Tags: C++, Philosophy of Code, Engineering vs. Trade, Software Architecture, The Art of Programming
While C++ developers still exist (as endangered Red List species), the Global Market’s ever-growing hunger for faster and cheaper solutions is actually killing this frighteningly thinning layer of unique Real Engineers. We are seeing a shift from Craftsmen to easily-replaceable Technicians trained to pick the best-fit (or not “best”?) framework from endless ever-changing list of “easy” or “no code” options. Unfortunately, the Industry is breeding wrong “specialists”.
You can’t avoid the World’s complexity, you can just “hide” it inside of another “black box”. Every abstraction is a loan taken against future performance. When the “black box” fails, the Technician is helpless, only the Engineer who understands the underlying “scripture” can perform the exorcism.
While maintaining yourself as a marketable Technician is a matter of survival today, AI’s indisputable superiority in handling such “Technician” tasks will eventually (guess, sooner than later) eliminate this entire “no code” developer’s layer as a class along with their managers “with whips”. The only remaining demand will be for the Engineer.
People, learn C++: the Sacred Language of the machine. While high-level, “low-code” frameworks, destined (or designed?) to fade, rarely survive their fifth birthday, C++ is the firmament you can rely on. It is as “forever” as the hardware itself. The “firmament” isn’t just about code—it’s about the very structure of the thought behind it.
Besides, it’s a two-way street. In return, it will gradually align and shape your very way of thinking—transforming you from a technician into an artist. It will teach you to appreciate logic and recognize contradictions—a rare and vital skill, precious not only in programming but in everyday life as well.
Don’t be scared of the “unliftable” scope, you don’t need it all at once. Get started, and you’ll appreciate its beauty. You’ll see—it IS “liftable”.
While other languages drift into “slang” and “frameworks” (dialects), C++ remains the Sanskrit of the machine—a formal grammar that refuses to “evolve” into a black box, preserving the original Logic of Creation.
Even to use an AI effectively at a low level, one had better speak the language the AI is actually abstracting.
In the coming age, many will read code with AI assistance, but few will write it with intent. To know C++ is to understand the hardware behind it. It is the difference between reciting a mantra and understanding the prayer.
Be a Keeper of the Sacred Language. In the upcoming AI Civilization, do not let the AI be the only one who understands the Word.
Really liked this take. As someone who’s worked closer to the metal, it’s obvious how much of the “easy” stuff we use today is sitting on top of C++. A lot of people don’t realize that the performance, control, and even the abstractions in modern frameworks ultimately come from that layer. It’s kind of funny: everyone loves high-level tools, but C++ is still doing the heavy lifting underneath. Glad you called that out!
Thank you, f0glifter. Exactly—it’s the paradox of the modern age: the higher we build the towers (frameworks), the more we depend on the strength of the foundation (C++). Many are happy to live in the penthouse, but as you know, it is only as safe as the basement!