Here in the US we celebrate Labor Day today, a tribute to the respect workers earned in the labor movement of the 20th Century. It's a holiday with most offices closed, but much labor in the shops and boutiques across Austin and elsewhere.

Homesteading customers face labor too, and they often seem to struggle for respect from the HP computer community. Their work is no less important than the heavy lifting of migration. It's just as necessary, too.

If you were lucky enough to have a holiday today, thank your precursors in the labor unions. Those organizations are as derided now as 3000 customers who stick with the platform and polish MPE skills. For a good look at what labors a homesteader should work on, I offer Paul Edwards' homesteading primer from early in 2004. Homesteading tasks are little changed by this year, with one exception. Many more customers have moved the labor of their 3000 support to third parties.