Andrew has worked and lived with the internet in a very intense way over the last number of years. Andrew isn't suffering from a sense of romantic loss. He is not longing for those good old internet pioneering days. He is merely stating a few facts as he sees them. If Andrew does get feedback these days, it has a sharper edge to it.
People are no longer so congratulatory.
They have no time for mistakes. They want things to work right first time. Welcome to the real world. The average consumer couldn't care less if the shop owner's son broke his arm and therefore the shop will be closed for the afternoon. It was great in the early days of the web.