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A bit bewildering but a small variation of this work: do a ton of experimental branches that you just don't merge. It's amazing how the AI can learn from branc

A bit bewildering but a small variation of this work: do a ton of experimental branches that you just don't merge. It's amazing how the AI can learn from branches that ran up against a wall. I don't think that you need to make wild iterations on the real product, just do it scratch space and 'merge the lessons not the code' This whole 'design up front' never worked well because it baked in to many bad assumptions. The experimental efforts help you work through those. Once you've worked through it - toss them aside and then let the AI plan based on the scratch work. The tangled stuff is in scratch space, that's what it's for. And critically: it costs almost nothing. The power of AI is not the 'nits and small bugs' - it's the firehose of scratch branches it can let loose in where it doesn't have to worry about PRs, reviews. Once it's all figured out, then the path to the solution is actually relatively clear - and it can be 'planned out' and just done.

mirmor23 2mo ago
> The power of AI is not the 'nits and small bugs' - it's the firehose of scratch branches it can let loose in where it doesn't have to worry about PRs, reviews. > Once it's all figured out, then the path to the solution is actually relatively clear - and it can be 'planned out' and just done. it is important to be clear about what this buys: quick coding and testing primarily. the mental effort needed to design, manage the constraints and all other essential workflows to bring about a professional product is still present.
- bluegatty 2mo ago
  I don't agree on 1, partly yes on 2. What it buys is a clear path through the mess without having to make it. I'm saying: 'figure out the design and constraints by discovering them ... instead of trying to 'one-shot' them as a human'. By the time you've run the gambit 100 times - you can synthesize the learning into something that's nearly complete. Let the AI figure out the constraints, you just guide that. It can't do it in conversation, it takes a lot of iterative prodding. But yes you have to decide where to steer it, and this only works for certain kinds of engineering at a certain scale.
  - jondwillis 2mo ago
    Trauma dump/sign of the frothy times: I got fired back in June for protesting against trying to “design everything up front” (by adding more slop plan docs alongside the hundred of others that my tiny team was charged with producing per month) and instead opting to explore the problem space through code/experimentation. In actuality, I just asked to be remote again. I was burnt out and they were looking for an excuse to fire me.
    - bluegatty 2mo ago
      Im sorry to hear that, keep your head on straight.
orishlez 2mo ago
[flagged]

mirmor23 2mo ago

> The power of AI is not the 'nits and small bugs' - it's the firehose of scratch branches it can let loose in where it doesn't have to worry about PRs, reviews. > Once it's all figured out, then the path to the solution is actually relatively clear - and it can be 'planned out' and just done. it is important to be clear about what this buys: quick coding and testing primarily. the mental effort needed to design, manage the constraints and all other essential workflows to bring about a professional product is still present.

bluegatty 2mo ago
I don't agree on 1, partly yes on 2. What it buys is a clear path through the mess without having to make it. I'm saying: 'figure out the design and constraints by discovering them ... instead of trying to 'one-shot' them as a human'. By the time you've run the gambit 100 times - you can synthesize the learning into something that's nearly complete. Let the AI figure out the constraints, you just guide that. It can't do it in conversation, it takes a lot of iterative prodding. But yes you have to decide where to steer it, and this only works for certain kinds of engineering at a certain scale.
- jondwillis 2mo ago
  Trauma dump/sign of the frothy times: I got fired back in June for protesting against trying to “design everything up front” (by adding more slop plan docs alongside the hundred of others that my tiny team was charged with producing per month) and instead opting to explore the problem space through code/experimentation. In actuality, I just asked to be remote again. I was burnt out and they were looking for an excuse to fire me.
  - bluegatty 2mo ago
    Im sorry to hear that, keep your head on straight.

orishlez 2mo ago

[flagged]