I had that same amazement about something so complex written in QuickBasic, which is why I dived in when it was open-sourced and took delight in the dense (bad!

I had that same amazement about something so complex written in QuickBasic, which is why I dived in when it was open-sourced and took delight in the dense (bad!) code and hacks to meet Real-mode limitations. I've been contributing ever since, but I can't take credit; the engine was only open-sourced in 2005. And Technomancy remains at the forefront of my mind too :)