I was the system tester for "a modern Internet-based application" in 1996 used by a global logistics company. Fast forward 25 years and I went to local logistic branch to ship out some packages. Out of curiosity, I peeked over the desk to look at what software they were using. It was the same 25-year old "modern Internet-based application".
There was also 3DFX that led the way, before NVIDIA, with their Voodoo cards. The night and day difference of gaming on a Trident card vs a Voodoo card made grown men cry.
First encounter with NeXT was when a lab full of black cubes appeared in school over a summer. Immediately became my favorite lab and I spent as much time as i could in that lab messing around on those cubes.
Second encounter was with my first tech job. This time, Pentium Pros was the hardware and the company used OpenStep to develop a paperless hospital solution. Spent about 2 years working on different bits and pieces. Great times!
I'm playing ME: Andromeda now on a handheld and I don't get the hate. Sure it's not ME2 but graphically more polished though the storyline lacks the impact of the first trilogy. Otherwise, I think it's a fine game.
I don't know about "factory" but I've built personal libraries, templates and methodology on how to solve problems or create stuff across different tech stacks. I don't think those were a waste of time then or now.
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