Thread

1. yambam · 1790665438 · focus · HN ↗

   This reminds me of a couple decades ago when some friends and I set ourselves a challenge to, individually, each create as much of a Pac-Man clone as possible in 10 hours. None of us had any experience in games programming or graphics coding. It was great fun and we all learned a lot.

   No-one ended up with a complete clone but I loved how we all ended up focusing on different things, like pixel-perfect graphics versus accuracy in gameplay, and how we all brought our existing skills to the challenge despite not really knowing what we were doing.

   I expect if we had AI models available it would have ruined the pleasure of figuring it out for ourselves. I feel kind of sad for the next generation of developers who won't have that experience.

   1. OJFord · 1790668574 · focus · HN ↗

      I think you figure out different things for yourself; the next generation is going to have 'programming' appeal to them for different reasons. More creatives. More engineers, perhaps, as the practice becomes more about the bigger picture.

      1. HPsquared · 1790678285 · focus · HN ↗

         It'll be more like architecture than engineering, I think. Sketch out the building plan, context (physical and social) and desired usage.

         1. OJFord · 1790713154 · focus · HN ↗

            I think we're saying broadly the same thing. (Old school) Software engineering is fairly unlike most engineering disciplines. We've been both the engineer and the technician (and the latter's taken a lot of time, especially as at lower levels) but now Claude (or equivalent) is capable of being the technician, at least.

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