I spent a lot of my time on the internet because I was lonely in my teens and these connections were exciting. I learned software dev because I was a nerd that loved math and loved the concept of building software, having complete control on how it's done. That was the concept I signed up for.
Software dev today is sitting in front of a prompt bar, sometimes checking the IDE, sometimes some DevOps, but nothing about it excites me anymore. Even hobby projects are dull because they're done in mere days. Choosing not to use LLMs has little to no reward imo.
I'm slowly moving away from software dev because the rose tinted glasses I saw the job as are shattering
Which is interesting, because I've always been a musician first and software dev as a side interest, and I feel like LLMs have made the software iteration loop fast enough that it feels as exciting as making music for me.
I wonder if there's some blend of software and other interest that might rekindle that novelty for you?
> Which is interesting, because I've always been a musician first and software dev as a side interest, and I feel like LLMs have made the software iteration loop fast enough that it feels as exciting as making music for me.
I don't quite get what you mean by this. Music is a form of expression; it is supposed to be effortless once you are good at it, but software (if we go by a strict definition) is not about expression but about building reliable and efficient systems. Like what do you mean exactly
I am currently exploring music-software-combined-artifacts, and there is a lot of aesthetic and other design taste decisions that go into what I am choosing to make with AI assistance. It feels like self-expression at some level to me - e.g. <a href="https://johnoestmannmusic.com/0009-when-we-become-discoverers/" rel="nofollow">https://johnoestmannmusic.com/0009-when-we-become-discoverer...
If I plugged it into something like an AI song generator and asked it to generate a bunch of sounds kind of like that, I think I could find something more appealing. All of this work to build this feels like a chore that could be prompted away.
Robots in my garage doing woodwork would be nice. They'd be auto-orchestrated by all the spywares and spydevices already in place - and who knowns more about me and my ideas than me. And I don't have to learn anything.
You can buy cedar-scented air fresheners on Amazon. Isn't buying a wooden dresser and an air freshener enough to rekindle the love of your calling? Look, the sides of the dresser are CNC-milled to a level of perfection you could never achieve at home.
I probably didn't phrase that well. I meant that garage woodworking is not necessary, in an economic sense. It's an optional/leisure activity.
And people still do it anyway. Which is great. Because it's still useful, and valuable. Just not necessary.
For me, I've always been interested in music -- but now, I can have an AI generate limitless music, far better than anything I can do with less effort.
Imagine if you never had to pick up a guitar, blowing a trumpet, or even opening a tracker ever again.
You could just ask the AI to make music that made your best efforts look like a kindergartener's painting on the fridge. Isn't that a musician's utopia, surrounded by music without lifting a hand to make it?
I was almost replying to your previous reply by saying something akin that with the text-to-speech you can be illiterate, and that should be a reader's utopia.
Then I got this feeling that there was an odd chance of you being sarcastic.
It's difficult to tell on HN these days. Some replies I read should be sarcasm, but I those bad takes are stone faced.
> I was almost replying to your previous reply by saying something akin that with the text-to-speech you can be illiterate, and that should be a reader's utopia.
ramon156 · · focus · HN ↗
Software dev today is sitting in front of a prompt bar, sometimes checking the IDE, sometimes some DevOps, but nothing about it excites me anymore. Even hobby projects are dull because they're done in mere days. Choosing not to use LLMs has little to no reward imo.
I'm slowly moving away from software dev because the rose tinted glasses I saw the job as are shattering
soundworlds · · focus · HN ↗
I wonder if there's some blend of software and other interest that might rekindle that novelty for you?
esikich · · focus · HN ↗
altmanaltman · · focus · HN ↗
I don't quite get what you mean by this. Music is a form of expression; it is supposed to be effortless once you are good at it, but software (if we go by a strict definition) is not about expression but about building reliable and efficient systems. Like what do you mean exactly
soundworlds · · focus · HN ↗
0c3ca83 · · focus · HN ↗
christophilus · · focus · HN ↗
laxd · · focus · HN ↗
BatFastard · · focus · HN ↗
0c3ca83 · · focus · HN ↗
thunky · · focus · HN ↗
If you want a wooden dresser, buy one.
Nobody does woodworking because it's necessary.
OJFord · · focus · HN ↗
dieselgate · · focus · HN ↗
I don’t understand this, can you explain or am I missing something?
stasomatic · · focus · HN ↗
thunky · · focus · HN ↗
And people still do it anyway. Which is great. Because it's still useful, and valuable. Just not necessary.
0c3ca83 · · focus · HN ↗
Imagine if you never had to pick up a guitar, blowing a trumpet, or even opening a tracker ever again.
You could just ask the AI to make music that made your best efforts look like a kindergartener's painting on the fridge. Isn't that a musician's utopia, surrounded by music without lifting a hand to make it?
mcphage · · focus · HN ↗
I think my sarcasm detector is broken. I really hope there’s an implicit /s at the end of that.
0c3ca83 · · focus · HN ↗
surgical_fire · · focus · HN ↗
Then I got this feeling that there was an odd chance of you being sarcastic.
It's difficult to tell on HN these days. Some replies I read should be sarcasm, but I those bad takes are stone faced.
0c3ca83 · · focus · HN ↗
/me gestures towards literacy rates.
mcphage · · focus · HN ↗
Ok, phew.
> But it's not so different from what other people have posted without sarcasm.
I agree—and that’s why I had trouble being sure.
radar1310 · · focus · HN ↗