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You would spend a lot of time and effort doing very simple things by today's standards. There was also a lot less information, especially if you didn't have an

by jasfi 4y ago

You would spend a lot of time and effort doing very simple things by today's standards. There was also a lot less information, especially if you didn't have an Internet connection. But it was also fun and worth doing. Personally I wasn't working yet, 30 years ago, so that was just my own side-projects when I had a chance.

LordGrey 4y ago
Around 30 years ago, I was working for Apple and writing software for internal consumption. I was coding C/C++ in MPW/MacApp and even Lisp using Macintosh Common Lisp. I was also writing some stuff in HyperCard, if I remember correctly. The documentation I had access to was awesome, and I could even talk to the developers who wrote those tools if I needed to (especially the MCL team). While I did have a lot of information at hand, it was really very little compared to what is available to a coder today when it came to algorithms. But that freed me to experiment. I could step back and consider a problem that was (to me) unique, formulate a possible solution, and test. It was fantastic! I felt like I was always just around the corner from inventing a New Way Of Doing Things, something that would be simply amazing. Today, you just search StackOverflow, implement something, then move on. Maybe it is more productive, but it is certainly a hell of a lot less fun. Work life balance? I coded all the time, and I wanted to. I look back on those times and shake my head; I would never put those hours in like that, now that I'm in my 50s. Compensation was comparable, considering the economy, I think. I was well paid, and I'm well paid now. Processes? HAHAHA. Build it, test it, ship it. But then again, my team and target audience were small and I could literally walk over to another building to find out what I needed. I think today's processes are much, much better for overall code quality.
- jasfi 4y ago
  That's why your location was so important back then. Less so now, but it still makes a difference.

by jasfi 4y ago

LordGrey 4y ago

Around 30 years ago, I was working for Apple and writing software for internal consumption. I was coding C/C++ in MPW/MacApp and even Lisp using Macintosh Common Lisp. I was also writing some stuff in HyperCard, if I remember correctly. The documentation I had access to was awesome, and I could even talk to the developers who wrote those tools if I needed to (especially the MCL team). While I did have a lot of information at hand, it was really very little compared to what is available to a coder today when it came to algorithms. But that freed me to experiment. I could step back and consider a problem that was (to me) unique, formulate a possible solution, and test. It was fantastic! I felt like I was always just around the corner from inventing a New Way Of Doing Things, something that would be simply amazing. Today, you just search StackOverflow, implement something, then move on. Maybe it is more productive, but it is certainly a hell of a lot less fun. Work life balance? I coded all the time, and I wanted to. I look back on those times and shake my head; I would never put those hours in like that, now that I'm in my 50s. Compensation was comparable, considering the economy, I think. I was well paid, and I'm well paid now. Processes? HAHAHA. Build it, test it, ship it. But then again, my team and target audience were small and I could literally walk over to another building to find out what I needed. I think today's processes are much, much better for overall code quality.

jasfi 4y ago
That's why your location was so important back then. Less so now, but it still makes a difference.