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Tell HN: I Lost Joy of Programming

94 points Eatcats | 8 comments | 08 Jul 25 11:36 UTC | HN request time: 1.375s | source | bottom

Small confession

I’ve been using Windsurf editor for about six months now, and it does most of the coding work for me.

Recently, I realized I no longer enjoy programming. It feels like I’m just going through the pain of explaining to the LLM what I want, then sitting and waiting for it to finish. If it fails, I just switch to another model—and usually, one of them gets the job done.

At this point, I’ve even stopped reviewing the exact code changes. I just keep pushing forward until the task is done.

On the bright side, I’ve gotten much better at writing design documents.

Anyone else feel the same?

1. megaloblasto ◴[08 Jul 25 13:00 UTC] No.44499548[source]▶
I've always found it a bit strange that people enjoy the act of coding so much that LLMs make then sad. For me it's always been about what I can make, not the actual typing of code into the editor. With LLMs I can make better stuff, faster, and it's really exciting. It used to be that if I needed to use a new library for one little task, it would be hours or days of reading the manual and playing around. Now it's minutes and I can understand how the API works, and write good, robust code that solves my problem.

Maybe it's more of a problem with your job and the tasks you're assigned?

replies(2): >>44499586 #>>44499625 #
2. shafyy ◴[08 Jul 25 13:04 UTC] No.44499586[source]▶
> I've always found it a bit strange that people enjoy the act of coding so much that LLMs make then sad.

Why do you find this strange? It's like saying you find it strange that a carpenter enjoys working with wood, that it's only about the end product and not the process.

replies(1): >>44499628 #
3. agentultra ◴[08 Jul 25 13:10 UTC] No.44499625[source]▶
You find it strange that people like different things than you do?
replies(1): >>44499636 #
4. megaloblasto ◴[08 Jul 25 13:11 UTC] No.44499628[source]▶
That's fair. I was actually a professional carpenter for a bit too, and you're right, I love touching the wood, sanding it, admiring it, etc. etc. More so then I've ever liked inputting code into an editor.

I do, however, use electric planers, table saws and miter saws, because I want to produce the product fast and efficiently, because the end product still is the goal.

Your point is well taken however.

5. megaloblasto ◴[08 Jul 25 13:11 UTC] No.44499636[source]▶
No, I find it strange that people like to input text into an editor so much that LLMs make them sad.
replies(1): >>44499732 #
6. AlexeyBrin ◴[08 Jul 25 13:23 UTC] No.44499732{3}[source]▶
It is never just inputing text into an editor. When I write a piece of code, it is just the first draft of what I have in mind. Most of the time I change the code interactively until I'm satisfied. The act of writing the code myself helps in clarifying my ideas.
replies(1): >>44499767 #
7. megaloblasto ◴[08 Jul 25 13:27 UTC] No.44499767{4}[source]▶
Are you saying that that is no longer fun with LLMs?
replies(1): >>44499829 #
8. AlexeyBrin ◴[08 Jul 25 13:34 UTC] No.44499829{5}[source]▶
Fun or not fun it is a personal perspective. What I was saying was that when you write code you also think deeply about what you actually write and you have the opportunity to optimize, change ideas and overall improve. A programming language is more precise and succinct than natural language in expressing algorithms/ideas.