TL;DR
Get business pricing on monitors, keyboards and dev gear
- Business-only prices and quantity discounts
- Tax-exempt purchasing
- Multiple users, one account, clear invoices
A post shared on Hacker News argues that people can still enjoy programming for its own sake, even as AI tools change the economics of writing code professionally. Its author describes learning game development and studying difficult topics for curiosity and personal satisfaction, while also enjoying AI-assisted coding.
A post published October 17 and shared on Hacker News argues that programming can still be enjoyable even as AI changes the economics of writing code at work. The author describes spending free time on a hand-built game and difficult programming concepts, saying those activities need no business case to be worthwhile.
The writer says they are learning game programming by building a buggy Breakout clone, writing it by hand because they enjoy tackling the problems. They acknowledge that an AI assistant such as Claude might produce the game in one pass, but say that speed is beside the point when the goal is to learn and solve the challenges personally.
The post also describes weekend explorations of Java type safety, drawing on ideas from dependently typed languages such as Agda, and the study of recursion schemes. The author says the latter was frustrating and that they still do not know how useful it will be. Their view is that some programming ideas take years to make sense, and that learning them can be rewarding even without an immediate application.
The writer also says they enjoy vibe-coding: they have a suite of applications whose code they have never inspected. They present this as a different kind of programming enjoyment, rather than a contradiction of the pleasure they find in writing code themselves.
How To Keep Enjoying Programming
AI may change the economics of professional coding. It does not decide whether making software for yourself can still be meaningful, absorbing, and fun.
“It’s still OK to enjoy programming.”
— The post’s author
Programming beyond paid work
The post separates the pleasure of learning and making from the pressure to produce measurable business value.
A Breakout clone
The author is learning game programming by building a buggy game by hand, enjoying the problems along the way.
Ideas that take time
Weekend explorations include Java type safety, ideas from Agda, and recursion schemes—even when their future use is unclear.
No business case required
Some concepts can take years to click. The learning itself can be rewarding without an immediate application.
AI changes the work—not every motive
Faster code production may shift professional expectations. The author’s point is that paid work is only one reason to program.
Speed is not always the goal.
An assistant such as Claude might produce the game in one pass. For this project, the author values working through the challenge personally more than reaching the result quickly.
Hand-coding and AI can coexist
The author describes distinct pleasures in both processes, without claiming one is better for everyone.
Write it by hand
Stay close to the code, tackle the problems, and enjoy the feeling of solving them yourself.
Vibe-code
The author also enjoys AI-assisted creation and has a suite of apps whose code they have never inspected.
Different processes · Shared freedom to make something for enjoyment
Let curiosity set the pace
A simple path from interest to satisfaction, with no commercial outcome required.
A perspective, not a labor-market study
The argument is personal and deliberately narrow. Its limits matter when drawing conclusions about programmers as a whole.
The post does not measure how common pressure to stop coding for fun may be, or quantify AI’s effects on jobs or productivity. It gives no company-specific examples, employment figures, or survey results. The author’s experience is a counterexample—not proof of a wider trend.
Key questions
The practical takeaway is personal choice: pursue programming in the way that feels worthwhile to you.
What is the post arguing?
Programming can still be enjoyable as a personal activity, even if AI changes the economics of professional coding.
What projects does the author mention?
A hand-built Breakout clone, Java type safety, and recursion schemes.
Does the author reject AI coding?
No. They also enjoy vibe-coding and describe it as another way to have fun making software.
Does this prove AI changed programming jobs?
No. The post is a personal reflection, not an analysis backed by labor or productivity data.
Programming Beyond Paid Work
The post addresses a tension in software work: AI-assisted coding can change how quickly code is produced and what employers value, but professional productivity is not the only reason people program. The writer separates the economics of paid work from personal projects, where exploration and the satisfaction of solving a problem can be the point.
That distinction matters to readers who encounter claims that coding is no longer worthwhile unless it produces measurable output. The essay does not establish how widespread that sentiment is, or measure AI’s effects on jobs. Instead, it offers a personal counterexample to the idea that the changing workplace settles whether programming can still be a hobby or source of enjoyment.
mechanical keyboard for programming
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
AI Changes the Work, Not Every Motive
The author acknowledges that the economics of hand-written code at work have changed, without specifying particular industries, tools, or labor-market data. The post’s main distinction is between work done to create business value and personal activity undertaken for curiosity or pleasure.
It also avoids presenting hand-coding and AI-assisted programming as mutually exclusive. The writer enjoys making software both by working through code directly and by using a process that leaves them unfamiliar with the generated code. These are personal experiences, not evidence that either approach is better for all programmers.
“it’s still OK to enjoy programming.”
— The post’s author
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The Wider Mood Is Unmeasured
The post offers one person’s perspective; it does not show how many programmers feel pressure to stop enjoying coding, or whether that pressure is growing. Its account of AI’s effects on workplace economics is also broad and is not supported with employment figures, productivity comparisons, or examples from particular companies.
It remains unclear how the author’s professional work has changed, how often they use AI in that work, or whether their view reflects a wider shift among programmers. The essay presents a personal argument, not a survey or formal analysis of the software labor market.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Personal Projects Continue
The post does not announce a product, research result, or planned follow-up. The immediate next steps described are personal: continuing to learn game programming, returning to concepts such as recursion schemes, and exploring programming topics when they spark curiosity.
Whether AI tools will further change paid software development remains an open question beyond the essay. For readers, the author’s practical point is narrower: they can decide for themselves whether to code by hand, use AI, or combine both, and can pursue programming outside work without needing to prove it has commercial value.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What is the post arguing?
It argues that programming can still be enjoyable as a personal activity, even if AI changes the economics of writing code professionally.
What personal projects does the author describe?
The author is making a Breakout clone by hand and studying topics including Java type safety and recursion schemes.
Does the author reject AI-assisted coding?
No. The writer says they also enjoy vibe-coding and have built apps without inspecting their code. They describe that as a different way to have fun with programming.
Does the post prove AI has changed programming jobs?
No. It says workplace economics have changed but provides no employment or productivity data. The post is a personal reflection, not a labor-market study.
Source: Hacker News
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
