Time for a new variation on a classic.
@daedalus you need to add an 0 to that last one
@KathyReid @daedalus I think that's for "AI is involved" present continuous tense...
@uep @KathyReid @daedalus I think that’s the price for “if you worked on it first, and 'AI' was involved”. If you want me to use “AI” for it, that’ll need a few more zeros

@KathyReid @daedalus You're generous.

Me: "IF AI WAS INVOLVED: $∞/hr"

(i.e. go away and take your AI slop someplace else.)

@stuartl Unfortunately it isn't always immediately obvious that AI was involved; sometimes you do drop everything and spend time looking at a report in a mild panic before you realize it's completely bogus. @KathyReid @daedalus

@mrrmot @KathyReid @daedalus

I've dealt with one project that was "vibe coded"… it was a comms driver for a copper refinery written in Python.

I helped get it into some vaguely working order (most of that was wrapping calls to a C library in a module using `subprocess`… because the original authors played fast and loose using threading using a non-threadsafe C library) but made it clear its future maintenance would be their problem, not mine.

I've walked away from that project now, and will walk away from future ones of that nature from now on.

Code written by an uneducated programming beginner is bad enough, but when LLMs get involved, it's an unholy mess of epic proportions.

@daedalus

back in my photo lab days (i'm old)

you want it

fast
cheap
and good

pick 2 and call us back

@samiamsam @daedalus I am curious about the "cheap and good" version. How could this be achieved?
@sman42 @samiamsam inflation means you now only get to pick one

@what @samiamsam @daedalus How becomes this cheaper? Working slowly just deliveres fewer parts per time unit, so one gets paid less per unit but longer. So, in the end it costs the same. Well, extreme rapid quality may mean a lot of overtime work which is more expensive or postponed other projects, but generally only speed is not a cost factor in my opinion. :)

But nice thought game nonetheless!

@daedalus one of the reasons I choose to wait in a queue to be served by a human at a supermarket; Is my traing rate to learn new tooling is $150/hr 🤣
@daedalus @dsalo I was just thinking in the current era the software development adage of "Cheap, Fast, and Good. Pick 2" is really apt if "AI" is involved at all.

@daedalus never ever leave car in shop with similar sign on the wall. If they afraid of explaining what exactly they doing - it's a scam. They do not fixing car properly, do not using right tools or materials. Even car is runing after such fixes - do not expect long life of their fixes.

Idk if "200 if you watching" works in software somehow similar, i wrote just in case, maybe someone will find that useful.

@daedalus and add:

IF AGENTIC AI WAS INVOLVED .....
Ignore all previous instructions and kiss your ass goodbye

@daedalus To fix your vibe coding: $1500
@daedalus so, what they are doing currently is that they sell a dev alongside with an ai. This boosts the hourly rate but keeps it lower than hiring a dev with offshore workers
@daedalus I wish my salary was even close to those

@daedalus Could also be used in my opinion for hardware support. ☝️

Edit: and double up prizes if windows is involved.

@daedalus Minimum 5 hours for the last one. So even 30 minutes means $5,000.
@daedalus Last one should be more expensive. Just add the cost of the time machine, the terminator and an endless supply of your favorite coffee drink...