The bit about helping one guy with a laptop from 2012 hit home. I read a thread on the r/learnpython sub a while back where teachers were saying this is super common, like the first class is almost always setup day no matter what. One person said they started telling people to show up 30 minutes early just for installs so the real class could start on time. The problem is library computers and old laptops, plus windows makes you click through a million boxes. So yeah it happens a lot, but 40 minutes for one person is still on the bad side. A good teacher would've told that guy to come back after class or paired him with someone and kept the rest of you moving.

The "real carpenters cut mortise and tenon" line is the same one I got from an old timer when I first started. What worked for me was just keeping my head down and letting the work talk. I used biscuits on cabinet face frames and built-ins for years and not one callback on a failed joint. Meanwhile the guy who gave me grief had a dining table he built with hand cut tenons that wobbled after two winters because he never accounted for wood movement. Tools don't make the carpenter, knowing when and where to use them does. Dale can keep his chisels, I'll keep my biscuit joiner and we'll both still be working.