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Coding agents could make free software matter again

gjlondon.com

151–160 of 351 posts

Re: Coding agents could make free software matter again

#152
post #33

First of all, free software still matters. Then, being a slave to a $200 subscription to a oligarch application that launders other people's copyright is not what Stallman envisioned. The AI propaganda articles are getting more devious my the minute. It's not just propaganda---it's Bernays-level manipulation!

Gaslighting as a Service

Re: Coding agents could make free software matter again

#153
post #10

It’s such a fun time to have 1+ decade(s) of experience in software. Knowing what simple and good are (for me), and being able to articulate it has let me create so much personal software for myself and my family. It has really felt like turning ideas into reality, about as fast as I can think of them or they can suggest them. And adding specific features, just for our needs. The latest one was a slack canvas replace…

Where/how do you host your family apps to have them conveniently available to your household? This is the thing I'm struggling with most.

Re: Coding agents could make free software matter again

#155

[flagged]

I've found that for API integration, developing against a spec, like OpenAPI, and using/building an auto-generated SDK is still very useful for coding agents.

When there is no spec for REST APIs, I built a tool that can convert HAR files, Postman collections and other data to OpenAPI spec from which I build client SDKs for coding agents to use.

Re: Coding agents could make free software matter again

#156
post #137

Having over a decade of open source software I've written freely available online, I actually really appreciate the value that AI && LLMs have provided me. The thing that leaves a bad taste in my mouth is the fact that my works were likely included in the training data and, if it doesn't violate my licenses (GNU 2/3), it certainly feels against the spirit of what I intended when distributing my works. I was made redu…

> I was made redundant recently "due to AI" (questionable) and it feels like my works in some way contributed to my redundancy where my works contributed to the profits made by these AI megacorps while I am left a victim. I think anyone here can understand and even share that feeling. And I agree with your "questionable" - its just the lame HR excuse du jour. My 2c: - AI megacorps aren't the only ones gaining, we all…

> We aren't losing code; we are making the ability to code a universal human "literacy."

LLMs making the ability to code a universal human “literacy” is like saying that Markov chain is making the ability to write a universal human “literacy”.

Re: Coding agents could make free software matter again

#157
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel kind of good knowing that my code, design decisions, styles, are now part of the data shaping all software now.

I'm sure you'll feel that way so long as you have an income.

Coding champagne socialists everywhere now.

Re: Coding agents could make free software matter again

#158
post #3

Free software has never mattered more. All the infrastructure that runs the whole AI-over-the-internet juggernaut is essentially all open source. Heck, even Claude Code would be far less useful without grep, diff, git, head, etc., etc., etc. And one can easily see a day where something like a local sort Claude Code talking to Open Weight and Open Source models is the core dev tool.

Wow, some corps could offload some of their costs to "the community" (unpair labor), while end users are as disenfranchised as ever! How validating!

Re: Coding agents could make free software matter again

#160
If most of the "free software" is AI slop, then it's going to make me read a lot more source code for free software, if the free software is also open-source. If it isn't open-source, oh boy, no way.

AI backdoors are already a well known problem, and vibe-coded free software is always going to present a substantial risk. We'll see how it plays out in time, but I can already see where it's heading.

After enough problems, reputation and humans in the loop could finally become important again. But I have a feeling humanity is going to have to learn the hard way first (again).

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