So how about that, another milestone... It really is remarkable how after all this time, and despite all that's happened in the web/tech space over the relative eternity that's 30 years, that NG continues to be such a beacon of integrity. Really, there's so much lousy stuff that could have happened here which too many other web spaces have fallen victim to that it's kind of hard to believe that NG's commitment to its community has made it through mostly unscathed. And dare I say, the tumultuous changes to the web through the 2010's have mostly settled in such a way that creatives & lurkers alike realize the importance of there being independent places where people can be themselves.

And honestly, I'm feeling that we're past the "awkward teen years" (Tom's words, not mine 😉) of browser tech stacks shuffling around that we're at a point where pretty much anything you'd want to be able to do in a browser is possible. Yes yes, web standards are a mess, and the app-store ecosystem still puts a stranglehold over the kind of freedom that the open web should provide, but it feels to me like the gaping hole left by Flash's demise is slowly being filled. Just look at Ruffle! We kind of have Flash on mobile, right now, somehow without all of the baggage classic Flash carried around that ultimately sank it. That should be worth something, right?

As for me, I guess I'm so far past the point of frustration/anger/despair that I accept the fact that the time to do the kind of work I wanted to do online has passed, but also that the next best time to start doing something with whatever passion I still have rattling around in me is now. This isn't just talk; I actually have been up to something for a change!! It's still a ways away (and my characteristic meandering work pace isn't helping matters) so I'll refrain talking about it until it's out there (and it will be obvious when it is), but I'm immensely grateful to have been given a good chance to get back into the gamedev groove before yet another timeless interval passes 🙂

So, here's to making the most of the future...and to NG continuing to be around to help make it happen.