4 ms·

> Why? I really don't understand this. Why can't a tech writer take a deep but neutral intellectual interest in something? Isn't it important that some do? Do p

> Why? I really don't understand this. Why can't a tech writer take a deep but neutral intellectual interest in something? Isn't it important that some do? Do people have to be stakeholders or clearly on one given team, pro- or anti-, for their opinion to matter? Is it that tribal? I don't think it's weird to ask that people commenting on x doing y with tech z at least try tech z, no? Imagine this pamphlet: Basting a steak in a cast iron skillet with butter and herbs is a perversion of grilling a steak on charcoal. Signed, a life-time vegan who hasn't cooked a steak in their life. Then imagine people jumping in the comments to discuss. Isn't it a waste of time?

dofm 2mo ago
> I don't think it's weird to ask that people commenting on x doing y with tech z at least try tech z, no? On what specific basis do you assume he hasn't tried it? He's definitely blogged about the desktop apps, after all. Or are you arguing that a writer doesn't have a meaningful or valid opinion on LLM-generated writing until they have tried to pass some off as their own? This just seems weird to me. I mean, I have an opinion on this and I am personally never going to use an LLM to do published writing. On an intellectual level I can still see that there is nuance in it for others (for once I agree with him about an EU regulation).
- NitpickLawyer 2mo ago
  I'm confused. You said "he doesn't use AI" and I took that as a general "he never used AI". If I was mistaken then ignore this whole thread, that's my bad.
  - dofm 2mo ago
    Ahh — that was in the context of a suggestion AI-slop-writing I was replying to (quite an accusation for an established blogger IMO). But one of the issues with HN threads is that you can sometimes lose the sense of what you're replying to by clicking further down the thread, and I have committed worse misunderstandings than this, so absolutely no need to apologise (and I probably need to consider this when I am replying) :-)

dofm 2mo ago

> I don't think it's weird to ask that people commenting on x doing y with tech z at least try tech z, no? On what specific basis do you assume he hasn't tried it? He's definitely blogged about the desktop apps, after all. Or are you arguing that a writer doesn't have a meaningful or valid opinion on LLM-generated writing until they have tried to pass some off as their own? This just seems weird to me. I mean, I have an opinion on this and I am personally never going to use an LLM to do published writing. On an intellectual level I can still see that there is nuance in it for others (for once I agree with him about an EU regulation).

NitpickLawyer 2mo ago
I'm confused. You said "he doesn't use AI" and I took that as a general "he never used AI". If I was mistaken then ignore this whole thread, that's my bad.
- dofm 2mo ago
  Ahh — that was in the context of a suggestion AI-slop-writing I was replying to (quite an accusation for an established blogger IMO). But one of the issues with HN threads is that you can sometimes lose the sense of what you're replying to by clicking further down the thread, and I have committed worse misunderstandings than this, so absolutely no need to apologise (and I probably need to consider this when I am replying) :-)