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Comment by PaulDavisThe1st | Hacker News Reader

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For many people (maybe even most people) who write code, programming is just a tool. I know a lot of people who program, and it's the least enjoyable, least interesting part of their job. We need to be mindful, and quite careful, not to adopt an attitude of, "if you don't love it, and it's not your passion, stay out and let the "real programmers" do the work."

I absolutely despise painting. But I like doing home renovations myself.

I concede that this is an entirely fair point, and one that I did not consider (mostly because we're on "Hacker News".

Ironically, I think this is more true of "Hacker News" than on other more programming-focused forums. I would describe the ethos here as "innovative problem-solving using computer technology". Whether that involves programming is totally beside the point. It has largely been the case since this site launched that most of the solutions do involve programming, but there's no reason they must. I think lots of non-programmer entrepreneur and product manager types hang out here, because of exactly this.

What use of computer technology can you imagine that does not involve programming?

Cobbling together SaaS's, "no-code", building stuff using "prompt engineering" with AIs instead of writing code, innovative business models using pre-existing software, etc. etc.

Fair points, mostly.

Ah, yes — real programmers only work at the assembly level. Forget all this "rising levels of abstraction" nonsense.

A programmer's job is to solve problems, not waste time on doing 'mechanical' tasks, especially if a tool can handle them.

People do stuff for money - they don't always enjoy it. This is a story as old as time. It reminds me of the Bob Dylan song "Hurricane":

> Rubin could take a man out with just one punch

> But he never did like to talk about it all that much

> "It's my work" he'd say, "and I do it for pay

> And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way"

"please stop programming" - wrong, wrong, wrong.

It's a business, and some people rely on it for an income, ONLY. His "sin," if that's what it was for you, was saying out loud what lots of people actually feel.

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