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I wonder how many programmers get their primary satisfaction from writing code versus creating the end result. I can't imagine ever gaining satisfaction from re

I wonder how many programmers get their primary satisfaction from writing code versus creating the end result. I can't imagine ever gaining satisfaction from reducing productivity since the process of programming isn't that interesting to me. It's what I can do with it that motivates me. The faster and easier I get to the state of having built the thing the better. Though there are other areas where I couldn't care less about the end result and just find the process fun. I mean don't get me wrong - I can get motivated by pretty much any end result, from a big fix to a new app, but I'm always indexing on what I'm trying to do.

yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
As a hobby, I could see some people treating programming like solving a puzzle, in which case tools that skip over the middle bit would be unwanted. I say that as someone who does enjoy the feeling of solving problems but who prefers to get to the solution, though:)
- marginalia_nu 3y ago
  Even professionally there is something for craftsmanship. Rushing to the finish and not caring how you get there rarely makes a solid product.
satvikpendem 3y ago
I feel both sides of it. I really do want to create a well designed end product, but I also often succumb to shiny object syndrome, because, well, I want it to be well made inside and out. I'm reminded of Steve Jobs having his employees sign the inside of the motherboard because even though no one will see it, it feels good to know that you did your best, even where no one will see it.
osigurdson 3y ago
I feel the same but the work also has to be high quality. I want the end result - fast... but if it is a hairy mess then it doesn't really feel like anything real has been accomplished (other than learnings perhaps).
- vikramkr 3y ago
  Yeah lik I said, I'm motivated by the end result. A low quality end result would be less motivating. But this article even talks about things like syntax highlighting and autocomplete which just lets you write the same code faster so I think its getting at something much more fundamental than work quality and related tradeoffs
bitwize 3y ago
Maybe some people just aren't as productive with all the bells and whistles turned on.
varjag 3y ago
You don't fully understand something you didn't write. Now this is certainly not a new quip: people were mistrusting even basic compilers back in the early days too. In their defense compilers tended to have a ton of bugs early on that sometimes did bite the user. Today LLMs tackle on a much higher semantic level and we can assume the scope of it will continue to grow. Your understanding of what you do will necessarily diminish, while quality and performance of your products will take statistical nature reflecting that of neural nets.
dorkwood 3y ago
> I can't imagine ever gaining satisfaction from reducing productivity since the process of programming isn't that interesting to me. It's what I can do with it that motivates me. The faster and easier I get to the state of having built the thing the better. I enjoy the process of learning and getting better. Would you get the same satisfaction from typing “landscape best quality masterpiece” into Midjourney as you would from painting it yourself?
- vikramkr 3y ago
  As I mentioned in the original post, there are other fields where it's flipped for me. Not with paining, not really my thing, but definitely for writing fiction it's the process of writing where all the fun is. I sometimes still write longhand
mock-possum 3y ago
Wow that’s fascinating - I definitely get satisfaction from writing the code itself. The end result is almost moot, it’s stringing code together to get there that I enjoy.

yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago

As a hobby, I could see some people treating programming like solving a puzzle, in which case tools that skip over the middle bit would be unwanted. I say that as someone who does enjoy the feeling of solving problems but who prefers to get to the solution, though:)

marginalia_nu 3y ago
Even professionally there is something for craftsmanship. Rushing to the finish and not caring how you get there rarely makes a solid product.

satvikpendem 3y ago

I feel both sides of it. I really do want to create a well designed end product, but I also often succumb to shiny object syndrome, because, well, I want it to be well made inside and out. I'm reminded of Steve Jobs having his employees sign the inside of the motherboard because even though no one will see it, it feels good to know that you did your best, even where no one will see it.

osigurdson 3y ago

I feel the same but the work also has to be high quality. I want the end result - fast... but if it is a hairy mess then it doesn't really feel like anything real has been accomplished (other than learnings perhaps).

vikramkr 3y ago
Yeah lik I said, I'm motivated by the end result. A low quality end result would be less motivating. But this article even talks about things like syntax highlighting and autocomplete which just lets you write the same code faster so I think its getting at something much more fundamental than work quality and related tradeoffs

bitwize 3y ago

Maybe some people just aren't as productive with all the bells and whistles turned on.

varjag 3y ago

You don't fully understand something you didn't write. Now this is certainly not a new quip: people were mistrusting even basic compilers back in the early days too. In their defense compilers tended to have a ton of bugs early on that sometimes did bite the user. Today LLMs tackle on a much higher semantic level and we can assume the scope of it will continue to grow. Your understanding of what you do will necessarily diminish, while quality and performance of your products will take statistical nature reflecting that of neural nets.

dorkwood 3y ago

> I can't imagine ever gaining satisfaction from reducing productivity since the process of programming isn't that interesting to me. It's what I can do with it that motivates me. The faster and easier I get to the state of having built the thing the better. I enjoy the process of learning and getting better. Would you get the same satisfaction from typing “landscape best quality masterpiece” into Midjourney as you would from painting it yourself?

vikramkr 3y ago
As I mentioned in the original post, there are other fields where it's flipped for me. Not with paining, not really my thing, but definitely for writing fiction it's the process of writing where all the fun is. I sometimes still write longhand

mock-possum 3y ago

Wow that’s fascinating - I definitely get satisfaction from writing the code itself. The end result is almost moot, it’s stringing code together to get there that I enjoy.