> I lost interest in that kind of programming once machines got so powerful that drawing this kind of thing became easy.
Me, too. Once libraries and APIs become commonplace, programming became much more about connecting known working objects together rather than understanding multiple topics in depth.
Just before the internet took off, around 1998 or so, I spent months and months learning what every byte in .jpg, .gif, .mid and .wav files did. That really itched the scratching in my brain. I would love to find a new skill or hobby that affects me like that. Making pictures with ImageMagick just doesn't interest me... I'm actually finding woodworking to be somewhat as engrossing, but the difference is that in woodworking, you constantly see steady progress toward a goal, whereas in computers, a picture or sound would spring to life instantly once you'd cracked the code. You really felt the jump.
Me, too. Once libraries and APIs become commonplace, programming became much more about connecting known working objects together rather than understanding multiple topics in depth.
Just before the internet took off, around 1998 or so, I spent months and months learning what every byte in .jpg, .gif, .mid and .wav files did. That really itched the scratching in my brain. I would love to find a new skill or hobby that affects me like that. Making pictures with ImageMagick just doesn't interest me... I'm actually finding woodworking to be somewhat as engrossing, but the difference is that in woodworking, you constantly see steady progress toward a goal, whereas in computers, a picture or sound would spring to life instantly once you'd cracked the code. You really felt the jump.
Oh well.