Why is it that looking at those old computers fill me with the hope of what can be (the oldest of the set), and as the things get newer, I loose that feeling?

Why is it that looking at those old computers fill me with the hope of what can be (the oldest of the set), and as the things get newer, I loose that feeling? QBasic was killed when? When was it that a computer became a thing that did a list of stuff and not a thing that I could make do anything?