Ask HN: When did computers stop being fun?

Computers are still fun. You are likely experiencing burnout or you are focusing on the "wrong" things.

Numberphile?

> I don't care for coding new stuff. Everything I may need either already exists or is too complex to do on my own

I think this depends a lot on the operating system, desktop environment/window manager, and tools you are using. Tools that are more opinionated are naturally going to have less need for additional niche software to accommodate different workflows. Of course it goes the other way as well.

If you are using Linux and a tiling WM like i3wm, xmonad, hyprland, sway then you quickly find there are many different tools that don't exist that would be beneficial to your workflow.

Just some examples from my time spent using i3wm as my primary WM:

1. key hinting (like which-key for vim)

2. drawing on desktop

3. non-visible window / workspace previews

4. key hints for qt/gtk/etc buttons (like vimium)

5. detection and automatic mode bindings for communication with applications through ipc (most likely using dbus)

I will say coming up with ideas for a project with a non-niche/tech focused audience is significantly more difficult, but the most fun I have programming is when I am building stuff that would help me.

> Basically, the spark I felt some 25 years ago seems to be completely gone.

Computers are tools. I challenge the notion that Computers ought to be intrinsically entertaining. If you no longer have fun on your Computer then it's probably best to focus on other things.

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