If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse? • Hacker News Board

Re: If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

#101

Post by TacticalCoder » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:31 AM UTC

> I opened Slack on macOS, the icon kept bouncing in the dock for a few seconds. I got impatient, switched to Ghostty, and started typing. Just then, the Slack window appeared, stole focus from Ghostty and the git pull command was sent to the group chat.

Back when I was using IRC from Emacs (with erc) I had written a safeguard in elisp against that. Haven't been on IRC in a while but this helped me prevent sending to the "group chat" (the IRC channel) a great many private infos.

Same for my real name for example: I had a filter where anything containing my actual name would be blocked.

I think a great many software where you "chat" with "groups of people" would benefit from having both default and configurable filters that catch obvious mistakes. Say you probably want a confirmation before attaching a private SSH key, or before sending a password in the clear (which could be filtered by blocking words matching the hash of the password), etc.

Not that it solves the fundamental problem TFA is talking about: nothing works.

But that is a given: that's why we need safeguards.

Re: If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

#102

Post by jamesnorden » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:31 AM UTC

eviks wrote: post #98

jagged-chisel wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any app should be ready to accept focus. It should never steal focus. When I start an app, and wait for it to launch, I am attempting to give it focus. I can withdraw that intent at any time by doing something else (e.g. switching apps) and the launching app should finish launching and wait in the background.

Your specific example is just repeating what I've said, but your generic point is wrong: let's say you have an important task in an app with unavoidable interruptions, during which you switch to your browser to mindlessly scroll. You most likely want to return to the main task as soon as possible because that scrolling is just a time filler because you can't do anything productive. So you don't need any notification…

He's saying the setting exists and does what he wants, how can you say his example is "wrong"?

Re: If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

#103

Post by jjgreen » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:34 AM UTC

smikhanov wrote: post #60

God, those "software is getting worse everywhere" takes are tedious. Let's have a look at a few rarely quoted examples from the last decade, shall we? Just six years ago, a big company rolls out a line of new chips so good that geeks and technology experts all get ecstatic and can't stop churning endless raving reviews. Those chips are fast, small and consume little energy. On top of that, the big company reworks the…

Disagree, but upvote for "my hairy bum"

Re: If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

#104

Post by jagged-chisel » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:36 AM UTC

eviks wrote: post #98

jagged-chisel wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any app should be ready to accept focus. It should never steal focus. When I start an app, and wait for it to launch, I am attempting to give it focus. I can withdraw that intent at any time by doing something else (e.g. switching apps) and the launching app should finish launching and wait in the background.

Your specific example is just repeating what I've said, but your generic point is wrong: let's say you have an important task in an app with unavoidable interruptions, during which you switch to your browser to mindlessly scroll. You most likely want to return to the main task as soon as possible because that scrolling is just a time filler because you can't do anything productive. So you don't need any notification…

Nope. I never want my front task just interrupted like that. Let's take your "check the filename or something" example, and while you're there, you realize you also need a new directory, so while you're typing the name, the other task steals focus and the character you're typing cancels the task - and now you have to start it again. This exact situation has happened so many times, and it's why focus stealing focus of any kind is a problem.

I don't care how important the app's developers think their app is. It's my computer, it's my decision how "important" something is.

Re: If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

#105

Post by xg15 » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:38 AM UTC

> If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

I mean, he has given the answer in the article: Because "coding has been solved" is from the perspective of upper management, not devs or users - and that cares about software quality and usability (as standalone metrics) about as much as the McDonald's board cares about nutrition value.

Re: If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

#106

Post by piguin » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:40 AM UTC

eviks wrote: post #98

jagged-chisel wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any app should be ready to accept focus. It should never steal focus. When I start an app, and wait for it to launch, I am attempting to give it focus. I can withdraw that intent at any time by doing something else (e.g. switching apps) and the launching app should finish launching and wait in the background.

Your specific example is just repeating what I've said, but your generic point is wrong: let's say you have an important task in an app with unavoidable interruptions, during which you switch to your browser to mindlessly scroll. You most likely want to return to the main task as soon as possible because that scrolling is just a time filler because you can't do anything productive. So you don't need any notification…

Your example is wrong because the people who write apps always think they are the important work that should steal focus. The user on the other hand knows how to give focus to what they want to use when they want to use it and doesn't benefit from nondeterministic behavior.

Re: If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

#107

Post by eviks » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:43 AM UTC

jagged-chisel wrote: post #104

eviks wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your specific example is just repeating what I've said, but your generic point is wrong: let's say you have an important task in an app with unavoidable interruptions, during which you switch to your browser to mindlessly scroll. You most likely want to return to the main task as soon as possible because that scrolling is just a time filler because you can't do anything productive. So you don't need any notification…

Nope. I never want my front task just interrupted like that. Let's take your "check the filename or something" example, and while you're there, you realize you also need a new directory, so while you're typing the name, the other task steals focus and the character you're typing cancels the task - and now you have to start it again. This exact situation has happened so many times, and it's why focus stealing focus of…

> so while you're typing the name

Let's take the real example I've made up (which is also a situation that happened many times to warrant an automated solution to limit distraction), not a totally different one you've made up because you can't point how the original fails withotu changing the conditions. Also, I've specifically mentioned typing as a different workfow/use case because that obviously requires different handling.

Re: If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

#108

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:46 AM UTC

Hugsbox wrote: post #57

Kiro wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bad advice considering the success Omarchy has had in marketing it. Whatever they're doing other distros should take note.

I mean, I'm an everyday Linux user and half the content I consume daily is about the Linux/FOSS world and today is my first time hearing of it. And all the information I have about it is from replies to my comment, because its website doesn't actually offer any details. Genius marketing.

[deleted]

Re: If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

#109

Post by jagged-chisel » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:46 AM UTC

eviks wrote: post #107

jagged-chisel wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope. I never want my front task just interrupted like that. Let's take your "check the filename or something" example, and while you're there, you realize you also need a new directory, so while you're typing the name, the other task steals focus and the character you're typing cancels the task - and now you have to start it again. This exact situation has happened so many times, and it's why focus stealing focus of…

> so while you're typing the name Let's take the real example I've made up (which is also a situation that happened many times to warrant an automated solution to limit distraction), not a totally different one you've made up because you can't point how the original fails withotu changing the conditions. Also, I've specifically mentioned typing as a different workfow/use case because that obviously requires different…

Fine. I'm checking the files as you say, focus changes while I'm still checking, now I have to switch back to finish checking. No. Do not want.

Also, no one else needs to be deciding how my "distractions need limiting" on my computer. I can handle that myself. Provide settings, an extension framework, whatever to allow people to manage their distractions, but don't force that on me and my device.

Re: If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

#110

Post by StilesCrisis » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:48 AM UTC

Jtarii wrote: post #21

Software quality has been declining for long before AI was a thing. Microsoft didn't need AI to make windows 11 as bad as it is. The incentives are large companies are fundamentally not in align with making high quality software people actually enjoy interacting with.

In fact, I am pretty sure most of the examples he lists predate AI. Mac OS apps stealing focus certainly does. Horrible laggy car infotainment systems--hard to say without any specifics, but I've certainly had the same experience pre-LLMs. I've navigated the LG website pre-LLMs and it was busted then too.