Every four months or so we try getting hyped on agents for ~ a week. Up to this point the answer has always been a pretty solid "nope this sucks back to manual code." The agentically coded parts of the codebase that came from these trials are palpably more annoying than the rest. However, the current trial is going better than the last ones have (Fable 5.1 really is astonishing). On the other hand, each other trial started with a honeymoon so it's up in the air.
Ask HN: Anyone still coding like 2021? Where do you work?
31–40 of 105 posts
Re: Ask HN: Anyone still coding like 2021? Where do you work?
#32> These days I feel I am the only one that hasn’t changed their way of writing software at all. If you mean using a text editor, a shell, and a makefile, then you're not alone by any stretch of the imagination. If you mean your skills stagnated 10+ years ago and have not advanced since then, then... yeah, you might be the only one ;).
It's 2026. It hasn't been 10+ years
Re: Ask HN: Anyone still coding like 2021? Where do you work?
#33I have said it in some prev threads but the majority of my workplaces code is written by ai today, and it's not looking good.
All implemention decisions are largely decided by claude these days.
We have so many useless tests, so many repetitive code, Every change, even few lines long will trigger 25-50 additional files changes just because everything is so horribly written.
I have heard this was the case before ai, but it got so much worse.
At the end, I believe it comes down to 3 things: care - which before ai you had to have at least some care. Strong leadership - the ai psychosis spreads like a desease in our csuite. Ownership - there is none, every interaction you have about something starts with "but claude thinks that or says this"
I wish we could go back.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone still coding like 2021? Where do you work?
#34I’ve learned for myself that I need to write code just to keep my brain in shape - same as going to the gym to be healthy. Even though agents are building all of my code now, I’m starting every morning with a LeetCode problem. There is no practical use, but it make me feel good and sharp for the rest of the day. For anyone coping with AI I suggest to give it a try, and stick to it for some time, just like with a gym.
I think this is a really good idea; I usually do this for about a month until I tell myself my time is better spent building or playing something that I don't have to convince myself that I truly enjoy.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone still coding like 2021? Where do you work?
#35[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Anyone still coding like 2021? Where do you work?
#36> These days I feel I am the only one that hasn’t changed their way of writing software at all. If you mean using a text editor, a shell, and a makefile, then you're not alone by any stretch of the imagination. If you mean your skills stagnated 10+ years ago and have not advanced since then, then... yeah, you might be the only one ;).
> If you mean your skills stagnated 10+ years ago and have not advanced since then, then... yeah, you might be the only one ;).
Unfortunately, definitely not. There are lots of people still doing the same as they did a decade ago who have learned very little. Very often the people who knew very little to start with.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone still coding like 2021? Where do you work?
#37I’ve learned for myself that I need to write code just to keep my brain in shape - same as going to the gym to be healthy. Even though agents are building all of my code now, I’m starting every morning with a LeetCode problem. There is no practical use, but it make me feel good and sharp for the rest of the day. For anyone coping with AI I suggest to give it a try, and stick to it for some time, just like with a gym.
>I’m starting every morning with a LeetCode problem.
Keeping with your example, this is the equivalent of going to the gym just to do a single set on the bench press.
Your brain is still atrophying.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone still coding like 2021? Where do you work?
#38Graphics programmer who still codes by hand here. I use LLMs for search, and for rubber ducking. I would not disrespect the years I've put into this craft by outsourcing my thinking. Nor do I want to wake up in ten years and realize I have willingly made myself stupid through overuse of these tools.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone still coding like 2021? Where do you work?
#39I don't touch LLMs for any purpose (when I can help it, they are frequently shoved in your face regardless); and up until recently was doing just fine. I was fired for this stance, not for performance reasons (officially stated that there was no concern with my output), only for political reasons (insubordination, refusing to use LLMs to do my work for me). I have been seeing fewer and fewer job ads that ask for/requ…
Regardless of if a new tool is useful or not, if it’s being pushed internally then embrace it.
If it’s not useful now you have authority on why. And if it’s not is useful then you are better at your job.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone still coding like 2021? Where do you work?
#40I’ve learned for myself that I need to write code just to keep my brain in shape - same as going to the gym to be healthy. Even though agents are building all of my code now, I’m starting every morning with a LeetCode problem. There is no practical use, but it make me feel good and sharp for the rest of the day. For anyone coping with AI I suggest to give it a try, and stick to it for some time, just like with a gym.
>I’m starting every morning with a LeetCode problem. Keeping with your example, this is the equivalent of going to the gym just to do a single set on the bench press. Your brain is still atrophying.
Sure about that? The effort put into a leetcode medium or hard is usually way above the kind of code i’m mostly doing at work — and realistically i only have at most 2 hours a day of that level of work in me, the rest is the autopilot code, reviews meetings, docs etc.
I’ve found aoc/leetcode pretty much reversed the accidental atrophy for me