[portly]

I can share mine. I am not sure if this connects with you because maybe you are more experienced.

I'm DevOps writing boring Python microservices for €. I have no CS background and never did systems programming. However, writing Python always bothered me because there are so many layers between you and what's happening on the metal. For me, Django is the peak example of this, to me it feels almost like doing no code. It makes me very uncomfortable writing it.

Then I heard about this new programming language Zig on YouTube and I just gave it a try. After using it for a few months, I really like it. I guess mostly because it is so explicit.

It is almost like the language encourages you to think in terms of system design. Zig offers a lot of freedom so you can design the perfect tool for your problem. And somehow, it feels very effective for it. I think it is a blessing that there are few third party libraries for the same reason.

For example. I am working on a tool to parse CIM (some XML standard). If I had to use Python for this, my solution would probably use the most popular xml parsing library and then go from there. Yawn.

Instead, with Zig I started to think with a very fresh mind about the problem. I started thinking more from the first principles of the problem. And I got very excited again about programming. During my swimming practice or biking, I kept thinking about the design and how I can make it simpler and improving it by simply not doing certain busy work. I can't fully explain it. But the language gets you in that mindset.

Maybe other system languages also offer this experience, Zig (marketing?) just happened to cross my paths at the right moment.

[Tadpole9181]

I'm sure it's not what you meant, but the argument "it makes me slower at my job and deliver less stable solutions, but I feel cool doing it" is not exactly a compelling endorsement.

[troad]

I can't see anything in OP's post where he says any of that. Everything you said seems like an incredibly ungenerous reading of what he wrote.

Zig is a systems programming language. Moving from Python to Zig is a step down the tech stack, which brings with it exposure to underlying concepts and limitations that matter when writing any software, and which is especially valuable for a self-taught dev.

[Tadpole9181]

He wrote an XML parsing stack on hours instead of doing his job because doing it was, and I quote, "yawn".

[troad]

Where did he say he did it in work hours? Or that he did it instead of doing his job?

He used the word "yawn" to describe using a popular library without understanding the underlying architecture, not in reference to doing his job.

Honestly, I can't even see a tenuous connection between what you're claiming and what was said in the post. The man is expressing joy about learning new things, and you're... upset about this? For some reason? Weird.