One day, I realized I could use money to buy things or I could use money to buy my freedom.
I quit being a wage slave in my early 50’s and have never looked back.
Unfortunately, I still want to buy things. Old habits die hard.
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Interesting discussion guys. For what its worth I started my coding journey as a 7 year old with Sinclair and later BBC BASIC.
At uni I studied computer science & software engineering which was (even in 1992) all about OO programming and that was where I got my first real look at C++.
This all set me up perfectly for my first job (always want to follow that with ‘programming binary loadlifters’) which was developing a Hawker Siddeley Nimrod anti-lock braking system in Motorola 68000 assembly language! 
Moved on to Airbus flight software in C which was a real eye opener (if you are (un)lucky enough to be flying in an A320 family aircraft, you are in safe hands I promise…) before finally ending up as a desktop developer using C#.
I’ve been trying to get my son (13) interested in this stuff but to little success. He enjoys aspects of coding but I cant get him to care about the hardware and the low level stuff which was what always fascinated me. I remember taking him to the Science Museum in London a few years ago, and we stood looking at the Cray 1 supercomputer they have there. I was giddy with excitement as I calculated how much faster my iPhone X was… he was completely non-plussed 
Damn clever invention.
I’ve plumbed the depths of Stroustrup’s “The Annotated C++ Reference Manual”.
A little light reading. 
The ARM was on my bedside table throughout my university career! I slept well…
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Initially, beginning with the IBM PC Jr, the personal computer was for my amusement. Soon it became something in which I began to find application in my work. Very soon, thereafter, I began working with expansion cards and changing components. I had wanted to do that with the TRS-80, but I delayed until the PC Jr was released. I wrote simple basic programs. I have never been an hourly worker (since college) so much of this was for breadth of knowledge, not part of a career although I lectured on the use of computers in practice.
Software companies began sending me free copies of a myriad of business and graphic programs so that I would write about them. I soon found that I needed to limit my computer activities to those which had a productive function. Thus, WordPerfect met my needs, small relational databases and soon Ventura Publisher operating under the GEM operating system, the latter for desktop publishing.
Hayes Modem and CompuServe led me to create a BBS (bulletin board system) which was an invitation only online group accessed by dialup to my home. I closed that down when I got my first website, sites for all family members, and time became quite limited. Of all the websites, my wife’s, one daughter and my son’s sites remain. Two of the other kids’ sites (both daughters) were closed over time. We were fortunate in that as early adopters, we were able to obtain and retain great URLs.
I now know just enough to meet my needs. I do not long to try new applications and do not long for the latest systems. Of all the hardware, that which I most appreciate is my wife’s three 38" curved monitors. I buy just enough hardware to cover my basic needs although I do keep up with what is being built and/or written.
Microsoft is far from being in danger of obsolescence. With Azure they are the 2nd cloud player after AWS and gaining market share very fast. Have you checked their stock lately? I agree that they were a bit late to jump on the cloud bandwagon but they have caught up nicely.
How true, I have some information in this area. Microsoft, especially their enterprise areas, is in a growth mode. They represent a good investment. The best investment in my recent experience has been ROKU which went from $28 to a recent $253. In either case, tech stocks are currently not in favor since the market for now has leaned back to pharmaceuticals. BTW and FWIW when we subscribed to Roon, 10 shares of ROKU were $420…that $420 is now $2500+. Now that is what I call off-topic but it pertains to at least one of us. Well, two counting my wife.
I can appreciate that. My first computer (like so many others) was the Commodore 64, which I received as a Christmas present back in 1983. I created a video for my nephew about the new Raspberry Pi 400, which is similar in concept to the old C64.
His response after watching it?
Wow. That was really cool, but I think if I got one, I would open it, use it once, and then I wouldn’t use it again.
It takes a lot to hold the attention of 21st century kids. 
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Indeed, Everyone sees Microsoft as a consumer focused company, everyone but Microsoft…
I set up a bank of PCs (back then it was HP Celeron based) surrounding my own PC and a Dell server. The kids played simple games. I recall many of them. Then came their websites which was to showcase their photography which, in turn, was chiefly about their horses. One daughter created a blog about young riders.
My son began writing maps for Minecraft which he gave away and merely asked for donations. By 10th grade, he was bringing in about $150-200 per day in donations…which, at 14, he promptly spent on all manner of hardware.
Concurrent with this, all three were taking music lessons (flute, guitar, piano, violin, piano, saxophone, drums) and as parents we dedicated a lot of time to being at music schools and recitals. My son began writing software for others. He spent those funds too. His playroom became his own home theater and gaming room, shelves of one-use hardware. He continued with the guitar.
His sister began writing her own website and publishing/selling her equestrian photos. She needed him for the nuances of website construction. Sibling cooperation.
Son spent summer vacation at computer schools learning languages.
He then entered college, was charged with doing the campus radio and the school’s website. He also got a programming gig with a local corporation, then another etc until he graduated and was offered a mega-job for his age with _______. He spent most of that money as well and now his entire career is based upon writing complex code and corporate software solutions. I honestly no longer understand his work, but in a reversal of roles, he is my tech support.
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You are absolutely right! I’ll keep trying to find the thing that grabs his attention. I have tried RC cars, Raspbery Pis, a microbit, Lego mindstorms, tablets, chrome books… I’m having fun at least 
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Well, yeah. We lived through the genesis, which makes it different. Kids now don’t have that, there have always been computers, so what’s so nifty?
Or, maybe they’re just not into it. I remember the first 68000 prototyping board I got from our Motorola distributor, circa 1982? I took it up to my parent’s house for Sunday family dinner, and put it on the table. I said something like, “Almost a VAX, right there on the dining room table! Isn’t that cool?” Everyone looked at me like I’d grown an extra head.
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Very impressive kids. You must be very proud of them, and rightfully so. Congrats!
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Yes, it is critical that their toys are fun for us.
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I used Protext on a CPM+ machine, then Wordperfect on MS-DOS until in 1992 i found out about TeX an LaTeX. I used LaTeX since then and a few years back moved on to the ConTeXt system.
I have Pages and Word on my laptop in case i need to read/edit some text by others but do not like to use those much.
I have been a LaTeX user since the days of the Atari ST… This is great software.
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I am also a big fan of LaTeX, but do most of my writing in word these days so I can interoperate with my luddite co-workers.
Did my first thesis in Framemaker on the mac, and my final thesis in LaTeX. So much nicer and easier.
Sheldon
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I wrote my dissertation on an Apple II+ with Gutenberg software back in 1985.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Lotus Organizer and AzzCardfile. I can’t get along without either of those two Vintage programs. They are two of the first reasons I give when someone asks me why I’m still with Windows. I’ve been with Windows starting in the MS-DOS days, then Windows 3.0, Windows 3.1. Was it Windows NT that came next? I think so, no, I went to OS/2 next, then Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 7 and now the hated Windows 10. I upgraded to Windows 10 and much disliked it so reinstalled Windows 7 as a dual boot. Then my mother board failed me, an infuriating development because I was forced into Windows 10 and had to give up my dual boot of Windows 7 because the new motherboards didn’t support Windows 7, Which still annoys me.
But back to Lotus Organizer and AzzCardfile. AzzCardfile is still alive and well. It arose out of Windows 3.1’s Cardfile. Does anyone remember it? It works just like the 3x5 box of index cards that housed recipes. Only it works for all sorts of things. I jumped into it right away and started cataloging my garden plants. AzzCardfile allowed me to convert my Windows 3.1 Cardfile Files to AzzCardfile. Great little program.
Lotus Organizer is still indispensable to me. Fortunately it still runs on Windows 10. It has five sections, the most important being Calendar, Name and Address and Notebook, but I like Anniversaries too. I’ve never found a better Calendar app.
I used WordPerfect for years and years. Can’t remember why I switched to Word.