I am happier writing code by hand • Hacker News Board

Re: I am happier writing code by hand

#331

Post by panarky » Tue, Feb 10, 2026, 1:25 AM UTC

omnimus wrote: post #192

panarky wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people like to spin their own wool, weave their own cloth, sew their own clothes. A few even make a good living by selling their artisanal creations. Good for them! It's great when people can earn a living doing what they love. But wool spinning and cloth weaving are automated and apparel is mass produced. There will always be some skilled artisans who do it by hand, but the vast majority of decent jobs in texti…

The metaphor doesn't work because all of the things mentioned have to be individually fabricated. But software doesn't. Copies are free. Thats the magic of software, you don't need much of it - you just need to be correct/smarter. It's pretty surprising to see people on this site (assume mostly programmers) to think of code in terms of quantity. I always thought developers believe in less code the better.

You're unstated assumption is that machine-written code is lower quality than human-written code. That may be true for the top 5% of developers today.

But I didn't think that assumption is true for the median developer today, and it probably won't be true for the 5-percentile developer by this time next year.

Re: I am happier writing code by hand

#332

Post by Snacklive » Tue, Feb 10, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC

I have a problem vibecoding and frustrating experiences with coworkers that are a little too much into it.

I can use AI to help me explore libraries or to replace a search, generate small snippets here and there, or even scripts that i occasionally need. But i can't vibecode, i don't know how to let go, i babysit too much, i read the code and i feel uneasy if I don't understand what I'm building, or why I'm building it in a certain way, i need to understand how the pieces work to make a whole

Re: I am happier writing code by hand

#333

Post by kcexn » Wed, Feb 11, 2026, 4:41 AM UTC

agentultra wrote: post #303

kcexn wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe. I'm not sure its that different though? If one person can do the work of two because of power tools, then why keep both? Same with AI. How people feel about it doesn't seem relevant. Maybe the right example is the role of tractors in agriculture. Prior to tractors you had lots of people do the work, or maybe animals. But tractors and engines eliminate a whole class of labor. You could still till a field by han…

First, creating power tools didn’t cause mass layoffs of carpenters and construction workers. There continued to be a demand for skilled workers. Second, power tools work with the user’s intent. The user does the planning, the measuring, the cutting and all the activities of building. They might choose to use a dovetail saw instead of fasteners to make a joint. Third, programming languages are specifications given to…

Did power tools not cause layoffs? That seems like a dubious claim to me. Building a house today takes far fewer people than 100 years ago. Seems unlikely that all the extra labor found other things to do in construction.

Re: I am happier writing code by hand

#334

Post by pankajdoharey » Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 7:17 AM UTC

woeirua wrote: post #5

This is no different then carpentry. Yes, all furniture can now be built by machines. Some people still choose to build it by hand. Does that make them less productive? Yes. Will they ever carve furniture by hand for a business? Probably not. Can they still enjoy the act of working with the wood? Yes. If you want to code by hand, then do it! No one's stopping you. But we shouldn't pretend that you will be able to do…

People will only build it by hand if there is a market for it. Otherwise it'll be mostly hobby software build for learning and entertainment (opensource). Businesses don't mind factory software Although the cost of developing software is going down and will be almost free, in that case, the price is actually of taste. The best designed easy to use Interface. My guess is there will be some people, even in future, who would prefer custom handmade artisanal software written entirely by hand. Those will be probably artisanal software collectors. Maybe there will be some art galleries in future who will auction this software as art pieces to be demonstrated in museums or galleries. These will be rare events. Most commercial software will be factory made.