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Or maybe just the barriers to entry have significantly fallen. I remember making stupid games on my C64 back in the day, the difference was I didn't have a way to get it to people beyond my immediate family and friends.

Couple low barriers to distribution with a culture that encourages constant hustling for money and this is what you get.

I'm surprised to see people still fawning over Gates, he's clearly as scummy as all the other billionaires. But apparently to be liked as a billionaire all you have to do is talk smart or smoke weed while tweeting memes.

I like how it also has support for the ENIAC platform. I kicked my family out of the house so I had room to install the ENIAC. Happy to hear there's an OS I can run on it to get real work done, like posting unfunny jokes for strangers on Hacker News.

First, I would say if you're worried about your mental health, don't wait, go get help. It does sound to me like you might be a little depressed, but don't take the word of a random internet stranger.

With that being said, when I get like this, I take a step back and look at the bigger picture. First, there's plenty of people in the world who would look at your situation and be floored. "If only I could pay my bills / stay out of trouble with the law / stay off drugs / etc.". There's always someone better and always someone worse.

Second, ask yourself what do you want. Would you be satisfied if you made the next Rollercoaster Tycoon... Or would you say yeah, but X developer did way more in a shorter time and made more money? Like, would it actually be enough? Instead chase what you enjoy.

But it sounds like you don't know what you want. That's not bad, that's exciting! Try things! Maybe you always had an interest in cooking, or writing poetry, or hiking, or whatever. Or society is so obsessed with external validation, instead focus on intrinsic value.

I love di.fm. If I find I'm too high energy I'll switch to some chill music (Future Garage, Liquid Trap), if I'm low energy I'll switch to high energy music (usually their Liquid Dnb station).

If I really gotta get down to business, then it's one of their Liquid DnB mix shows. The high energy, repetitive songs that flow into each other really help.

Sometimes I'll even listen to music while on a call just to help myself focus lol

These are all good points. I still remember needing to buy tech books and $100 copies of VB for my expensive computer. Now far better tooling and way more learning resources are available for free on a $100 Chromebook.

As much as people complain about the walled gardens of Google and Facebook, overall the barrier of entry to computing as fallen significantly.

Wouldn't you be more likely to get a response asking "If anyone has a TSR 80 can you provide me measurements and I'll send you a sculpture of it free of charge" rather than "give me $600 just because"

I'd hedge my bets and store it multiple ways in multiple formats. Including physical (print off pictures, diaries, etc. on acid free paper with acid free inks)

I really liked the Far Cry and Assassin Creed series... But I've grown so bored of them. Here's a huge map with a bunch of things to collect, boring missions, and towers to climb... That'll be 60 dollars please.

Maybe just do something fresh and you won't need to use marketing tactics to pull people back in.

Pareto's observations back in 1896 about land ownership in Italy still hold true...

You under estimate the effects of confirmation bias. It's easy to dismiss one news article when the rest are an echo chamber for your political beliefs. To question the accuracy of a site that agrees with you means you must question your beliefs, too.

Fair enough, it's just a pet peeve of mine. Like people who had a few too many drinks and start cracking jokes about being an alcoholic.

Have you looked into OCPD? (Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder) From my relatively uninformed knowledge on the subject, that sounds closer to OCPD. (Of course, talk to a licensed health practictoner, not a procrasting software engineer)

Especially considering this is a post about mental health, can we please quit labeling being picky as OCD? OCD is a serious condition, not a "haha I'm picky" joke.

I've been working in the industry for 15+ years (including internship). I've job hopped every few years (currently working for a FAANG company), but I know devs with similar experience who have had the same job the whole time. Both can be very successful.

I think the biggest differentiator between a good engineer and bad engineer is ownership. Care about your work (not to the point where you have no work/life balance) and be passionate about your craft. That's what separates a good engineer from a bad engineer.

As for your career, remember this is your livelihood. If a company is falling apart, go look elsewhere. If a company isn't giving you a raise you deserve, talk to your manager.