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by __float 148 days ago
Maybe this is a naive take, but I don't really think LLMs have done that much to change the actual situation around ability/outcomes. If you are actually a very good C# programmer, knowing Swift and searching some Apple documentation seems very reasonable.

It might help "unstick" you if you aren't super confident, but it doesn't seem to me like it's actually leveling up mediocre programmers to "very good" ones, in familiar or unfamiliar domains.
3 comments
shlant 148 days ago
> I don't really think LLMs have done that much to change the actual situation around ability/outcomes

from my own experiences and many others I have seen on this site and elsewhere, I'm not sure how anyone could conclude this.

> it doesn't seem to me like it's actually leveling up mediocre programmers to "very good" ones

Oh well then if this is your metric then maybe your take is correct, but not relevant? From the top level comment I thought we were talking about the bar being lowered for building something thanks to AI and you don't need to become any better at being a programmer to do so.

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bobbylarrybobby 148 days ago
I don't care how good of a programmer you are, if you don't know Apple stuff (Swift, Xcode, all the random iOS/Mac app BS) you aren't making an Apple app in a weekend. Learning things is easy but still takes time, and proficiency is only earned by trying and failing a number of times — unless you're an LLM, in which case you're already proficient in everything.
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suprfnk 148 days ago
No I can confirm this. I am at least an average C# dev, with 16 years of experience.

I have built a very nicely responsive real-time syncing iOS app in what amounts to a weekend of time. (I only have an hour here and there, young kids) I had zero iOS/Swift development experience prior to it.

I can also confirm that this wouldn't have been built if it weren't for Claude Code. It's "just" an improved groceries app, that works especially well for my wife and me.

Without LLM's, and with just an hour here and there, I wouldn't have done the work to learn the intricacies of iOS and Swift dev, set up the app, and actually tweak and polish it so it works well -- just to scratch the itch of a bit better groceries handling.

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