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TomOwens 2 days ago [-]
"Writing code and building products" isn't engineering.
I think it's true that making software has gotten more accessible. That's been happening for a long time. I remember the whole deal about "low code and no code platforms are going to make software engineers obsolete", and that never happened. Various platforms offered tools for non-developers to work with data and build integrations, but the most complex work still required people with expertise in design and testing.
Someone like Samuel Florman would probably point out the social responsibilities that come with engineering, Henry Petroski would talk about how the people who are using AI tools and "vibe coding" don't have an understanding of edge cases and failure, and Eugene Ferguson would talk about how AI tools create a gap between prompts and design in the mind's eye. People with different takes on what it means to do engineering would find that an engineer can use AI tools in their work, but creating software with an AI tool isn't inherently engineering.
jacobsimon 2 days ago [-]
No true Scotsman uses AI? :)
Jokes aside, I think you’re valid but if you take the macro view, it’s clear that there are now more people doing some form of engineering, the same way the digital camera led to more people doing photography, and so on.
I think we can make separate distinctions around the act of consuming vs creating—a lot of vibe coding is beginning to look more like “consuming software” but that’s not what I was intending to describe here.
TomOwens 1 days ago [-]
Precise terminology is important. Just like there's a difference between "taking a photograph" and "photography", there's a difference between "making software" and "software engineering". Digital cameras let more people take more photographs, and some decided to practice the art of photography. Every technological advancement, from personal computers to widespread Internet access to AI tools has made creating software more accessible, but it hasn't inherently made more software engineers.
jacobsimon 24 hours ago [-]
You can define it however you like, but my point was that all of the following appear to be increasing:
* the number of people creating software
* the number of people who are educated in creating software
* the number of people who are paid to create software
1 days ago [-]
xerios 2 days ago [-]
By your logic: people who use calculators are mathematicians
abstractspoon 1 days ago [-]
Software development was never engineering in the first place
I think it's true that making software has gotten more accessible. That's been happening for a long time. I remember the whole deal about "low code and no code platforms are going to make software engineers obsolete", and that never happened. Various platforms offered tools for non-developers to work with data and build integrations, but the most complex work still required people with expertise in design and testing.
Someone like Samuel Florman would probably point out the social responsibilities that come with engineering, Henry Petroski would talk about how the people who are using AI tools and "vibe coding" don't have an understanding of edge cases and failure, and Eugene Ferguson would talk about how AI tools create a gap between prompts and design in the mind's eye. People with different takes on what it means to do engineering would find that an engineer can use AI tools in their work, but creating software with an AI tool isn't inherently engineering.
Jokes aside, I think you’re valid but if you take the macro view, it’s clear that there are now more people doing some form of engineering, the same way the digital camera led to more people doing photography, and so on.
I think we can make separate distinctions around the act of consuming vs creating—a lot of vibe coding is beginning to look more like “consuming software” but that’s not what I was intending to describe here.
* the number of people creating software
* the number of people who are educated in creating software
* the number of people who are paid to create software