Hardly Promethean
This article explores the debate over whether LLMs have significantly reduced the cost of software development, specifically regarding the shift toward native applications. It contrasts the optimistic views of DHH and Dan Luu with the skeptical perspective of Varun Gandhi regarding the practical application of these tools.
Why it matters
The discussion highlights the tension between theoretical productivity gains from AI and the practical realities of software engineering at scale.
Last week I published What About Rails , a dive into DHH's Rails World keynote. Smarter people than me had interesting things to say about it:
You have the most powerful tool you ever had, you have become a 1000x maker, and you can't think of how to make your stack 10x better?
José Valim poses an excellent question. I tried to find an answer.
They're not gonna be web apps much longer. They're gonna be native applications, because the price of developing those things has gone to damn near zero.
The move to native apps for the frontend and Rust on the backend isn't about any particular technology. It's about cost. DHH isn't the first to make this case.
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