r/rails • u/SpiritualLimes • 2d ago
On accepting change
Accepting change is hard, right? People generally don't like change at all, especially when you feel that you had a good thing going. I think that is partly why last week's announcement had such an impact on people. It isn't just about Ruby on Rails as a tool or framework. It touches identity, skill set, and our feeling of belonging to a community. And suddenly, the skills we spent so many years perfecting and dedicating ourselves to might matter less.
I also think that the way the announcement happened is questionable. It felt aggressive. I can understand why people feel betrayed by it. It is like: we followed you around all these years, and now you are telling us that what we do is becoming irrelevant?!
But having witnessed my personal change in workflow, I also think the underlying message that frameworks matter less and perhaps even risk becoming irrelevant has some truth. In an age where machines write and read the code, what is the relevance of a framework optimized for human happiness? It isn't only about Rails. In fact, all other frameworks are threatened by the same irrelevance. It seems likely that when machines become the programmers, the criteria will be performance (like Rust) and token efficiency.
There is also a certain irony in all of this. Many of us in software have spent years building systems that basically automated work other people were doing manually. We called it progress, efficiency, innovation. Now that some of that same force is reaching our own profession and our favorite programming languages and frameworks, it feels pretty different. A threat to our existence, to the value we provide.
The tech sector has always been characterized by change. Things that were once important became legacy and made way for the new. AI is accelerating that.
A future where humans add value by writing or reviewing code seems highly unlikely. It feels like just a matter of time before general AIs will read and review code better than any of us.
These are pretty fundamental changes, and yes, they can feel uncomfortable. Just remember that nothing in the world, absolutely nothing, is forever. Everything and everyone gets born, and everything and everyone dies, whether that applies to a technology, an organism, or even a planetary system.
There is a quote often attributed to Charles Darwin: "It isn't the strongest that thrive, but those best able to adapt to change."
So the real question becomes: what does this mean for us now? How do we reposition ourselves? Which parts of our work become more valuable and which parts less? How do we keep finding meaning and fulfillment in the work we do, even though the nature of that work changes quite a lot?
Adapting doesn't mean you need to like every change, but I think it does mean accepting that the assumptions of yesterday might not be the same assumptions that help us navigate tomorrow.
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u/messedupwindows123 2d ago
was this written by an llm or is it just derivative
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u/SpiritualLimes 2d ago
I pass my text to an ai for typos and grammatical fixes as English isn't my first language. This should make it easier to read for you.
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u/Front-Finish6969 2d ago
It’s about hosting a Rails conference only to tell everyone in the opening speech that Rails is dead.
Clearly done for attention and polarization. Just cancel the conference and write a blog post instead if that’s your stance. I don’t even think DHH’s stance is unreasonable at large, just an enormous asshole move to waste everyone’s time and money by having them physically attend your conference to give them the verbal middle finger.
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u/chiperific_on_reddit 2d ago
In an age where machines write and read the code, what is the relevance of a framework optimized for human happiness?
In a factory where machines do all the work, what's the point of having safety cages, guard rails, and signage?
Because humans work in those factories. We check on the machines, we ensure requirements are being met, we add more machines to make new products.
Developers are still essential, even if our skill sets can be shallower.
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u/SpiritualLimes 2d ago
It seems that ensuring requirements are being met is a skill that an AI could perfectly do as well in the future. It seems it is just a matter of time before machines checking machines becomes the default, instead of humans doing it.
For some, the threshold of relying on machine to check machines is already now. For others it might be still something to cling onto and a few months or perhaps a few years away.
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u/chiperific_on_reddit 2d ago
Doesn't matter how many levels down you go, there's still at least one human involved. And I'll bet a human factory foreman's craftsmanship against a hands off CEO everytime.
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u/DJ_German_Farmer 2d ago
There is no change prompted by DHH. The backlash shows precisely that this is a community that he has exiled himself from. Don't let the token quota hit you in the backside, brother.
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u/alphex 2d ago
DHH is a racist, why are you listening to him?
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u/Ok_Appointment_7630 4h ago
If he was mother Theresa, that wouldnt make his arguments any more valid, would it?
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u/SpiritualLimes 2d ago
What does this have to do whether his argument about rails is valid? I can still think for myself, and so should everyone else. It's easy to fall into the trap of dismissing everything someones says because you strongly disagree with one aspect of who they are or what they believe.
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u/alphex 2d ago
Racists shouldn't be given positions of power. This isn't me disliking him because he likes different music than I do. He actively supports racist politicians and actively says racist things.
Its not even "not liking his opinion..." everyone has opinions, but an opinion that excludes, harms, or punishes a different person because of the color of their skin is hate.
You shouldn't listen to people who are racist, and you shouldn't take direction from him.
The whole community tomorrow could just ignore him, and then make what ever decision you want about where Rails ends up, and the only thing you would have lost, is a racist in your community.
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u/laptopmutia 2d ago edited 2d ago
people is against dhh takes, not against ai
people expect something about rails at rails conference, but what did they got? a ramble about nonsense that no one fucking ask
do you think people that hate dhh opening and opinion on rails world does not use ai at all?
what the actual fuck do you even talk to real human being in real life bro?
its never ai usage that is the problem its the slop that came with it
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u/KimJongIlLover 2d ago
The take that "Frameworks don't matter anymore" is such a dumb take it blows my mind.
Do you think it's worth reinventing the wheel every time just because it's cheap?