It was a time that will never be again, when mere hobbyists and professional programmers were not too different
. Professionals were really only those hobbyists who were skilled enough to be paid for their work. Hobbyist programmers have not gone extinct though. In fact, as of recently, amateur programming has experienced a renaissance of sorts, especially in the field of mobile technology. Most smartphones - the iphone for example - run applications, which are now open sourced, meaning that anyone with the skills to program a decent app can do so and make it available for download to the general public. This system has opened up an entire market of obscure or specific applications for all different purposes.