I never said that you shouldn't do the project, just that it might not be as useful as you may think. The most rewarding thing I find with microprocessors is to solve a problem in a new way.

I've built many EPROM programmers, and when I finally needed one that worked reliably, and handled a variety of devices, I bought one. The Willem programmer is more like a kit, so your results may be better than mine were. It looks like the kit is being actively supported which is a plus. But you say that you intend to build it on your own breadboard, which is likely to have reliability consequences.

It was a poor choice of words on my part to suggest that blinking lights is more valuable than a programmer, but my point is that if you take the time to find a problem in your own environment, you may find it much more rewarding.