i do not want to get into the business of posting LLM takes but very briefly:
It feels clear to me that some people* are getting value out of using LLMs for programming. Basically see https://simonwillison.net/'s whole blog. If I think about it purely on the basis of "in a vacuum, can this help me write programs", it seems like an exciting technology.
BUT...
(1/?)
(* it also feels clear that some people are NOT getting value out of LLMs, hoping to avoid flamewars about that please)
@b0rk The origin of writing https://dustycloud.org/blog/a-letter-from-2016-to-2026/ is my bitterness that a decade ago, we heard a lot of promises that "don't worry, we'll automate away the boring stuff, you can focus on being creative!" and now people seem resigned to "well, all that creative stuff, I don't do it anymore"
Honestly, for me, not doing the creative stuff is giving up on the things that bring me the most happiness in life. And we know that what LLMs are bad at right now is anything that is genuinely new... they're very good at doing things that have been done before.
So, celebrate those who continue to be creative, I think. Because ultimately, even the vibecoders / vibeartists rely on their work to advance things.
But it's depressing to me to see the promises of what life would be like vs what it's now like.
@cwebber @b0rk YOU're depressed? I worked in the 90s (in the days of Carl Malamud's Internet Travelogue) w subversives to get agricultural scientists in developing countries on the Internet via leased lines to US (paid for w cheaper phone calls). Thesis: Can't solve hunger w inferior access to information than enjoyed by children in the developed world. In retrospect, despite knowing about the dark web etc, we were naive & hopelessly optimistic.
You're today's subversives. H/t. Thanks 💪
Julia Evans
Christine Lemmer-Webber
SamuelJohnson