Modify the analogy: nobody cares about the mother’s tomatoes and everyone around her says they’re indistinguishable from the cheap supermarket variety. Even if it’s not true
I think you’re right about the analogy itself, though it’s far from clear that society owes it to your grandma to hinder everyone’s access to cheap tomatoes just so she can feel more useful for her tomato-growing abilities.
The market for small batch locally made produce is huge. Entire grocery stores dedicated to local organic offerings is the standard in every upper middle class neighborhood on the entire west coast. The reason is obvious: a salad made with crappy tomatoes is a crappy salad.
We aren’t at this point in software yet because most consumers of software have no taste