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Coding after coders: The end of computer programming as we know it?

nytimes.com

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Re: Coding after coders: The end of computer programming as we know it?

#251

Post by snozolli »

xtracto wrote: post #62
htx80nerd wrote: post #18

You have to hold AI hand to do even simple vanilla JS correctly. Or do framework code which is well documented all over the net. I love AI and use it for programming a lot, but the limitations are real.

The other day I (well, the AI) just wrote a Rust app to merge two (huge, GB of data) tables by discovering columns with data in common based on text distance (levenshtein and Dice) . It worked beautifully An i have NEVER made one line of Rust. I dont understand nay-sayers, to me the state of gen.AI is like the simpsons quote "worst day so far". Look were we are within 5 years of the first real GPT/LLM. The next 5 yea…

The next 5 years are going to be crazy exciting.

I don't want exciting. I want a stable, well-paying job that allows me to put food on the table, raise a family with a sense of security and hope, and have free time.

Re: Coding after coders: The end of computer programming as we know it?

#252

Post by ori_b »

rjh29 wrote: post #151
dsQTbR7Y5mRHnZv wrote: post #96

> in coding, L.L.M.s take away the drudgery and leave the human, soulful parts to you. I've always hated solving puzzles with my deterministic toolbox, learning along the way and producing something of value at the end. Glad that's finally over so I can focus on the soulful art of micromanaging chatbots with markdown instead.

The two types of coder argument seems strong to me. Coders who love the art of programming (optimisation for the sake of it, beautiful designs, data structures...) and builders. The former are in for a rough time. The latter are massively enabled and no longer have to worry about smashing together libs by hand to make crud apps.

Doordash has also enabled home cooks; they no longer have to worry about smashing together ingredients by hand to make dinner. They just prompt the app to make them the food they want.

Doordash is the future of home cooking.

Re: Coding after coders: The end of computer programming as we know it?

#253

Post by ori_b »

GoblinSlayer wrote: post #230
stavros wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So enabled, in fact, that there's almost no point in downloading an already-made app when you can just trivially tailor-make your own. The builder is massively enabled to quickly make anything they want, for an audience of exactly one.

How would you address user requests? Tailor-make a custom app for every user?

Assuming AI lives up to the marketing: Why would someone use an app instead of promoting their agent to figure out how to get something done?

Re: Coding after coders: The end of computer programming as we know it?

#254

Post by GoblinSlayer »

rikroots wrote: post #182
GoblinSlayer wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not, normies love to talk with the computer.

Well I do seem to spent a fair amount of my developer time swearing at my laptop screen. And then there's that time I spend just prior to writing code just staring at the wall while I figure out what sort of code I want to write - if I can repackage that wall-staring time into "time spent consulting with AI about approaches and architecture decisions" I'm sure my engineering manager will think more kindly of me ...

I'm puzzled why they don't speak aloud. Isn't it more natural AI interface? How difficult it is to connect a microphone to speech to text engine and connect that to AI? And then speak aloud. Your manager will be happy to hear you work.

Re: Coding after coders: The end of computer programming as we know it?

#255

Post by bluefirebrand »

IanCal wrote: post #158
dsQTbR7Y5mRHnZv wrote: post #96

> in coding, L.L.M.s take away the drudgery and leave the human, soulful parts to you. I've always hated solving puzzles with my deterministic toolbox, learning along the way and producing something of value at the end. Glad that's finally over so I can focus on the soulful art of micromanaging chatbots with markdown instead.

To read it in a kinder way, I can focus on a complex logic problem, a flow, an architecture or micro optimisation. I can have an llm setup the test harnesses. I improved test speed which was fun, I had an llm write a nice analysis front end to the test timing which would have taken time but just wasn’t interesting or hard. Ask yourself if there are tasks you have to do which you would rather just have done? You’d ins…

> Ask yourself if there are tasks you have to do which you would rather just have done?

Yeah. My laundry, my dishes, my cooking...

You know. Chores.

Not my software, I actually enjoy building that

Re: Coding after coders: The end of computer programming as we know it?

#256

Post by mrbombastic »

mexicocitinluez wrote: post #208
iijaachok wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, because search engines are populated with SEO-optimized LLM-filled articles that say nothing of value anymore. The only reason AI-assisted tools are "better" is because Web search is so much worse.

It's like everyone forgot that the first result for anything web-related would be W3schools, and the next 5 would be spam message boards that tries to scrape all the other boards and sends you to a porn site when you click on it.

Yeah it is worse now but I don’t remember it ever being good. If you know where to look and have a trusted set of resources curated sure, but of course you won’t for unfamiliar territory which is exactly what LLMs help with.

Re: Coding after coders: The end of computer programming as we know it?

#257

Post by youknownothing »

I once suggested a drinking game: shot every time someone says "X is dead". I was told to f** off because I'd kill half of humanity.

COBOL is dead. Java is dead. Programming is dead. AI is dead (yes, some people are already claiming this: https://hexa.club/@phooky/116087924952627103)

I must be the kid from The Sixth Sense because I keep seeing all these allegedly dead guys around me.

Re: Coding after coders: The end of computer programming as we know it?

#258

Post by relativeadv »

IanCal wrote: post #158
dsQTbR7Y5mRHnZv wrote: post #96

> in coding, L.L.M.s take away the drudgery and leave the human, soulful parts to you. I've always hated solving puzzles with my deterministic toolbox, learning along the way and producing something of value at the end. Glad that's finally over so I can focus on the soulful art of micromanaging chatbots with markdown instead.

To read it in a kinder way, I can focus on a complex logic problem, a flow, an architecture or micro optimisation. I can have an llm setup the test harnesses. I improved test speed which was fun, I had an llm write a nice analysis front end to the test timing which would have taken time but just wasn’t interesting or hard. Ask yourself if there are tasks you have to do which you would rather just have done? You’d ins…

But you don't actually do any of that, do you? Instead, you get tired and lazy and attempt to have the LLM solve those hard problems for you too. You just don't tell others about it.

Re: Coding after coders: The end of computer programming as we know it?

#259

Post by DennisP »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #255
IanCal wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To read it in a kinder way, I can focus on a complex logic problem, a flow, an architecture or micro optimisation. I can have an llm setup the test harnesses. I improved test speed which was fun, I had an llm write a nice analysis front end to the test timing which would have taken time but just wasn’t interesting or hard. Ask yourself if there are tasks you have to do which you would rather just have done? You’d ins…

> Ask yourself if there are tasks you have to do which you would rather just have done? Yeah. My laundry, my dishes, my cooking... You know. Chores. Not my software, I actually enjoy building that

I enjoy solving interesting problems in software. But when I was doing it for a living, the majority of my work was pretty tedious. I'd have been thrilled to turn over that part to AI and spend all my time doing the interesting stuff.
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