I've loved programming for decades. I've always wanted a computer that was rugged and cheap and long-running enough that I could write code under a beach umbrel

I've loved programming for decades. I've always wanted a computer that was rugged and cheap and long-running enough that I could write code under a beach umbrella the way others read cheap, blockbuster beach novels. My fantasy is to hike miles out into the wild, unfold my comfy chair, and write code on my waterproof, solar-powered laptop in front of breathtaking scenery. But it really annoys me how much of professional programming skill is what I call Temporary Technical Trivia instead of Cumulative Competence. It drives me crazy that the fact that I've learned ten times as much about programming as a young hotshot just out of school doesn't give me a huge, obvious advantage. I've walked fifty miles over harsh terrain to get to this point on the trail, this kid was just dropped off by his mother, and now here we are walking side by side. The 100x programmer is a myth. You don't have time to get that good before the game restarts. The 10x programmer, if real, may have to choose between continuing to work on things fewer and fewer people care about or restarting again and again as a 1x programmer on new projects. The feeling that all of your hard work isn't adding up to much gets to most people after a while. And yet, I love it too much to stop....