Although trained in physics, I worked in the computing industry with pride and purpose for over 40 years. And now I can do nothing but sit back and watch it destroy itself for no valid reason beyond hubris (if I'm being charitable).
Ineffable sadness watching something I once loved deliberately lose its soul.
I spent my time trying to make it better. Not just write code, but find better or at least different ways to do so. Simpler, cleaner, more general, more comprehensible.
What's happening today is a complete repudiation of everything I was trying to achieve.
If the world survived Perl, VBA, CORBA, SGML/XML, and Code Generation from UML, it can survive this.
I sure hope our beloved industry survive this wave of self-destruction, mate.
The fundamental difference I observe, at least in my small corner of the world, is that modern AI seems to be eroding the professionalism of the very practitioners of AI. This wasn’t the case with prior technological hypes, from FRP and micro services, back through time, to FORTRAN and ENIAC.
In some ways, AI appears to be validating and encouraging unprofessionalism, the same way today’s political discourse on social media is validating and compounding ignorance.
People say a mild case of XML isn't so bad, but they don't think about the effects of Long XML on a project.
People say a mild case of XML isn't so bad, but they don't think about the effects of Long XML on a project.
Perhaps we should take the first word literally in "unparalleled expressive power" (the first sentence of the last section of the quoted page).
A little like "there is nothing like a biscuit when you are thirsty"...
@maxpool @dougmerritt @robpike
"AI" is not just the wrong tool. It's eroding the very fabric of society, and especially the fabric of our industry.
See also: https://www.stvn.sh/writing/programming-still-sucks-fqffhyp
Sorry Peter. — I'm at a birthday party, and while most people here also work in tech, there's always a Guy with a Real Job. You know, a physical job, building some or other thing people need. And this Guy always asks some variant of the same question: aren't you worried AI is taking your job? I glance around and see a few faces turning around toward us, rolling their eyes ever so slightly before returning to their previous conversation. Yes, this question again.
rob pike
DougMerritt (log😅 = 💧log😄)
ma𝕏pool
amen zwa, esq.
Pxl Phile
Pete Alex Harris🦡🕸️🌲/∞🪐∫
Neo Ehproque
Stephen
Vassil Nikolov | Васил Николов
Pete / Syllopsium
Apply The Ripley Doctrine!