Cassandra is only carbon now2d ago

I've criticized — a *lot* — Python and the Python ecosystem writ large for its insufficient opposition to and even outright adoption of AI.

But I want to make one thing absolutely clear as I do so: I don't recommend ditching Python, nor do I endorse or co-sign any calls to do so. I make the critique *because* I don't think we should ditch Python, but because Python is an amazing tool with a community that has repeatedly shown a willingness to do better tomorrow than yesterday.

Show threadCassandra is only carbon now2d ago

For example, I don't call out C# in the same way, because I don't expect any better from a project that's 40% Microsoft-owned. Criticizing C# doesn't have any potential for positive improvement.

Python has improved in the past, has the right attitude and values needed to improve now, and has an opportunity to do better right now.

It won't be easy, given the immense funding tied up with AI strings, and given how much the floor has fallen out on funding more generally. But I believe in Python.

Show threadCassandra is only carbon now2d ago

So, again, if you're in a position of relative power or influence in the Python world, and you're not already doing so, please help Python oppose AI in every possible way.

AI is fashtech, AI eats open source, AI is a climate disaster, and AI is an automated web-scale scab. None of those are compatible with Python continuing to exist as a flourishing programming language and surrounding community that act in the interest of public commons.

Show threadPiper Thunstrom1d ago
@xgranade i do what I can. I i chose not to vote for any candidate whose candidacy statement focused on llms as the future of Python. I've still not used a llm code assistant by choice. And ppb and dykes are all human-made.
Show threadCassandra is only carbon now1d ago
@pathunstrom That's awesome, and thank you for being awesome! ♥
Show threadAstraLuma
@xgranade @pathunstrom you can add Teahouse to that, although I will confess I have not done an extensive audit of its many, many dependencies.
Mar 23 at 5:20pmWeb
Show threadCassandra is only carbon now1d ago
@astraluma @pathunstrom That's so incredibly difficult. Python itself is no longer AI-free (to be fair, the AI code is still an extremely small minority), so anything in Python at all cannot have an AI-free dependency chain without locking interpreter versions.
Show threadAstraLuma1d ago

@xgranade @pathunstrom yup, but I know some of our vendors are pretty AI-happy.

I have trust in the judgement of some of our FOSS, but not all of it.

And I'm sure chardet is somewhere in the transitive dependencies -_-.

Show threadCassandra is only carbon now1d ago

@astraluma @pathunstrom I'm working on getting an alternative going, but yeah, doesn't help with transitive dependencies unless you can fork and patch every single dependent of chardet.

https://codeberg.org/rereading/pyreading/src/branch/main/charminder

pyreading

Python packages used by Arcalibre

Codeberg.org
Show threadAstraLuma1d ago
@xgranade @pathunstrom awww i definitely would have called it detchord.
Show threadCassandra is only carbon now1d ago
@astraluma @pathunstrom Oh, that's a very good name, too. Still, @crazy4pi314 loves Charmander, so I had to go with the pun.