About writing their own RSS script:

I learned new things and got satisfaction out of seeing them run correctly. I get nothing like that out of comparing apps and services.

the biggest advantage echoes what Dr. Drang says: Programming is often more fun than the alternative uses of my time.

Three reasons why time spent programming is well spent and joyful:

1. Learning: for example the EmojiHomepage to learn VueJS; Altercamp Live to learn "Phoenix LiveView" and practice OTP knowledge.
2. Control: the software does exactly what you want + from the self-built programs come the IKEA Effect
3. Creativity: creating anything is a desire and practicing it always leads to joyful experiences. That includes anything - complex systems, simple scripts, an article posted online, a wooden box.

The Hacker news discussion about this post has many testimony: side effects of programming without clear goal first. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24564835