[raw_anon_1111]

I have no idea where this romanticism of software development comes from. I’ve been in the field professionally for 30 years across 10 jobs - everything from startups, to boring old enterprise companies, to small to midsize “lifestyle companies” and BigTech. Most people see the job as a vocation to make money and not a passion.

Scott Hanselman talked about “Dark Matter Developers” in 2012.

https://www.hanselman.com/blog/dark-matter-developers-the-un...

[baq]

the art is in academics and in the hobby space, it was a cool feeling of accomplishment when you finally got something working. LLMs are very helpful here if you use them right - e.g. as a tutor if starting out.

in the business, it was always best to be value and result oriented, which very often has nothing to do with art and composed thought - shipping something that kinda works is priority 1. LLMs can significantly accelerate the already breakneck pace, but you need expertise to keep them in check, and this is where the gap between students and senior swes lies - and it's only getting bigger with every model release.

[tpoacher]

I would disagree that the art is in the "academics and hobby space", though I suppose I may be using a different definition for 'art' here.

I read something some time a go and noted it down because I liked the concept:

> The japanese have two words for quality

> The first is "Atarimae hinshitsu", which can be roughly translated as "taken-for-granted quality." What do the Japanese take for granted when it comes to quality? They take for granted that things should work as they are supposed to, and they even see an elegance to things working properly -- whether it's cars, subway schedules, traditional flower arranging, or the famous tea ceremony.

> The second is "Miryoku teki hinshitsu", which means "bewitching" or "enchanting quality." This kind of quality appeals not to customer expectations and reliability (that things should do what they're supposed to), but rather to a person's aesthetic sense of beauty and elegance.

> Great products have both.

There's also the whole "Kaizen vs Cha bu duo" philosophy.

I think it was the above sentiments I was echoing, though I suppose more in a learning context.