5 ms·
I have a lot of different thoughts as to why using an LLM feels "off". One I've been thinking about as of late is that it feels flawed to measure productivity
by Bjorkbat 2y ago
I have a lot of different thoughts as to why using an LLM feels "off". One I've been thinking about as of late is that it feels flawed to measure productivity by code velocity, i.e. lines of code written per hour.
Like, ideally, it shouldn't really take that much code to implement a thing. I like to think of programming as writing a bunch of levers, starting with simple levers for simple jobs, incrementally ratcheting up to larger levers lifting the smaller levels. Before too long, it'll feel as though you've written a lever capable of lifting the world...or at least one that makes an otherwise wickedly difficult project reasonably manageable.
If you say that LLMs make you more productive because it allowed you to finish a project that would otherwise take forever to write, then I'm skeptical that an LLM is the best solution. I mean, it's a solution at least, but I can't help but wonder if there's a better solution.
If the problem is that you lack the understanding to take on such a project, then perhaps what we really need are better tools for understanding. I myself have found that LLMs are great for gaining a quick understanding of languages that otherwise have sparse information for beginners, but I have to wonder if perhaps there's a better way.
If, on the other hand, the problem is that writing that much code would take forever, then I have to wonder if the real solution is that we need a better way to turn programming languages into patterns (levers) and turn said patterns into larger patterns (larger levers)
A partial solution works, but only partially well, and occasionally has consequences one has to reckon with