I have developed software for many years now and this hit me today...let me use web development as an example:

When starting out, developing a todo list app is so interesting. After doing it, there comes an expense tracker, digital clock, quotes generator app, invoice generator...the craft & understanding becomes clearer from time to time.

Fast forward to a time where building a React+Vite+Tailwind+Redux is so easy. Then going fullstack with Next.js+Express.js+MySQL/MongoDB and beyond.

In my experience, there has come a time(on many counts) when i just look at the app, 1-2 clicks and figure out how it works. Dashing to the devtools>source & network tabs to verify my instincts...90% right all the time. Another thing is suddenly realizing that I could use X with Y to help users do A, B and C.

QUESTION: Do you build or try to develop those app ideas? Throttle or ignore them? Validate the idea but never publish the result? Build for fun? Do you move on since you have already figured it out? What do you do in this case? Do you build your own X?

Personally, I have failed to resist trying. Seeing it work out gives me joy.