Software is a craft.

There is an inherent value in programming, just like there is one in gardening, woodworking, producing art, or playing a musical instrument.

The value is in the joy that the activity brings. (Note that this tends to be a different kind of value than business value.)

To me, cars are a means to an end. And I can imagine a world without cars more easily than a world without software.

Do you imagine that we just somehow evolve capabilities beyond it? or do we eventually produce universally perfect software solutions and leave it at that?

It's not really about that.

If I hire you to make software for me, I don't really want software; I want a problem to go away, a money stream built, a client to be happy. Of course, that probably requires you to build software, unless you invent a magic wand. But if you had the magic wand, I'd choose it every single time over software.

Not so with food, furniture or a fancy hotels, where I actually want the thing.

If I had a magic wand to make you satiated, you wouldn't need food. If you're in it for the taste I will magic wand you some taste in your mouth. If I had a magic wand to give you a roof over your head, protection and a bed, you wouldn't need a hotel.

The magic wand argument doesn't make sense. Then you can also get everything else.

>The best software is no software.

Eh, I disagree. I like a lot of the software I'm using. There's inherent value to producing music with Ableton, cutting videos with Final Cut Pro, or just playing Super Mario for entertainment. Those are all more software than no software.

You could argue that GenAI music creation is "no software". You say what you want and it magically appears.