Maybe not their hammers but I can see a real craftsman fussing over his lathe and chisels to make sure the edges are sharp and even. Tools do matter and they sh

Maybe not their hammers but I can see a real craftsman fussing over his lathe and chisels to make sure the edges are sharp and even. Tools do matter and they shouldn't frustrate you. I don't want to get caught up in the analogy though, your larger point definitely stands. If .NET allows you to focus on the important stuff and is productive then it's a great tool. A useful tool needs to do one thing: get the job done. If it gets the job done without pissing me off then I consider it a good tool. Not pissing me off is a vastly important quality for me, probably for most others.