I relate to this. But also, isn't it just that every human endeavor goes through an evolution from craft to commodity, which is sad for the craftsmen but good for everyone else, and that we happen to be the ones living through that for software?

For instance, I think about the pervasive interstate overpass bridge. There was a time long ago when building bridges was a craft. But now I see like ten of these bridges every day, each of which is better - in the sense of how much load they can support and durability and reliability - than the best that those craftsmen of yore could make.

This doesn't mean I'm in any way immune to nostalgia. But I try to keep perspective, that things can be both sad and ultimately good.