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Post #1094071

2026-04-05 04:50 UTC

RE: https://mathstodon.xyz/@dougmerritt/116349163827428010 Dissent. The author's thesis makes a fundamental assumption: Code is now cheap. This assumption is false. When machine code was supplanted by assembly code, code did not suddenly become cheap. When assembly code gave way to compiled languages (COBOL, FORTRAN, Algol, Pascal, C, etc.), code again did not become cheap. If we assume LLMs are the next step in programming (and I don't), then we've simply moved another layer out -- another layer of abstraction. But nothing will get cheaper.

Replies (5)

  • @ewhac@mastodon.social 2026-04-05 05:02

    Ever watch a newcomer to programming write code? Too often, they're programming by auto-correct. They type a plausible-sounding function name, look at the fuzzy-find hovertext that pops up, pick something plausible, and see if it works. Rinse, repeat. A valid approach for a beginner, but let us not pretend that, at least at this stage, the coder actually *understands* what they're doing. They're lab rats, poking the button until treats come out.

    Open ##2136618

  • @ewhac this is interesting framing. since AI generated code is almost certainly going to be slower than code tuned for performance by a human, which matches the expectation of "more abstraction -> probably worse performance"

    Open ##2136632

  • @khleedril@cyberplace.social 2026-04-05 18:00

    @ewhac The real error here is that the Winchester Mystery House was actually architected, whereas the code churned out by AI is not; it is all going to fall down very soon, unlike the house which is still standing a century later.

    Open ##2136633

  • @paco@infosec.exchange 2026-04-05 22:23

    @ewhac I haven’t read the article yet, but I suspect I’m going to agree with you. Each level of abstraction—normally—gives you an improved way of understanding something. It’s a metaphor that lets you work at a different level. Being vague and ambiguous is not the same thing as being abstract.

    Open ##2136634

  • @TomAoki@mastodon.bsd.cafe 2026-04-06 22:35

    @ewhac Although LLMs made coding cheaper, I think total costs of "reliable software developments" becomes more expensive, as of the rapidly increasing costs of "reviewing / auditing" the written codes.

    Open ##2136635