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That's the amazing thing about the apparently still enthusiastic acceptance of LLMs for tasks that are better done by experts. We've moved on before, but now so

That's the amazing thing about the apparently still enthusiastic acceptance of LLMs for tasks that are better done by experts. We've moved on before, but now sometimes it seems almost perfectly okay to peddle uncertainty, hallucinations and random results. And no, it's not about democratizing computer use, it's about choosing the right resource for the right job if the outcome is going to be about something. Everything else is a degeneration into vagueness or half-knowledge, not to mention the problems of missing or abandoned data privacy and (software) freedom.

lxgr 2y ago
I’d definitely prefer to have a professional certified DBA help me query my hobby project databases. But do you know one that’ll do it for (almost) free and is available 24/7? Even at work, I can’t hog a single data engineer’s attention for hours on end without at least trying myself first.
- smartmic 2y ago
  If you have created a hobby project database, you have the skills to learn how to query it - it is probably part of your hobby and fun. If not, and if you do not want to open source it to get community support, you are better off cutting out the database part and choosing other technologies. At work, the situation should not be so different. If your manager cannot provide you with the means to maintain the database according to the business needs, you / your boss / your team / your business / your company have a problem and should better choose technologies that are manageable and/or for which you have enough resources.
  - lxgr 2y ago
    You seem to have some pretty detailed understanding of my hobby projects, and the way I enjoy doing them, considering you know neither them nor me! > If you have created a hobby project database, you have the skills to learn how to query it - it is probably part of your hobby and fun. Not at all in many cases. Many existing open source projects these days involve a database for better or worse, and I wouldn't enjoy porting their storage layer to something other than whatever database they already use. I really don't need more engineering rabbit holes to go down in my life, neither at work nor in my free time. I do so by defining loose boundaries labeled "here be time sinks" and only go there if I'm really curious or it seems enjoyable, but not when I'm trying to get something else done. LLMs have moved these boundaries somewhat, and I believe for the better.

lxgr 2y ago

I’d definitely prefer to have a professional certified DBA help me query my hobby project databases. But do you know one that’ll do it for (almost) free and is available 24/7? Even at work, I can’t hog a single data engineer’s attention for hours on end without at least trying myself first.

smartmic 2y ago
If you have created a hobby project database, you have the skills to learn how to query it - it is probably part of your hobby and fun. If not, and if you do not want to open source it to get community support, you are better off cutting out the database part and choosing other technologies. At work, the situation should not be so different. If your manager cannot provide you with the means to maintain the database according to the business needs, you / your boss / your team / your business / your company have a problem and should better choose technologies that are manageable and/or for which you have enough resources.
- lxgr 2y ago
  You seem to have some pretty detailed understanding of my hobby projects, and the way I enjoy doing them, considering you know neither them nor me! > If you have created a hobby project database, you have the skills to learn how to query it - it is probably part of your hobby and fun. Not at all in many cases. Many existing open source projects these days involve a database for better or worse, and I wouldn't enjoy porting their storage layer to something other than whatever database they already use. I really don't need more engineering rabbit holes to go down in my life, neither at work nor in my free time. I do so by defining loose boundaries labeled "here be time sinks" and only go there if I'm really curious or it seems enjoyable, but not when I'm trying to get something else done. LLMs have moved these boundaries somewhat, and I believe for the better.