> Programming when I started in the early 80s was much more straightforward, as you needed to know the programming language, the operating system, and what you

> Programming when I started in the early 80s was much more straightforward, as you needed to know the programming language, the operating system, and what you were asked to build — everything else you had to invent for yourself! Is that much more straightforward? If I have an idea today, I can mostly just skip straight to the parts of that idea that interest me. I don't have to worry about writing my own database driver or windowing system or whatever — projects that could be fun in their own rights, but ultimately soul-sucking if they're just obstacles in the way of my actual vision.