[foolinaround]

> Companies still desperately need developers to make their business goals reality. This is not changing anytime soon. There has been no advancement that makes developers less relevant.

The 'low code' / 'no code' phenomenon is rising fast where the business folks are being asked to build out a good part of programs based on their knowledge of business systems.

Theoretically, if this all pans out, The developer is now forced to learn the business or is managed out of this particular job.

[flaviut]

I've worked with several of these low code/no code things.

It does not pan out. Syntax is the easiest part of being a software engineer.

[baq]

So very much this.

It takes a week to learn Python syntax, it takes 10 years to be a good software engineer. Engineering software without code is what the most senior software engineers do all the time because the less experienced folks need (want!) direction from them and they have the knowledge and wisdom to provide it instead of coding.

[coredog64]

I think that’s harsh. There’s a place for low/no code solutions. It’s not for nothing that Excel runs the world. But I would agree that there are definite limits, and implementations don’t do themselves favors when they make short term decisions (visual representation and JSON serialized code, I’m looking at you)

[cudgy]

Excel definitely does not run the world and most usage of excel is formula resolution, which is not programming. Of course, we may have vastly different understanding of what “running the world” entails.

[vitiral]

"Syntax is the easiest part of being a software engineer."

This is probably the best quip I've heard all week.

I'm developing a language with "no syntax", every token is executed immediately, making it trivial to create arbitrary syntax at any point in the file (literally you could define a function that implements SQL syntax and then call it - you are now using SQL syntax).

I don't necessarily recommend it for every language but it's really interesting how little it actually affects the hard problems of software engineering.

[twawaaay]

Oh, so you discovered Lisp. Congrats:)

[vitiral]

Even less syntax than lisp! Inspired by forth.

[twawaaay]

I am trying to explain to people I work with that these tools do not work when used for anything else than very small apps.

The reason is that they are solving easy, junior level problems. They are solving the problem of how to do this specific task that requires coding.

What they do not solve is how to develop complex systems. As a developer, you not only learn how to program things and solve technical problems, you also learn the big picture of how to develop large and reliable systems.