I got into programming for idealistic reasons, try hard to hold on to that feeling. In spite of everything, I still believe computers can be empowering. But you can't delegate their care to a mechanic, certainly not a mechanic with millions of customers. These days I try to create programs that run anywhere, show off their inner workings, are trivial to modify, let you make mistakes and help you understand what went wrong. I call these freewheeling apps.