I think there's value in taking a balanced approach to writing software - use high level PLs and their frameworks but use them well (i.e. take the time to learn

I think there's value in taking a balanced approach to writing software - use high level PLs and their frameworks but use them well (i.e. take the time to learn them and their patterns, and not just hack away). This way we're not excessively wasting resources doing redundant processing and we're not stuck for hours trying to squeeze every last bit of performance out of the cpu. I get your point about not advancing from the prototype stage in terms of the codebase, but if it's 'good enough', then there are always more important problems to tackle. As for your second point, it's already been happening for quite some time. Can we blame people though? Every product we use is engineered to perfection to beat human psychology and make us indulge more and more. It's hard to protect yourself against something like that if you realise this is a problem, let alone if you don't. It doesn't just apply to technology but other areas too, take food for example.