• Programming in the age of AI

    From ram@ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) to comp.programming on Wed Jul 22 11:58:03 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.programming

    | The industry pitch was that AI would democratize coding so anyone
    | could build an app with simple text prompts. The reality is that
    | AI hasn't reduced the cognitive load of engineering; it has shifted
    | the nature of the labor entirely.
    |
    | It didn't remove the difficulty; it just traded one set of problems
    | for another.
    |
    | The Trade-Off: How the "Difficult" Shifted
    |
    | [Old Difficulty] [New Difficulty]
    |
    | Writing syntax, fixing typos rCo> System architecture, auditing code
    |
    | Stuck on a missing semicolon rCo> Stuck on subtle algorithmic
    | hallucinations
    |
    | "How do I write this loop?" rCo> "Is this AI-generated solution
    | secure?"
    |
    | 1. From "Writing" to "Code Auditing"
    |
    | The old frustration was authoring code - hunting down a missing
    | bracket, memorizing language syntax, or fighting with compilers.
    | AI has largely automated that mechanical work.
    |
    | The new frustration is code auditing. It is mentally exhausting to
    | read, verify, and debug thousands of lines of code that you did not
    | write. Reading code is inherently harder than writing it, and
    | developers now spend their days playing detective against a highly
    | confident, occasionally incompetent AI assistant.
    |
    | 2. From "Google Search" to "Context Management"
    |
    | In the past, the skill was knowing what to type into Google or Stack
    | Overflow to find a modular fix.
    |
    | Today, the skill is context engineering. You have to carefully feed
    | the AI the right snippets of your codebase, explain the system
    | architecture, and write complex multi-step prompts. If you give the AI
    | bad context, it spits out beautiful, syntactically perfect code that
    | completely breaks your existing database or API structure.
    |
    | 3. The Illusion of Progress (The 80/20 Trap)
    |
    | AI is incredible at getting a project to 80% completion in record
    | time. It can spin up boilers, basic landing pages, and standard
    | functions in seconds.
    |
    | But the final 20% - handling edge cases, optimizing performance,
    | securing data, and fixing race conditions - is where real software
    | engineering happens. AI often struggles heavily here. Because the AI
    | built the first 80% like a black box, fixing that final 20% can
    | actually be harder because you don't intimately understand the
    | foundation.
    |
    | The New Developer Skillset
    |
    | Because the difficulty has changed, the definition of a "good
    | programmer" is evolving:
    |
    | Architectural Literacy You don't need to memorize how to write a
    | sorting algorithm, but you must know how systems connect, scale, and
    | fail.
    |
    | Skepticism as a Virtue Blindly trusting AI output leads to
    | catastrophic security flaws and technical debt. Code review skills
    | are now more important than typing speed.
    |
    | Deconstruction Breaking a massive human problem into tiny, logical
    | steps that an AI can actually handle without hallucinating.
    |
    | AI turned programmers from bricklayers into construction site
    | managers. You aren't laying every brick by hand anymore, but you are
    | entirely responsible for making sure the whole building doesn't
    | collapse.


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  • From Keith Thompson@Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com to comp.programming on Wed Jul 22 15:56:59 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.programming

    ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) writes:
    | The industry pitch was that AI would democratize coding so anyone
    | could build an app with simple text prompts. The reality is that
    | AI hasn't reduced the cognitive load of engineering; it has shifted
    | the nature of the labor entirely.
    [SNIP]

    What does the "| " prefix mean? Is this quoted from some other source?
    If so, where?
    --
    Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com
    void Void(void) { Void(); } /* The recursive call of the void */
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  • From =?UTF-8?B?8J+HtfCfh7FKYWNlayBNYXJjaW4gSmF3b3Jza2nwn4e18J+HsQ==?=@jmj@energokod.gda.pl to comp.programming on Thu Jul 23 05:10:34 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.programming

    W dniu 23.07.2026 o-a00:56, Keith Thompson pisze:
    ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) writes:
    | The industry pitch was that AI would democratize coding so anyone
    | could build an app with simple text prompts. The reality is that
    | AI hasn't reduced the cognitive load of engineering; it has shifted
    | the nature of the labor entirely.
    [SNIP]

    What does the "| " prefix mean? Is this quoted from some other source?
    If so, where?

    I suspect the same. That practise is mentioned in Mini Netiquette which
    I keep and update (URL link in my signature). The | quotation mark is mentioned in the section "Konfiguracja Czytnik||w Grup Dyskusyjnych" (in
    Eng.: "Config News Readers"). This part was originally typed in the
    second half of 1990 by Marcin D-Obowski (agatek[]zoho.com) - he was
    original author of Mini Netiquette in 1996-2003y.
    --
    Z totaliztycznym salutem!
    Jacek Marcin Jaworski, Pruszcz Gd., woj. Pomorskie, Polska Efc|Efc#, UE Efc-Efc|;
    tel.: +48-609-170-742, najlepiej w godz.: 5:00-5:55 lub 16:00-17:25; <jmj@energokod.gda.pl>, gpg: 4A541AA7A6E872318B85D7F6A651CC39244B0BFA;
    Domowa s. WWW: <https://energokod.gda.pl>;
    Mini Netykieta: <https://energokod.gda.pl/MiniNetykieta.html>;
    Mailowa Samoobrona: <https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/pl>.
    UWAGA:
    NIE ZACI-aGAJ "UKRYTEGO D+UUGU"! P+UA-a ZA PROG. FOSS I INFO. INTERNETOWE! CZYTAJ DARMOWY: "17. Raport Totaliztyczny - Patroni Kontra Bankierzy": <https://energokod.gda.pl/raporty-totaliztyczne/17.%20Patroni%20Kontra%20Bankierzy.pdf>

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  • From =?UTF-8?B?8J+HtfCfh7FKYWNlayBNYXJjaW4gSmF3b3Jza2nwn4e18J+HsQ==?=@jmj@energokod.gda.pl to comp.programming on Thu Jul 23 05:23:13 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.programming

    W dniu 23.07.2026 o-a05:10, Efc|Efc#Jacek Marcin JaworskiEfc|Efc# pisze:
    W dniu 23.07.2026 o-a00:56, Keith Thompson pisze:
    ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) writes:
    | The industry pitch was that AI would democratize coding so anyone
    | could build an app with simple text prompts. The reality is that
    | AI hasn't reduced the cognitive load of engineering; it has shifted
    | the nature of the labor entirely.
    [SNIP]

    What does the "| " prefix mean?-a Is this quoted from some other source?
    If so, where?

    I suspect the same. That practise is mentioned in Mini Netiquette which
    I keep and update (URL link in my signature). The | quotation mark is mentioned in the section "Konfiguracja Czytnik||w Grup Dyskusyjnych" (in Eng.: "Config News Readers"). This part was originally typed in the
    second half of 1990 by Marcin D-Obowski (agatek[]zoho.com) - he was
    original author of Mini Netiquette in 1996-2003y.

    And this is obviously invalid quotation, but not due to use | sign, but
    due to not mention author nor mention source (both are required by
    copyright law in every civilized country). This requirement I added in 2025-06-12, with law quotation, in to Mini Netiquette in section "Zasady Cytowania" (in Eng. "Quotation Rules"), Thu. (URL link in my signature).
    --
    Z totaliztycznym salutem!
    Jacek Marcin Jaworski, Pruszcz Gd., woj. Pomorskie, Polska Efc|Efc#, UE Efc-Efc|;
    tel.: +48-609-170-742, najlepiej w godz.: 5:00-5:55 lub 16:00-17:25; <jmj@energokod.gda.pl>, gpg: 4A541AA7A6E872318B85D7F6A651CC39244B0BFA;
    Domowa s. WWW: <https://energokod.gda.pl>;
    Mini Netykieta: <https://energokod.gda.pl/MiniNetykieta.html>;
    Mailowa Samoobrona: <https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/pl>.
    UWAGA:
    NIE ZACI-aGAJ "UKRYTEGO D+UUGU"! P+UA-a ZA PROG. FOSS I INFO. INTERNETOWE! CZYTAJ DARMOWY: "17. Raport Totaliztyczny - Patroni Kontra Bankierzy": <https://energokod.gda.pl/raporty-totaliztyczne/17.%20Patroni%20Kontra%20Bankierzy.pdf>

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  • From Keith Thompson@Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com to comp.programming on Wed Jul 22 21:38:08 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.programming

    Efc|Efc#Jacek Marcin JaworskiEfc|Efc# <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> writes:
    W dniu 23.07.2026 o-a00:56, Keith Thompson pisze:
    ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) writes:
    | The industry pitch was that AI would democratize coding so anyone
    | could build an app with simple text prompts. The reality is that
    | AI hasn't reduced the cognitive load of engineering; it has shifted
    | the nature of the labor entirely.
    [SNIP]
    What does the "| " prefix mean? Is this quoted from some other
    source?
    If so, where?

    I suspect the same. That practise is mentioned in Mini Netiquette
    [snip]

    Stefan Ram is the only person who can tell us anything meaningful
    about what *he* meant by the "|" prefix.
    --
    Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com
    void Void(void) { Void(); } /* The recursive call of the void */
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  • From ram@ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) to comp.programming on Thu Jul 23 07:00:32 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.programming

    =?UTF-8?B?8J+HtfCfh7FKYWNlayBNYXJjaW4gSmF3b3Jza2nwn4e18J+HsQ==?= <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> wrote or quoted:
    And this is obviously invalid quotation, but not due to use | sign, but
    due to not mention author nor mention source (both are required by

    "| " with no additional attribution, marks text by my usual pipeline:
    - I write prompts until I get some desired output from the chatbot.
    - I read and edit the output.
    - I format the output for USENET.
    (I use "|" without a space for attributed quotations.)

    Sorry, maybe I should add this info to every post of mine using "| "!

    My personal quotation styles:
    >text written or quoted by the post I reply to
    |text quoted from some source, usually attributed
    | text generated by my above pipeline


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  • From David Brown@david.brown@hesbynett.no to comp.programming on Thu Jul 23 10:43:48 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.programming

    On 23/07/2026 09:00, Stefan Ram wrote:
    =?UTF-8?B?8J+HtfCfh7FKYWNlayBNYXJjaW4gSmF3b3Jza2nwn4e18J+HsQ==?= <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> wrote or quoted:
    And this is obviously invalid quotation, but not due to use | sign, but
    due to not mention author nor mention source (both are required by

    "| " with no additional attribution, marks text by my usual pipeline:
    - I write prompts until I get some desired output from the chatbot.
    - I read and edit the output.
    - I format the output for USENET.
    (I use "|" without a space for attributed quotations.)

    Sorry, maybe I should add this info to every post of mine using "| "!

    My personal quotation styles:
    >text written or quoted by the post I reply to
    |text quoted from some source, usually attributed
    | text generated by my above pipeline



    Wouldn't it be easier to simply follow more common Usenet quotation and formatting styles? I personally find your style somewhat jarring, with
    extra space at the start of the text you write and then out-denting
    where other people might indent, and your use of | for quoting other
    posts (contrary to what you wrote above).

    If you are quoting something, no matter where it is from, it makes sense
    to identify the original source at the head of the quotation (with the exception of short well-known quotations). Then readers can quickly see
    that the text is generated by a chatbot, and know it is not worth
    reading. (Your own posts are often interesting, regurgitated AI slop is
    not - at least to me.)



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  • From =?UTF-8?B?8J+HtfCfh7FKYWNlayBNYXJjaW4gSmF3b3Jza2nwn4e18J+HsQ==?=@jmj@energokod.gda.pl to comp.programming on Thu Jul 23 13:13:35 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.programming

    W dniu 23.07.2026 o-a09:00, Stefan Ram pisze:
    Sorry, maybe I should add this info to every post of mine using "| "!

    My personal quotation styles:
    >text written or quoted by the post I reply to
    |text quoted from some source, usually attributed
    | text generated by my above pipeline

    This is not right solution! You ALWAYS should mention quoted source.
    Even if it is generated. If you don't believe ask your AI how to proper
    quote it.

    BTW: Recently I added to "Efc|Efc# Mini Netykieta Polskich Grup Dyskusyjnych Efc|Efc#" (in Eng. "Mini Netiquette of Polish Usenet") special section
    "Zasady Cytowania SI" (in Eng. "Quotation AI Rules").:

    <https://energokod.gda.pl/MiniNetykieta.html#cytowanie-si>

    In this paragraph I use quotation rules required by ChatGPT.
    --
    Z totaliztycznym salutem!
    Jacek Marcin Jaworski, Pruszcz Gd., woj. Pomorskie, Polska Efc|Efc#, UE Efc-Efc|;
    tel.: +48-609-170-742, najlepiej w godz.: 5:00-5:55 lub 16:00-17:25; <jmj@energokod.gda.pl>, gpg: 4A541AA7A6E872318B85D7F6A651CC39244B0BFA;
    Domowa s. WWW: <https://energokod.gda.pl>;
    Mini Netykieta: <https://energokod.gda.pl/MiniNetykieta.html>;
    Mailowa Samoobrona: <https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/pl>.
    UWAGA:
    NIE ZACI-aGAJ "UKRYTEGO D+UUGU"! P+UA-a ZA PROG. FOSS I INFO. INTERNETOWE! CZYTAJ DARMOWY: "17. Raport Totaliztyczny - Patroni Kontra Bankierzy": <https://energokod.gda.pl/raporty-totaliztyczne/17.%20Patroni%20Kontra%20Bankierzy.pdf>

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  • From Keith Thompson@Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com to comp.programming on Thu Jul 23 15:05:02 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.programming

    ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) writes:
    =?UTF-8?B?8J+HtfCfh7FKYWNlayBNYXJjaW4gSmF3b3Jza2nwn4e18J+HsQ==?= <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> wrote or quoted:
    And this is obviously invalid quotation, but not due to use | sign, but >>due to not mention author nor mention source (both are required by

    "| " with no additional attribution, marks text by my usual pipeline:
    - I write prompts until I get some desired output from the chatbot.
    - I read and edit the output.
    - I format the output for USENET.
    (I use "|" without a space for attributed quotations.)

    Sorry, maybe I should add this info to every post of mine using "| "!

    My personal quotation styles:
    >text written or quoted by the post I reply to
    |text quoted from some source, usually attributed
    | text generated by my above pipeline

    That use of "|", and especially your distinction between "|" and
    "| ", is extremely unconventional, and yes, you really should tell
    us what it means each time you use it *and* make the source of the
    quotation clear. Don't expect anyone to remember the odd conventions
    used by one particular poster.

    The universal convention is to use "> " for text quoted from the
    parent article. I strongly prefer a space after the ">" marker so it
    doesn't blend into the text; this can be particularly important for
    readers with visual problems. I don't use "> " for text quoted from
    other sources. I've used various conventions for that, including
    indentation and explicit markers at the beginning and end of a
    quoted block. I always try to make it clear what I'm quoting.

    If you're going to post AI-generated text, I urge you to explicitly
    acknowledge it as such. Invented punctuation conventions are
    insufficient. (If you're just using AI to improve your own writing,
    I suppose that doesn't need to be acknowledged if you're willing to
    take complete responsibility for the words you post.)

    And I again urge you to drop your habit of indenting your own
    original text. It goes directly against the conventions used by
    99.9% of Usenet posters, and has no advantage I can think of.
    As Henry Spencer said in a different context, "thy creativity is
    better used in solving problems than in creating beautiful new
    impediments to understanding". <https://doc.cat-v.org/henry_spencer/ten-commandments>
    --
    Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com
    void Void(void) { Void(); } /* The recursive call of the void */
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