Fun! Precarious. Very slow. Like a game of Jenga, things made you nervous. Waiting for tapes to rewind, or slowly feeding in a stack of floppies, knowing that

Fun! Precarious. Very slow. Like a game of Jenga, things made you nervous. Waiting for tapes to rewind, or slowly feeding in a stack of floppies, knowing that one bad sector would ruin the whole enterprise. But that was also excitement. Running a C program that had taken all night to compile was a heart-in-your-mouth moment. Hands on. They say beware a computer scientist with a screwdriver. Yes, we had screwdrivers back then. Or rather, developing software also meant a lot of changing cables and moving heavy boxes. Interpersonal. Contrary to the stereotype of the "isolated geek" rampant at the time, developing software required extraordinary communication habits, seeking other experts, careful reading, formulating concise questions, and patiently awaiting mailing list replies. Caring. Maybe this is what I miss the most. 30 years ago we really, truly believed in what we were doing... making the world a better place.