To answer the question, yes, the passion was different then and not just in the developers, but with the users/clients. The users/clients were excited about the new techologies promises and look to the developers to lead them to the promised land.
The developers were there because they wanted to be, not just because of the promises of riches or there high school counselor said CS would be a good job. Many of the people I worked with in the 80s and 90s were self taught even before getting into college. The passion was organic and the exicitment of the new computer paradym feed that passion.