efforts to change.
Data portability matters.