[njonsson]

  Plus, in the history of the world, he said, is there one
  thing you can think of that has been hand-made, and on such
  a large scale as software, that was as complex?  [I cannot
  not.]

Yes: musical compositions. The largest software projects are more complex, and take longer to complete, than symphonies. But the failure rate is probably comparable.

There are probably plenty of commercial composers who write music mostly because it’s a job they can do, and they derive a modicum of satisfaction from it. But the composers who have made history — just like the programmers who have made history — do it because they must. If they give it up, they cease to do what they were made to do.