Ancient digital sorcery

... otherwise known as computer programming required in-depth understanding of underlying machineries, and most of all the willingness to perform the dark-art of 'hacking'.

This knowledge were concentrated in the hands of the few elites. Although anyone was free to pursue it, learning it was deemed too hard. Resentment built up, serious power gap emerged, class warfare erupted between 'hackers' and the normals. Programmers were perceived as sorcerers, to be feared than to be respected.

In necessity, 'hackers' developed a class of machines that are easily programmed by users via gradual learning and adapting. The normals became masters of their machines by giving simple instructions without complex understanding.

The class warfare ended. But their mastery over machines were merely an illusion. The machines were functionally tied to a central repository, which was tightly controlled by one corporation.

The normals blissfully gave up their power in exchange for comfort; a corporate kingdom was created and ruled for centuries.

Original fiction by the author