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Ask HN: What do you think programming will be like in 50 years?

9 points by 1_player ↗ HN
C is almost 50 years old and will probably be around for a long time, and the default choice for many fields of software engineering for a while. Some hope for AI to become smart enough to make our work obsolete, or even just code editors that can do most of the work for us, though we're still somewhat away from that.

So, in some way software engineering moves at breakneck speed (The Web) but at snail pace elsewhere (embedded development).

What do you think programming will be like in 50 years then? What is the equivalent of flying cars people thought would be commonplace in our modern age, and what's something nobody would ever see coming but will be the real paradigm shift?

11 comments

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wolco2
I think we will still see COBOL but less so. PHP will still be around. Java. React and something will merge.

The majority might be just ai training.

Or dna programming where even kids are involved creating their own pets.

logicslave
It will mostly be config files
wdroz
I sadly agree, the era of YAML engineers has already begun.
potta_coffee
We have a joke in the office about Markdown developers.
jamil7
We'll write it all in serverless Scratch
eucryphia
I'd like to see the new technology like the Apple Neural Engine hardware develop to implement Coherent Extrapolated Volition, like in the movie Her.

But it won't make the characters in your PC games swear at you, it will be used to make human workers more productive. A bit like google glasses false start at a consumer device, but taken up by plant maintenance workers.

severine
A bit like google glasses false start at a consumer device, but taken up by plant maintenance workers.

Is this a thing or is it mostly anecdotic? (honest question)

open-source-ux
Probably still plain text and clumsy, cryptic syntax based on the limited characters available on a keyboard. In other words, the default preference of most developers for the past 50 years.
multinational
1970 programming languages are obsolete now. In 50 years today's languages will be obsolete, but unix and C will still be around.
usgroup
I think we are in the medieval ages v2.0. I think a larger historical arc will reveal that. So in 50 years nothing much will change; mostly better mouse traps!
blodkorv
Programmers will be much cheaper.

Making most business software will be as easy as installing Wordpress with plugins today.