> Software development has always resisted the idea that it can be turned into an assembly line.
This is... only true in a very very narrow sense. Broadly, it's our job to create assembly lines. We name them and package them up, and even share them around. Sometimes we even delve into FactoryFactoryFactory.
> The people writing code aren't just 'implementers'; they are central to discovering the right design.
I often remember the title of a paper from 40 years ago "Programming as Theory Building". (And comparatively-recently discussed here [0].)
This framing also helps highlight the strengths and dangers of LLMs. The same aspects that lead internet-philosophers into crackpot theories can affect programmers creating their no-so-philosophical ones. (Sycophancy, false appearance of authoritative data, etc.)
This is... only true in a very very narrow sense. Broadly, it's our job to create assembly lines. We name them and package them up, and even share them around. Sometimes we even delve into FactoryFactoryFactory.
> The people writing code aren't just 'implementers'; they are central to discovering the right design.
I often remember the title of a paper from 40 years ago "Programming as Theory Building". (And comparatively-recently discussed here [0].)
This framing also helps highlight the strengths and dangers of LLMs. The same aspects that lead internet-philosophers into crackpot theories can affect programmers creating their no-so-philosophical ones. (Sycophancy, false appearance of authoritative data, etc.)
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42592543