[reuser]

I like the part about ego because too much of the programming (sorry, "engineering," no wait I mean "architecting") world is focused on a kind of dick-size comparison which is somewhat poisonous and skews things toward self-promotion and away from doing useful things and enjoying yourself.

Programming is a joy when I can just let the task take care of itself as I watch. I can do this in amateur or "hacker" settings but I see less and less of those these days.

It makes me unhappy when programming is a prop or setting for selfish and self-conscious and mean social behavior, as it seem to be more among people who take it as a profession more than a passion.