Well, I don't really agree with any of this, frankly. Every single thing you cite as slowing progress WAS progress, just not the progress you feel "should" have

Well, I don't really agree with any of this, frankly. Every single thing you cite as slowing progress WAS progress, just not the progress you feel "should" have been. I think you hold your opinions based on a fallacy that with your hindsight now, you could solve the problems of 20 years ago. And I certainly don't agree with your assessment that any problem has been solved "for good." What I see happening is a natural evolutionary process informed by the independent actions of millions of people, and some hindsight-fueled speculation of what the value of central planning would be if it could be done with perfect knowledge. Basically, one works, has worked, is working, and will continue to work (and not just in software), and the other is a fantasy brought about by the human brain's biases, which has led to things like the USSR and China's current gov't, amongst other travesties.