An Amazing Time for Programmers: A Personal Reflection
Published: May 29, 2026
This is something I’ve thought about a lot but haven’t yet written about in an article or blog post. It’s truly a unique time to be alive as a person writing software. Many legends of the computer world are still alive. Active programming.
And You can interact with them!
Connect with Iconic Programmers
Consider reaching out to some of the most influential figures in the programming world. These individuals have made significant contributions to technology, and engaging with them could offer invaluable insights.
Andrew Tridgell
Link link Andrew Tridgell
Creator of Samba and rsync.
Linus Torvalds
Link to Linus Torvalds
Creator of Linux and git.
John Carmack
John Carmack tweets link link
Game developer behind Doom, Quake and CTO of Oculus Rift (now Meta Quest)
Chris Lattner
Chris Lattner tweets link link
Creator of the Swift programming language.
Miguel de Icaza
Miguel de Icaza tweets link link
Creator of the Midnight Commander and Mono C# runtime.
Fabrice Bellard
Link to Fabrice Bellard
The brains behind qemu, FFmpeg, QuickJS and more.
Mike Pall
Link Mike Pall
Creator of LuaJIT.
Take the opportunity to send one of them an email or a tweet. It could change your life.
Reach Out to Local Talent
If you don’t feel ready to correspond with these global icons in English, why not start with some of Sweden’s own talented programmers? They are experienced, approachable, and can offer immense value.
Peter Schüller
Link Peter Schüller link
Co-creator of Twitter/X’s Manhattan database, long-time Java/C++ programmer.
Emil Tullstedt
Link Emil Tullstedt
User-friendly Python & Go programmer
Carl Öst Wilkens
Link to Carl Öst Wilkens
Rusty Games and Imaging Programmer
Lundberg
Link by link Lundberg
A versatile programmer and my brother, he’s the reason I got into coding.
Promise Widmark
Link Link Promise Widmark
C++ programmer in assembly, anti-cheat and game development
If you want to lower the barrier even further, you can even start by emailing me at johannesl at 46elks dot com. Let me know which of the above programmers or something else inspires you. I’ll try to give you a useful pointer.
Life and work should not be lived in isolation.
Engage with the vibrant programming community and make the most of this incredible era. Here.
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