in reply to Why do we like to program?

For me, it's the ability to build something without needing to be dextrous or wealthy enough to afford materials. I can make concrete things or actions out of words. That's as close to magic as I've ever seen.

for(split(" ","tsuJ rehtonA lreP rekcaH")){print reverse . " "}print "\b.\n";

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Re^2: Why do we like to program?
by SuicideJunkie (Vicar) on Nov 10, 2008 at 20:22 UTC
    The other nice thing is that you can create it once, and then duplicate it as many times as you like for free.

    If you make a table or some nice drapes, they're still just one thing, yours alone.
    However, if you write an application that does something useful, you can improve the lives of thousands to millions of people all at once.

    I think the best I've personally achieved so far is a noticeable improvement for hundreds (maybe a few thousand, I'll have to check my webserver logs), but the potential is there.
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