I think it's somewhere in between his description and yours. I would say that great programmers do a lot of programming on their own time just because they enjoy it.
I'm often surprised at the fact that most professional programmers do almost no programming on their own time. They're no more interested in it than most plumbers are interested in unclogging toilets for fun after work. Most programmers program for a paycheck, because they'd rather do that than clean toilets.
Great programmers ARE often interested in other things, too, but they are interested enough in programming to do it as a hobby outside of work; they're not just doing it for a paycheck. (And, yes, I exclude those who are currently going through day-job death marches at work and need something completely different to recover after work. I've been there, too, but when the tide changes, I'm back to programming my own projects for fun.)
I'm often surprised at the fact that most professional programmers do almost no programming on their own time. They're no more interested in it than most plumbers are interested in unclogging toilets for fun after work. Most programmers program for a paycheck, because they'd rather do that than clean toilets.
Great programmers ARE often interested in other things, too, but they are interested enough in programming to do it as a hobby outside of work; they're not just doing it for a paycheck. (And, yes, I exclude those who are currently going through day-job death marches at work and need something completely different to recover after work. I've been there, too, but when the tide changes, I'm back to programming my own projects for fun.)