4 ms·

When the combustion engine was invented, and we got the means by which we could accelerate our trip by 10x, and at the same time scale it to multiple people, we

When the combustion engine was invented, and we got the means by which we could accelerate our trip by 10x, and at the same time scale it to multiple people, we didn't tell the humans to keep pushing the vehicles by their hands, didn't we?

defrost 1mo ago
No, but the US and UK did enact Red Flag laws.
nickmonad 1mo ago
Speed doesn't mean anything if you end up driving off a cliff.
- menaerus 1mo ago
  Evidence so far does not suggest people driving off a cliff so while a valid concern it's not a likely one. We also acknowledged that the benefit of using a vehicle is such that it outnumbers the risks it may introduce. We never said there will be no risks attached.
  - t-writescode 1mo ago
    We’ve only been on this train for 3-4 years, and in that period, we’ve already invented terms for this kind of vibe-coded, highly-breakable crud. We’ve also had a few, relatively high-profile in their spheres bugs come out and hurt people’s real, lived experiences. And that’s just the stuff where the house of cards failed quickly.
    - menaerus 1mo ago
      Software by definition has always been and will remain broken in one or another way. AI makes no difference or whatsoever. Arguably, it will help raising the quality of software.
fortzi 1mo ago
As a developer you are more akin to a car mechanic, who’s still expected to know how the engine works even a century after it was invented, rather than a driver, who is just the user in this parallel.
- menaerus 1mo ago
  Mechanics I've been to generally have no idea about how things actually in the car work - from what I could understand, area is full of recurring problems, and this exactly benefits mechanics to solve them through trial and error approach rather than understanding much how underlying things work. Pretty much close to what I would say SWE will turn into, there's no other choice IMO in foreseeable future.
  - t-writescode 1mo ago
    I think you underestimate the skill of more experienced mechanics. Tractor (as in 18 wheeler) and master mechanics tend to know what’s going on under the hood in detail.
    - menaerus 1mo ago
      Like what exactly?
  - fortzi 1mo ago
    I’m sure there are many of those, but like everything, there are tiers. I’m sure we’ll get something similar in SWE, but my hope is that you’ll still be able to choose to be a high tier engineer if you wanted to

defrost 1mo ago

No, but the US and UK did enact Red Flag laws.

nickmonad 1mo ago

Speed doesn't mean anything if you end up driving off a cliff.

menaerus 1mo ago
Evidence so far does not suggest people driving off a cliff so while a valid concern it's not a likely one. We also acknowledged that the benefit of using a vehicle is such that it outnumbers the risks it may introduce. We never said there will be no risks attached.
- t-writescode 1mo ago
  We’ve only been on this train for 3-4 years, and in that period, we’ve already invented terms for this kind of vibe-coded, highly-breakable crud. We’ve also had a few, relatively high-profile in their spheres bugs come out and hurt people’s real, lived experiences. And that’s just the stuff where the house of cards failed quickly.
  - menaerus 1mo ago
    Software by definition has always been and will remain broken in one or another way. AI makes no difference or whatsoever. Arguably, it will help raising the quality of software.

fortzi 1mo ago

As a developer you are more akin to a car mechanic, who’s still expected to know how the engine works even a century after it was invented, rather than a driver, who is just the user in this parallel.

menaerus 1mo ago
Mechanics I've been to generally have no idea about how things actually in the car work - from what I could understand, area is full of recurring problems, and this exactly benefits mechanics to solve them through trial and error approach rather than understanding much how underlying things work. Pretty much close to what I would say SWE will turn into, there's no other choice IMO in foreseeable future.
- t-writescode 1mo ago
  I think you underestimate the skill of more experienced mechanics. Tractor (as in 18 wheeler) and master mechanics tend to know what’s going on under the hood in detail.
  - menaerus 1mo ago
    Like what exactly?
- fortzi 1mo ago
  I’m sure there are many of those, but like everything, there are tiers. I’m sure we’ll get something similar in SWE, but my hope is that you’ll still be able to choose to be a high tier engineer if you wanted to