I am an analytical chemist specializing in mass spectrometry. My first experience writing code was in a high school summer course on matrix algebra and computer programming back in the 1970`s. We were supposed to write a FORTRAN program for matrix multiplication, type it in on a punch card machine, and send it to the bank to be tested on the only computer in town. The class did not last long enough for anyone to successfully debug the program. In college, I built a gas chromatograph interface to a PDP-11 and wrote a program to integrate the peaks as the compounds eluted. I had to toggle in the program in assembly language because one of the two cassette tape drives was broken and you needed two to edit, compile, and link programs in the minimal languange Focal. Regardless, it worked. Later, we built our own personal computers in the early 80`s, used Selectric typewriters as printers, and I even wire-wrapped an 8K memory expansion to a Commodore PET. Bouts of UNIX and the early internet, C, and Ada followed over the years. Modern programming tools are quite an improvement! I now write software (Mass MountaineerTM) to inspect, interpret, and report high-resolution mass spectra that my customers and I use in our daily work. ©