One of my letters was published. I fully expected that it would be edited and was pleased with the result. You can see both versions here - https://gist.github.com/nindalf/12a533f6ff64d7f146845f289acd.... I thought the edited version conveys the intent well.
I think I agree, the edited version conveys the meaning and intent well. I assume the links were removed as a matter of form factor/medium.
I agree that this is smart editing that preserves the original meaning well. The one decision I question is simplifying your nicely-phrased “Most programmers spend most of their time attaching these disparate blocks together” to just “most programmers spend their time [...]”
eg
Programmers => Programmers in general, with many obvious exceptions, too numerous to list in a brief reply.
All Programmers => All Programmers
PS- Hmmm. Now I wonder if any style guides cover this? Surely some do.