Post #2773936

2026-02-07 19:03 UTC

@vie@hachyderm.io @lain_7@tldr.nettime.org I love tools that make programming accessible and easier. I love piles of people's terrible scripts that work just for them. That's the beautiful part of computing. I don't love an industry hell bent on renting skills that should be free. LLM output being 'bad but functional' is a feature in keeping people from learning and weaning off the system. The industry is for a profit so models are tuned not to help but to keep you coming back for more. That's what I talk about with it being bad. They're buying up all the ram, gpus, and storage. Personal computing is being assaulted on all fronts with the aim to sell it back to you every month. After this industry implodes maybe there will be a use case for some llm tools but for the moment they're the weapon of a dangerous foe and helping them push it harms us all.

Replies (1)

@lain_7@tldr.nettime.org 2026-02-08 15:04

@alex@gotosocial.theonecurly.page @vie@hachyderm.io I think you need to separate the tool from the hardware store. For example, there are an increasing number of models that one can self-host. My employer will only permit the use of self-hosted models for confidentiality reasons (confidentiality of their own, and their customers’ data). For personal use — my computers tend to be scavenged from remainder sales and dumpster-diving (found a marvelous 17-inch laptop in an e-waste bin the other day, only ten years old!) — I’ve chosen to rent from Anthropic (a single new PC purchase would cover five to ten years of subscription fees). Yes, you can use these tools wrong — a thumb and a board look much the same to a consumer table saw; measure thrice cut twice is an easy habit to slip into — but that’s up to the carpenter, not the tools.

Open ##2773937