In fact, this is a pretty curious article. Both the quote it reacts to and also the conclusions drawn from it are absolutely wrong (and I do think, this strong

In fact, this is a pretty curious article. Both the quote it reacts to and also the conclusions drawn from it are absolutely wrong (and I do think, this strong wording can be used in this context). Web programming is difficult in a different way than say, compiler construction or kernel programming. Web programmers have to deal with malicious users, a potentially vulnerable gigantic stack of applications, sessions, databases, communication costs and whatsoever. One might say: Web programming is mad due to integration issues and malicious users. On the contrary, take compiler construction. Compiler construction is hard, because language design is hard and because mathematical reasoning about programs and program transformations is hard. Generating code for a language is hard, too. Thus, one might say that compiler construction is hard due to mathematical issues and hard with respect to algorithms. I do not think, I would be able to build a secure, good webapplication anywhere soon, despite having touched and worked with two large, strong complicated compilers. Thus, I think the difficulties are different. On the other hand, 'all programming is web programming' is just ridiculous. I mean, one can easily drop a gigantic list of things: kernel programming (without kernels, NOTHING works), compiler construction (without compilers, we'd be in stone age), games (c'mon, totally disregarding egoshooters?), media codec implementors (videos, music, ...). None of these directly interface with the web, but all of them are important (at least kernel programmers and compiler constructors are crucial for usual boxes to somehow work). So, not all development is done for the web. I just wonder when and especially why Atwoods posts go (rapidly) downhill like this.