It might be helpful to compare the production values and reach of today's software with the software of the past. Yes, software is complex. Yes, it's on purpos

It might be helpful to compare the production values and reach of today's software with the software of the past. Yes, software is complex. Yes, it's on purpose. And yes, it's largely necessary. For an indie project a coder is free to relax any number of constraints, which is why we sometimes see incredible work from independent developers and small teams. Sometimes lightning strikes, too. For everyone else, the rules unfortunately apply. Then: Support a single platform, Windows or Mac Now: Support Windows, Mac, and Linux, ARM or x86, as well as mobile. Then: Support a single market Now: Support a global market with region-specific localization Then: Write software for wealthy and highly technical early adopters Now: Write software that anyone in the world could possibly consume Then: No accessibility Now: Accessibility requirements for software being codified into law Then: Zero or low consumer expectations, win by creating something new (blue ocean, lotus123 versus literal paper) Now: Nearly everything has been done, win by differentiating on comparative quality in a field of options (red ocean, figma vs keynote)