"As the essay notes though, I think VB possibly made programming _too_ easy, which led to poorly built and poorly maintained apps." This feels a little elitist

"As the essay notes though, I think VB possibly made programming _too_ easy, which led to poorly built and poorly maintained apps." This feels a little elitist to me. VB (and Access) allowed a lot of people to develop mission critical things rapidly they would never have been able to afford before. When I look at the complex monstrosities we develop these days I don't know if they are in any way more maintainable or well-built. Yes the people who created them know them in and out but give them a few years to become legacy and outdated and they will become a maintenance nightmare.