A wise conversation with a software veteran about the history of software production, and how the current machine-assisted programming wave rhymes with the short life of this newish industry.

Grady Booch offers what I feel is a grounding perspective for engineers filled with anxiety:

Play is part of software.

Exploring ideas and trying new approaches was so important to the rapid computerization in the last century. When enthusiasts in the 70s and 80s couldn’t get their hands on early computer prototypes, some hobbyists built their own. I’m sure hardware experts were not worried about job safety.

I like to believe that vibe coding some software is the modern equivalent for some non-techies. Learning to program can be a long and lonely journey. If it starts with creating throwaways and getting curious about what’s under the hood, I welcome our new colleagues. I know I had a similar start, viewing the source of some web pages in Internet Explorer 6.

What’s missing from the interview on The Pragmatic Engineer (which I whole-heartedly recommend) is a reaction to how LLM hype inflated management expectations and corrupted consumer trust towards paid products. If there’s thoughtful content on those topics, send them my way. :)