[Rabidgremlin]

* The Web didn't really exist so no phoning a million stackoverflow friends for help and code snippets. So...

* Reference manuals shipped with compiler and good reference books were gold

* You could learn the entire API/SDK/Framework and keep it in your head

* Blocks of assembly were a legit way to improve your code's performance

* OOP was hitting mainstream along with all the new ideas and approaches (and pain) it entailed

* Turbo Pascal rocked for DOS development

* Source control was iffy/non-existent

* I loved it