Show of hands, who still develops without using AI ?
nostr:note1rq502l25rsurhcldu9qfcctlutfsqwkc4evrs2tljfvedpzw8fdsn6rduq
Discussion
Probably not, depends on your definition XD. I still enjoy coding, so when I'm in the mood, I just sit and bang out a thing. Cathartic.
I don't really know if users care about the production, as long as it's maintained and reliable (so not a throwaway vibe codes app for eg.)
But the aesthetic choices devs make especially really are quite important, you have banners, public/promotional etc material and even some app logos themselves, being awful ai slop. As a passerby, this points to something much worse. Aesthetic decisions are important.
Nostr has so many hurdles in adoption ('why don't they shut up about the price of Bitcoin?') without the ai slop (sometimes there is a cross over)
#NostrAesthetic
Personally I do care, in the sense that, everything else being equal, I'd use software written by hand rather than written by AI. This is especially true for open source software.
Software programs are works of literature. If a program has been written by humans, it's pretty clear what the "source code" is and what should be shared. We know it's intelligible to humans because a human wrote it.
But what if a program has been generated by an illiterate vibe coder? In that case it may go to production without anyone ever understanding the program in full. The prompt isn't source code either, since models behave randomly and may generate different programs with the same input.
To this, you should add that many "vibe coders" depend on specific models offered by specific companies through an API. This effectively adds a dependency on those companies for the development of the program.
It matters to have people that understand programs and, for that, it makes sense to prefer programs that have been written and continue to be written by hand.
The use of prompts in natural language is not akin to using high level languages. Natural language is inherently imprecise, while all programming languages, no matter how high level, communicate ideas precisely and are formal languages.
Yes aesthetics are important and when they’re AI slop, they cast a shadow of doubt on the app itself. It’s the spirit of laziness and the path of least resistance. “Fast logo, fast banner, I’m not gonna put effort into designing the visual image for my work”.
No brother, I would wish that you do put effort in that.