Code is clay now

albertodenia

Author here. No analogy is perfect, but this is how working with code has felt for me for a while, so I wanted to write down my thoughts about it. I wrote this a couple of months ago, and everything moves so fast nowadays that the concept of factories is already being blurred as harnesses get better and require less tooling around them. I still think that the distinction between wanting to be in the loop vs automated out from it holds up, though. There are other interesting aspects of malleable code that I don't explore in the article, for example: - Ownership. People feel less attached to their code, which has both good and bad consequences (e.g. fewer ego battles but less accountability). - Malleable software that adapt to users. Huge topic, many interesting questions to explore. - Assets in code. Things like (some) 3D graphics and animations can now be done entirely in code. Before they were very tedious to code and tweak. - Collaboration dynamics. Instead of high-frequency alignment (discussions, meetings) to make sure every detail is clear before the implementation, it might be more efficient to go ahead with educated guesses and align later over a working build.

jameskilton

Code always was, it's supposed to be malleable. It's why it's long been said that code is a liability, not an asset. It's the data you generate with that code that's your asset. You can always rewrite the code. We, in general, are just very bad at letting code ossify, or for this metaphor, dry out and crumble. AI does not solve this problem and I fully expect to see situations where AI generated code becomes so hard to work with that even LLMs prefer to throw it away and start fresh again.

teleforce

Very apt comparison and analogy. Fun facts, Abrahamic religions that are based on the Bible and Quran both claiming human are made from clay [1],[2]. In Hebrew name Adam, the very first human, comes from the word adamah, which means "ground," "soil," or "red clay". In Arabic Adam, comes from the word adeem, means the surface of the earth or dust, reflecting the Islamic and Abrahamic tradition that Adam was created from the clay or dust of the ground. By extension in Hebrew and Arabic the word Adam also means mankind and humanity. [1] Genesis 2:7: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202%3A7... [2] Quran 7:12: https://quran.com/al-araf/12

aogaili

I came to the exact conclusion anology myself. So there is something to it.

benoq

I look forward to the day when the broader industry realizes code was never a bottleneck, and you still have to answer to the market to make money. This piece, while valid, puts way too much emphasis on code. I don’t want to dismiss the author, but they’ve yet to see how little of a shit the business gives about code. This has been perennial. Some development houses have always done sketches, proof of concepts or prototypes. Not because code was expensive or inmalleable, but because they didn’t know what would be a success. Even if it did not take forever to build the thing. If I told you what the perfect product was and how to make a boatload of money, you’d be ready with an army of programmers. But life and business rarely work out that way.

BatchJob

This is just current day LLM consumer conceit packaged as information.

vivzkestrel

- i still write my code by hand and ll continue to do so - only thing I use AI for is to review it