Abstraction is the force of progress: without it, every generation would be required to surpass problems solved by the last one. The typical school-child of the 19th century could perform mathematical feats an ancient professional would find taxing; today the typical school-child would, with technology, perform maths that no human professional could mentally. The complexity of the type of mathematics that any of us will encounter in the normal course of our lives has been abstracted away: we have accounting packages to calculate compound interest, portfolio software to track our gains and losses. Mathematics has climbed up steps of abstraction until today’s mathematicians occupy a problem-domain that seems almost mystical to the lay person.

All abstraction is detested by current practioners of the art, be it photography, programming, maths or writing. This criticism is driven only by the natural upset caused when an ability you’ve labored to aquire now becomes the universally available. But it is hopeless. Long-division was an esoteric skill until a better notation was developed; photography required you to be as much chemist as artist before the digital revolution. Abilities that were once the basis of a profession - a professional mathematician or photographer - are suddenly commonplace; the value that these professionals have previously used to earn their crust has now vanished.

So: to those photographers who wish to spend time in darkrooms, remember you are no longer a professional, but an artist. Programmers who look for C over Java or Java over Scala, you are mistaking the joy of an art with a profession. When the world is using jQuery, you are merely stacking another obstacle in your path. When you develop cross brower code, others have built 3 features, when you develop a component, others have shipped 3 products. Continually view your skills in their value to others; spend your own time on glass-plate photos, I’ve just bought 50 from IStockPhoto for the price of a glass of your chemicals.