undefined | Better HN

0 pointsbluefirebrand12d ago0 comments

> Ask yourself if there are tasks you have to do which you would rather just have done?

Yeah. My laundry, my dishes, my cooking...

You know. Chores.

Not my software, I actually enjoy building that

0 comments

I enjoy solving interesting problems in software. But when I was doing it for a living, the majority of my work was pretty tedious. I'd have been thrilled to turn over that part to AI and spend all my time doing the interesting stuff.

bluefirebrandOP12d ago

This is a fools errand

We are paid to do the tedious stuff because it is tedious. If we actually ever succeed in automating away the tedious stuff, we're out of work

sph12d ago

Don’t you get it? Machine do the tedious work, all we get to do now is the fun part and we can just relax the rest of the day.

I am producing 5x as before, my boss is paying me the same salary just for two hours of actual work per day. I have so much more time to pursue my passions.

Isn’t the future great?

5 more replies

DennisP12d ago

There definitely is economic value in solving the more challenging problems. Junior devs who can only do the tedious parts have lower salaries.

3 more replies

IanCal11d ago

Absolutely everything about it in equal measure? You live environment config, setting up test harnesses, coding the complex part all identically the same? Nothing you would hand off?

Do you find there are zero chores in software development and everything is an identical delight?

_aavaa_12d ago

You can enjoy doing woodworking without power tools but that's irrelevant to a job where people want it done fast with power tools.

wsve11d ago

Woodworking analogy for AI is not "power tools vs handsaw", its "power tools vs. wood 3D printer". You don't do any of the creating, you only ideate and allow the machine to do all the creating. It's simply not wood working anymore. Its something else entirely

IanCal11d ago

You don’t have to choose between entirely hand coded and entirely AI built code.

1 more reply

_aavaa_9d ago

So what? If I want a cabinet I care about the final product. power tools, 3d printer, I don't care. If it means it gets done faster and cheaper and is good enough for my needs, then that's what I want. Someone else is free to pay for the costly artisanal approach if they want to.

paradox46011d ago

A friend was recently redoing his kitchen. They hired a carpenter for cabinetry, and his wife asked him if he would be willing to make it with only hand tools.

Carpenter told her he'd be happy to, it would take 8 weeks longer, cost more, and probably wouldn't look any better than the regular way

j3k311d ago

Except a power tool works as it should each and every time. 100% reproducible. That's what's so great about it.

Can we stop with the lazy analogies? Everyone's read some variant of this on here by now. Come up with something that's genius to read.

_aavaa_9d ago

We have likewise read the same complain of "I want to keep doing it the old way, new way bad".

apsurd12d ago

interesting comparison to cooking. cooking is a chore and takes effort and people enjoy cooking.

bluefirebrandOP12d ago

Eating is also not really optional

If you're going to spend a pretty good chunk of your lifetime eating, you might as well get good at it so you can enjoy the food you make

IanCal11d ago

Do you want to eat good food or make good food? Is doing the dishes something you hand to a machine or do you always do it by hand? Are there any ingredients you buy pre-made (pesto, curry pastes, do you make your own panko breadcrumbs)?

2 more replies

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

DennisP12d ago

bluefirebrandOP12d ago

This is a fools errand

We are paid to do the tedious stuff because it is tedious. If we actually ever succeed in automating away the tedious stuff, we're out of work

sph12d ago

Don’t you get it? Machine do the tedious work, all we get to do now is the fun part and we can just relax the rest of the day.

I am producing 5x as before, my boss is paying me the same salary just for two hours of actual work per day. I have so much more time to pursue my passions.

Isn’t the future great?

5 more replies

DennisP12d ago

There definitely is economic value in solving the more challenging problems. Junior devs who can only do the tedious parts have lower salaries.

3 more replies

IanCal11d ago

Absolutely everything about it in equal measure? You live environment config, setting up test harnesses, coding the complex part all identically the same? Nothing you would hand off?

Do you find there are zero chores in software development and everything is an identical delight?

_aavaa_12d ago

You can enjoy doing woodworking without power tools but that's irrelevant to a job where people want it done fast with power tools.

wsve11d ago

IanCal11d ago

You don’t have to choose between entirely hand coded and entirely AI built code.

1 more reply

_aavaa_9d ago

paradox46011d ago

A friend was recently redoing his kitchen. They hired a carpenter for cabinetry, and his wife asked him if he would be willing to make it with only hand tools.

Carpenter told her he'd be happy to, it would take 8 weeks longer, cost more, and probably wouldn't look any better than the regular way

j3k311d ago

Except a power tool works as it should each and every time. 100% reproducible. That's what's so great about it.

Can we stop with the lazy analogies? Everyone's read some variant of this on here by now. Come up with something that's genius to read.

_aavaa_9d ago

We have likewise read the same complain of "I want to keep doing it the old way, new way bad".

apsurd12d ago

interesting comparison to cooking. cooking is a chore and takes effort and people enjoy cooking.

bluefirebrandOP12d ago

Eating is also not really optional

If you're going to spend a pretty good chunk of your lifetime eating, you might as well get good at it so you can enjoy the food you make

IanCal11d ago

2 more replies

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse