<![CDATA[Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code.]]>Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. What an empty existence

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/4871871f-f092-44bd-926d-d36ed60e9f23/imagine-being-a-coder-but-thinking-there-s-no-artistry-to-writing-code.RSS for NodeFri, 01 May 2026 08:46:17 GMTSat, 18 Apr 2026 14:17:34 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:03:08 GMT]]>@eniko I think this sort of thing is just a testament to how much of a cognitohazard AI really is. There are certainly people who would have said this sort of thing 7 years ago, and there are plenty who stand to benefit by pushing this narrative, but there are also a good deal who have simply had their minds twisted by the lying machine

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/tarix29/statuses/116426315420148825https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/tarix29/statuses/116426315420148825Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:03:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:03:07 GMT]]>@eniko I like to think it's stockholm syndrome, justifying what the industry has become by pretending they're onboard with LLMs until they start to believe it themselves. The ones that didn't get hit in the layoffs got scared into it. The people who would never get sacked because they were already revered as gods either fell for the sycophancy or are justifying survivor's guilt.

The only person I actually know through more than just social media banter who seems to both know their shit and have fallen for this is a literal cult escapee.

Admittedly it's been hard to come to that conclusion because, I'll admit, the idea of treating code like you're selling cans of coke is disgusting to me. And the whole point of this technology seems to be replacing highly skilled artisans with one of those robots that are just a single arm in a car factory.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://todon.eu/ap/users/115601049471092408/statuses/116426315367982955https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://todon.eu/ap/users/115601049471092408/statuses/116426315367982955Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:03:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:02:24 GMT]]>@eniko I'm imagining a few years of "just ship it" will do that to you.

I'm trying to think of a good example, but I think I've read fiction writers contrasting the hack work they'd produce to earn a living with the work they spent time on.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.coop/users/foolishowl/statuses/116426312518477845https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.coop/users/foolishowl/statuses/116426312518477845Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:02:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:02:10 GMT]]>i hope eventually the dopamine rush of the code slop slot machine fades and you look around and find yourself in a morass of technical debt and realize how utterly fucking wrong you were

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426311654556864https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426311654556864Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:02:10 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:57:36 GMT]]>@eniko Thinking about how many different styles of code you used try to make, fast, small, compact, readable, maintainable.

Now all i see is how much of it you can churn out.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://glitterkitten.co.uk/users/diffractie/statuses/116426293698936650https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://glitterkitten.co.uk/users/diffractie/statuses/116426293698936650Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:57:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:54:55 GMT]]>"it doesn't matter what the code is all that matters is that it runs and produces the desired result"

liar. what you're saying is bullshit. you know it's bullshit and you're saying it anyway

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426283131399845https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426283131399845Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:54:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:54:48 GMT]]>@eniko ugh, fasterthanlime and niko matsakis... ​​

i used to look up to you both

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://snug.moe/notes/al80vwz3vqsmo27bhttps://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://snug.moe/notes/al80vwz3vqsmo27bSat, 18 Apr 2026 14:54:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:53:45 GMT]]>@eniko it's honestly depressing how people i used to look up to have fallen into this bullshit. it shows that they never gave a shit in the first place and were just acting like they did

or, more charitably, they feel they need to be on the genai train to make sure they can adapt to new conditions and they feel hopeless to stop it. though this also feels off

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://snug.moe/notes/al80ujzcne8g0ufahttps://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://snug.moe/notes/al80ujzcne8g0ufaSat, 18 Apr 2026 14:53:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:53:30 GMT]]>@eniko
Ok. Then I don't really get your point. Some people write code just to make money. Like a truck driver or cashier.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://techhub.social/users/ryanjyoder/statuses/116426277583189644https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://techhub.social/users/ryanjyoder/statuses/116426277583189644Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:53:30 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:52:33 GMT]]>and for the record i'm not talking about making code to create art like a game or something. i'm saying *the code itself* can be art. a perfectly constructed api, a framework that fits together just so, when code comes together in a beautiful harmony, *that is art*, it requires artistry to create!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426273787524633https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426273787524633Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:52:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:52:26 GMT]]>@eniko
this is at least the third subtoot I see about this and I'm starting to wonder what/who this is about

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/Doomed_Daniel/statuses/116426273343879920https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/Doomed_Daniel/statuses/116426273343879920Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:52:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:51:59 GMT]]>@eniko they dont want to know code is art

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/0x00string/statuses/116426271570958336https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/0x00string/statuses/116426271570958336Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:51:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:50:41 GMT]]>@ryanjyoder no it absolutely does not

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426266450348375https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426266450348375Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:50:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:49:48 GMT]]>@eniko
Iono. Doesn't it logically follow that if you're not an artist you live an empty existence?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://techhub.social/users/ryanjyoder/statuses/116426262985746969https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://techhub.social/users/ryanjyoder/statuses/116426262985746969Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:49:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:49:38 GMT]]>@eniko all code is art, even Microsoft Word]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://akko.wtf/objects/2b808887-2952-4865-b30e-d5effc64c9b6https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://akko.wtf/objects/2b808887-2952-4865-b30e-d5effc64c9b6Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:49:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:49:33 GMT]]>@eniko, I wonder if a good thing (among many bad things) the dwindling interest in this field brought is that, after a few years, many of those people will leave.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/lesley/statuses/116426262020932314https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/lesley/statuses/116426262020932314Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:49:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:48:46 GMT]]>@eniko I guess it's good that this is the second subtweet I've seen, but I don't see the original (or maybe it's just a coincidence and you both decided to criticize the same thing at the same time).

I feel like most coders around me are like that (code for a living, code for money, etc). I try hard to empathize with them, and I advocated for the idea that "it's fine to be a programmer while not enjoying it." But now, many people want to deprive me of my enjoyment of artistry, too.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/lesley/statuses/116426258907418386https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/lesley/statuses/116426258907418386Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:48:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:47:40 GMT]]>i don't know what AI brainrot has made otherwise prolific and proficient coders think that there's suddenly no distinguishing factors between good code, code written with artistry, and bad code, but it's baffling when this is a thing that we can measure and have measured in the past and they fucking know it

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426254587580279https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426254587580279Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:47:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:45:14 GMT]]>@eniko noooooo! 😰 What a nightmare!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://sunny.garden/users/dacmot/statuses/116426245078193645https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://sunny.garden/users/dacmot/statuses/116426245078193645Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:45:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:44:14 GMT]]>@gee8sh that's sad

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426241092698202https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/eniko/statuses/116426241092698202Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:44:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:43:05 GMT]]>@eniko The only "completely wrong" takes like this I will let pass are those that are obvious reframings a person needed because they have some mental block that can't accept themselves as an artist.

Like Adam Savage posted a video recently discrediting his own artistry by choosing a more mechanical way of describing artistry. 🤔

I don't like it, but whether he's aware of it or not, he just chose a different way of wording it. His take "could" benefit people with so much self doubt that it's inconceivable that they are artists. But also I wish folks could let go of their shitty preconceptions and be free. *cough* I wonder why I'm so adamant about that... 🏳️‍⚧️

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/pawv/statuses/116426236617665867https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/pawv/statuses/116426236617665867Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:43:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:39:31 GMT]]>@eniko

Most, if not all, the coders I met in my career are like that, and it drives me nuts. To them the appeal is only in how lucrative it could be.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://techhub.social/users/gee8sh/statuses/116426222575501632https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://techhub.social/users/gee8sh/statuses/116426222575501632Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:39:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:33:11 GMT]]>@eniko but just think of all the extra time you could have for clicking the LGTM button, progressing tickets through Jira manually, assuming personal liability, and all the other ✨fun✨ parts of the job!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/erisceleste/statuses/116426197695129423https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/erisceleste/statuses/116426197695129423Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:33:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Imagine being a coder but thinking there's no artistry to writing code. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:30:52 GMT]]>@luxliquida @eniko many such examples

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/c0dec0dec0de/statuses/116426188556996159https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/c0dec0dec0de/statuses/116426188556996159Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:30:52 GMT