Writing code is cheap now

kept by eddie feb 26

The Hacker News discussion argues that while AI makes generating code cheap, writing good software remains expensive, and code is a liability rather than an asset.

Your job is to deliver code you have proven to work
Software engineers must prove code works through manual and automated testing, shifting accountability away from AI agents to the human submitting the PR.
also on LLM, Simon Willison, #ai-coding, #software-engineering, #developer-tools
What's the best programming language for coding agents?
Dan Luu's empirical tests with LLMs on Zstd and Pandoc implementations show that language popularity weakly correlates with better outcomes, but claims about dynamic or token-efficient languages being superior for coding agents do not hold across non-trivial tasks.
also on LLM, #rust, #ai-coding, #software-engineering, #developer-tools
Fragments: April 29
The post collects expert perspectives on AI-assisted development, emphasizing verification over generation, harness engineering, function structure, and the cultural divide between software thinking and human experience.
also on Simon Willison, #ai-coding, #software-engineering, #productivity, #developer-tools
Ask HN: How are you automating your coding work?
Hacker News commenters share varied approaches to automating coding work, from using AI agents like Claude Code and Cursor for TDD and side projects to codifying processes into scripts, while debates emerge on token efficiency, code quality risks, and the irreplaceable value of manual review.
also on Simon Willison, #ai-coding, #software-engineering, #productivity, #developer-tools