Dion Hulse

Developer; Australian.

@[email protected]

[gfodor.id @gfodor]

Thread. I thought I was immune from ever feeling hollowed out by AI as a programmer, because I've always gotten far more enjoyment from shipping, getting users, and solving problems than indulging in the art of coding.

As the LLMs have eaten deeper and deeper into our field, I've empathized with my peers who've expressed a sense of loss and disillusionment as the art of programming has become more and more automated. But, I've always seen myself as someone who saw coding as a means to an end to solve problems. Not something whose craftsmanship, culture, methodologies, and fads were worth getting too hung up on, beyond what was needed to adeptly deliver value to others and not fall behind the (frankly, rare) genuine advancements over the years.

This all changed for me over the last week. The frontier probably shifted a bit earlier than today, but I didn't see it until now. The change has come about for me because GPT-5.5 was able to build complex software I needed built autonomously for 2-3 days at a clip. Work that would have taken me months, or even years if you include learning the requisite languages, libraries, and tooling, being completed over a weekend.

This isn't something I think anyone who has been programming as long as I have can really be prepared for, this kind of velocity jump is just mindboggling. This is truly superhuman performance - it's not perfect, and there certainly is a level of simplicity and clarity that would come in the hands of the world's best programmers, but that margin is so small so as to be unnoticable when contrasted with the sheer volume of working software that it can produce per unit time.

So, why has this caused a shift in the way I feel about these technologies, after all this time not having felt it as each subsequent model advanced closer to what we see now? There are two reasons.

First, it's clear that the age of humans understanding how software works is over. Yes, humans will need to understand things, at least for a few more years, but we are now at a kind of escape velocity where the % of lines of code that are created every year that are even read, nevermind understood, by humans, is now permanently declining.

But the real shift, is I am no longer a programmer, I am a manager. Good managers do not take credit for the work of their team - they see themselves in service of their team. Up until now, claiming "I built this" still felt true when talking about things I had created with the help of LLMs.

But now, when the LLMs are writing thousands of lines of code, and I am simply providing guidance, direction setting, and oversight to catching the bigger errors, I found myself in the bizarre situation (that many will be in soon, I presume) of no longer feeling entitled to take credit for the work being done.

Not being able to say "I built this" when sharing something whose basic conception came from my own mind, but under the tireless effort of these insane machines to actually reason through and materialize into a working solution, is devastating. Not because of the fact it doesn't feel truthful now, but because I know it will never be truthful again for myself and soon for all of the rest of us.

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@chubes4 @automattic It does work if you run the matching Gutenberg version for the Blocks Everywhere plugin.
That means for https://t.co/PiZHFd5bnr you need to run Gutenberg 17.9 (Which you'll see the https://t.co/g8qu10fkI6 forums is running)

Here's the bbPress feature req: https://t.co/Q9EGOVcrLb

[Crikey @crikey_news]

"Every Australian is going to have to prove their age when they go online in a way that they never have before," writes @cameronwilson. https://t.co/Pzl3iSAXHj

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@DustinSnider @andyfragen Plugins usually need to reference their GitHub or other repo's in their readme to comply with other guidelines, and community plugins get to use the community development location field.

I'm for GitHub/others being used for plugin dev, just don't see the need for any updatestuff

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

I haven't used Twitter in forever.. how do y'all put up with the constant promoted posts and "buy premium!!" nags?

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@DustinSnider @andyfragen Yup. I don't see any problems with the plugin directory choosing not to support a 3rd-party updater. Plugins haven't been able to include those for a long time.

If this header was anything other than for updates it'd probably be very different. 1/2

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@andyfragen That's what I thought, I had to reinstall to get context on some stuff 🤷

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@Zer0Lib @JavierCasares Every. Single. Person. Who volunteers on those teams do it because they care.
Every. Single. One.

Ultimately a BDFL founder of OSS projects will always have the final say and overrule them.

Don't blame contributors for the OSS model they have to work within. Not their choice.

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@ImSamLevy @rtsclement @wordcampsyd Yup. I agree. And if I could personally clarify, I would, but I can't.

I can only express my non-legal opinion of what it means, which I've done so.

Everyone else is free to (and has to) form an opinion themselves.

At the end of the day, It's not a binding contract (...IMHO)

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@rtsclement @ImSamLevy @wordcampsyd While that's a silly reply that looks really stupid coming from a brand account IMHO, it didn't say they're not welcome... It just made them feel unwelcome.. same-same but not same.

I have nothing against those who use WPE, and *I don't* feel being their customer bans you.

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@wilbrown_au @wordcampsyd @wpengine @WordPress Look, I agree it would be nice to have an official statement. But I don't think there's anyone who can actually make the one that you want. I can't - because I can't speak for the foundation. https://t.co/SiRinOMRAK is all I can really point to as a canonical source of all is bad

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@ImSamLevy @rtsclement @wordcampsyd Oh I agree, but that's kinda my point, it's your own interpretation of it (not mine) that matters. That's why I was surprised when people wanted to translate it, translate it to what exactly?

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@JavierCasares I don't "work for" WordPress/.org, no one does.
My time is 'donated' to WordPress/.org, by Automattic, and that entails all the usual company things.
I would prefer the checkbox be an agreement to the Code of Conduct(s), but that's not my call.

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@developerjack @wordcampsyd @wpengine @WordPress A leader includes those who command, not just those who have followers, and whether we like it or not, commands are still being executed. If not by one, by another.

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@ImSamLevy @rtsclement @wordcampsyd But I can't legally confirm you would not be, if by being in a leasing agreement YOU FEEL you're affiliated with the company, that's your opinion and decision to make, not mine.

I can only say that personally, I would not personally consider that financial affiliation.

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@ImSamLevy @rtsclement @wordcampsyd I would disagree with that, affiliation in financial terms would indicate control of, or otherwise persuaded by money.

A lease/loan/mortgage does not indicate that to me.
I'm not affiliated with BankXYZ but they loan me money, and process my transactions.

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@developerjack @wordcampsyd @wpengine @WordPress It would also apply to many other companies too. That's a very subjective rule though, so organisers should be free to apply it however they saw fit IMHO.

I can't say I would've gone down this exact path if it were my choice, but that decision has been made by those leaders.

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@developerjack Honestly all the hurt that it's causing the WordPress community pains me every day.

I've been in this community for nearly 20 years at this point, and the damage the community has suffered in a matter of weeks is not something I'd have ever expected to occur where I call home.

[Dion Hulse @dd32]

@rtsclement @wordcampsyd IMHO, buying a Toyota vehicle doesn't make me financially or otherwise affiliated with Toyota, it's just a product I've purchased and used. If Toyota sponsored me and paid me to drive their vehicle though, that would be different. #NotALawyer just my personal opinion.