Don't make things too easy or we won't be important

I don't publish to CD that much, haven't for a long time. I always used to just spend an hour recalling how an autorun text file worked, maybe grab a free tool somewhere and it worked. Now Windows and IT departments are pickier about executables, so I looked into cheap autorun makers and found Autorun Max, a little production tool, more than just a way to get your CD to run. It's so much fun. It makes you feel like you're making software.

I think that must be the feeling non-programmers get when they mess around with Ning, or with widgets and gadgets.

I saw a comment somewhere from a programmer who questioned Ning's utility or viability, and he quoted a famous icon who said something about good things being hard to pull off. (I'll try to find the reference.)

It almost made me wonder if we're not hearing an echo from 20-25 years back, when
- PCs were taking over workplaces, and
- IT folks were feeling like they were losing their power, and
- Wanted computing to be too complicated for the average bear.