Whilst it does seem odd that programming this polishing work takes quite a long time compared to the programming from scratch to the initial release, that is very normal (regarding the relative proportion of effort).

The similarities to music are not lost on me.

It does not take a lot of time to become competent in playing an instrument. For a diligent student, you can play reasonably well with a year or so of practice. Less, if it's related to an instrument you already know. (Such as a guitar player picking up the ukulele.) But becoming an accomplished performer takes many years of dedicated practice. The difference between a competent player and an accomplished performer is a huge amount of effort over a long period of time. But its needed to bring that polish to a performance that people will want to listen to.

I enjoyed playing clarinet from late grade school through high school. (Call it from age 10 to 18). I began my University studies in music as well. But I didn't have the drive to become that polished performer or composer. I did well enough for my own desires, but not well enough that people would pay me for music. So I switched majors. Still enjoy music, though.

There are similarities to investing, as well.

One can learn the basics of investing in a year or less. But that does not make one an expert investor. It takes many years of practice investing and analyzing to become a truly proficient investor. It takes even longer if you have to learn everything by making your own mistakes. So it makes sense to learn from others. And that's why I'm here. I'm not here to become an expert investor so that others will pay me to invest for them. I'm here to learn so I can better invest for myself.

And I think that was the original goal of a certain pair of brothers some 25+ years ago. Hopefully, that same spirit can live on here. And be expanded to the broader topic of being better people - something that seems to have been lost from those brothers' initial vision.

--Peter