[eternityforest]

But first, one should ask if the hobby is actually fun without the imagined success(Even if the imagined success is just an excuse for the hobby! Nobody said psychology always makes sense!).

I used to do a lot of DIY software when I first got started, that I now deeply question the value of. I think without the imaginary payoffs, I would have only done about a quarter of it for fun. I don't use any of that code now, nor do I write anything similar on a regular basis, and my entire approach to coding is completely different, so it kind of feels like I was throwing time and money away.

[klabb3]

> But first, one should ask if the hobby is actually fun without the imagined success

I have a similar litmus test: assuming you’re going to fail, how do you want to spend your time?

[blechinger]

Waste is part of life. Especially waste as a byproduct of good faith attempts. Is it better to avoid creating waste? Yes, however; perfection is the enemy of progress, no one is clairvoyant, and best is conditional anyway.

My point is: you didn't do anything wrong. The mere fact you're thinking about it reveals you've grown wiser for the experience. Kudos, friend. Thanks for sharing.

[actionfromafar]

At least you probably learned how to do something.

[starcraft2wol]

Some of us like to program

[eternityforest]

Programming random small toy stuff that catches your interest is fun, as is making something you really believe is useful.

But when you design a project I a way that's not appropriate for your resources, and it becomes an overwhelming pile of bugs, because you tried to do something really complex and reinvent 20 different wheels, it's less fun, unless you can polish it up to be like what you imagined, but that could take years depending on how crazy your idea was.