Thread

1. meredithbloom · 1790380747 · focus · HN ↗

   > "But it booted straight into BASIC. That’s all it did. I was, like, 8 years old. I wasn’t about to learn BASIC. What I learned instead: computers were not as awesome as I’d imagined."

   You were the exception. Most kids felt awe. We started learning BASIC and creating "dumb games". That's the origin story of most people my age who ended up in this doomed industry.

   1. sublinear · 1790385478 · focus · HN ↗

      Nice attempt at slipping one past, but the industry is far from doomed. Where do you work now that you believe that?

      1. echelon · 1790386837 · focus · HN ↗

         Holdouts feel everything is doomed.

         Adopters feel the future is brighter than ever.

         Article author is excited. I am too.

         1. bigstrat2003 · 1790396907 · focus · HN ↗

            There's nothing to be excited for. Even if AI works as well as people say (and to be clear: it very much doesn't), that future sucks ass. No more fun making things, no fun solving problems, just hand it off to the machine that does things for you. That's an awful future where every shred of joy is gone from computing.

            1. echelon · 1790397406 · focus · HN ↗

               You're welcome to not make things.

               Are you telling us the only reason why making things was fun is because it made you "special"? And now that anyone can do it it isn't worth it for you anymore?

               That's the wrong reason to do something.

               1. garretraziel · 1790401945 · focus · HN ↗

                  For me, I made things because I liked the process of making things, it was never really about the result. Much like solving crossword puzzles is about the process itself, not about getting the answer.

                  1. echelon · 1790405205 · focus · HN ↗

                     Then nothing has changed. You're free to continue doing things as you like.

                     Unless you're complaining you can't be paid to do it the old way. But none of us were paid to have fun, we were paid to deliver results.

                     1. garretraziel · 1790406515 · focus · HN ↗

                        You are completely right. I am not entitled to anything. But before I was paid to have fun, I spent years trying to get better at it and then suddenly it completely lost its value. From fun of solving crossword puzzles to the dread of validating if crossword puzzles bot solved crossword puzzle correctly, with worse pay, less job security or opportunities.

                        I am not entitled for things to continue as they were, but I can still feel sad about it, you know.

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