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In my early days of software dev (the mid-1970s), there was very little “invention” compared to what I think of as “construction.” 1
There was certainly invention happening, but it wasn’t the dominant practice, and it stayed mostly in academia and captive research houses like IBM Santa Theresa, Xerox PARC, and Rand. 2
It’s like colonizing Mars: yes, there’s lots of discovery in the early days, but mostly it’s lots of work: building, farming, mining, hauling shit around, making water and air. 3
I am the furthest thing from a computer scientist, but I’m an energetic and creative maker. That’s what the world needed back then: farming, mining, hauling shit around. 4
One (ie Me) could build a successful company by building programs that did known things in known ways. My inglorious basis was general ledger accounting. Only about 400 years old. 5
What I did that was original and valuable was write it for 8-bit micros natively on 8-bit micros so small business owners could computerize just like the big boys. A house on Mars is a lot more special than a house down the street. 6
I think it was a unique period in the software world. In the very beginning, in the 1940s, you had to be a computer scientist. Today, with AI, it’s become necessary again. But for a brief shining moment, a hammer-swinging builder like me could put a dent in Silicon Valley. 7
