Waarom code schrijven in 2026(softwaredoug.com)
softwaredoug.com
Why Write Code in 2026
https://softwaredoug.com/blog/2026/07/09/write-code.html
2 comments
I always think about reading a proof in a book vs. doing the proof yourself. No
one learns mathematics by reading. You must spend the attention cycles and
struggle cycles and do it yourself---even though there's a perfectly good proof
in the book right there! A lot of comments in this post talk about code quality; the quality of the proof in the book is also probably better than the proof you
wrote but it is only so because its author wrote a whole lot of shittier proofs
before that. The content of that book is the result of many, many years of deep attention and development & refinement of expertise.
I have this pernicious tendency to be extremely task focused: I need to get this done via any means. The objective becomes the artifact at the end. A lot of this stems from issues I have revolving around self-perception, inadequacy, and feelings of obligations to others. (For context, I work as a researcher in academia.) Working like this is very unenjoyable. You feel guilt and shame and humiliation and a lot of pressure and there's this big (self-imposed) push for speed and results. [1]
Worse still is that it produces worse outcomes. Maybe in a very local window it is indeed the fastest way to produce something that works. But, long term, by not enjoying and engaging with the process and being completely fixated on the result means that you are not cultivating deeper understanding and expertise, which, of course, would be really helpful for future tasks!
You can imagine that (the promises of) AI is (are) very seductive for someone who works like this. What a quick way to get things done and absolve my inner turmoil! (Although it has limited efficacy in my domain---compilers (what I work on) are complex beasts with many open problems.)
I didn't really engage with AI until this year and doing so (and also re-evaluating other aspects of my life) has surfaced a lot of issues with my approach to work and life. I realized that I was working for the sake of the result and would kill myself to (try to) satisfy others. But that's no way to live (let alone enjoy) life.
There of course are the pragmatics that I pointed out---that actual expertise (as a person and of the codebase) is only developed by spending actual attention (the linked blog post gets at this) which is really only effectively spent through active creation (whether that's programming or whiteboarding or scribbling or whatever). But more important to me now is that I enjoy the process and the puddle-deep engagement that AI encourages (at least for me)---seductive as it may be---is not the way to do that.
So, I'm shifting. Rather than ask how I can get this task done quickly, I ask what I can get out of doing the task. [2] Self-cultivation like this is what produces experts. An overreliance on AI will result in personal stagnation and decay. And it's just way more enjoyable. I want to create, not have some stochastic thing create for me, even if any given artifact it creates might be better than what I can create (and in a much shorter amount of time).
[1] It's extra stupid because I actually really enjoy deep, focused work. Historically, when I've had longer breaks from university/research and have time to let some of my burnout dissipate, I find that I'll pick up a math book or something else and just start going through it for fun. I really enjoy the slowness and the puzzles and not having the (partly imagined) pressure of others to get something done.
[2] Obviously I recognize that there are many shitty tasks that must get done and aren't particularly redeeming/rewarding.
I have this pernicious tendency to be extremely task focused: I need to get this done via any means. The objective becomes the artifact at the end. A lot of this stems from issues I have revolving around self-perception, inadequacy, and feelings of obligations to others. (For context, I work as a researcher in academia.) Working like this is very unenjoyable. You feel guilt and shame and humiliation and a lot of pressure and there's this big (self-imposed) push for speed and results. [1]
Worse still is that it produces worse outcomes. Maybe in a very local window it is indeed the fastest way to produce something that works. But, long term, by not enjoying and engaging with the process and being completely fixated on the result means that you are not cultivating deeper understanding and expertise, which, of course, would be really helpful for future tasks!
You can imagine that (the promises of) AI is (are) very seductive for someone who works like this. What a quick way to get things done and absolve my inner turmoil! (Although it has limited efficacy in my domain---compilers (what I work on) are complex beasts with many open problems.)
I didn't really engage with AI until this year and doing so (and also re-evaluating other aspects of my life) has surfaced a lot of issues with my approach to work and life. I realized that I was working for the sake of the result and would kill myself to (try to) satisfy others. But that's no way to live (let alone enjoy) life.
There of course are the pragmatics that I pointed out---that actual expertise (as a person and of the codebase) is only developed by spending actual attention (the linked blog post gets at this) which is really only effectively spent through active creation (whether that's programming or whiteboarding or scribbling or whatever). But more important to me now is that I enjoy the process and the puddle-deep engagement that AI encourages (at least for me)---seductive as it may be---is not the way to do that.
So, I'm shifting. Rather than ask how I can get this task done quickly, I ask what I can get out of doing the task. [2] Self-cultivation like this is what produces experts. An overreliance on AI will result in personal stagnation and decay. And it's just way more enjoyable. I want to create, not have some stochastic thing create for me, even if any given artifact it creates might be better than what I can create (and in a much shorter amount of time).
[1] It's extra stupid because I actually really enjoy deep, focused work. Historically, when I've had longer breaks from university/research and have time to let some of my burnout dissipate, I find that I'll pick up a math book or something else and just start going through it for fun. I really enjoy the slowness and the puzzles and not having the (partly imagined) pressure of others to get something done.
[2] Obviously I recognize that there are many shitty tasks that must get done and aren't particularly redeeming/rewarding.
(and while I'm at it: thanks for submitting so many great links to HN - we greatly appreciate it)