The software world is changing rapidly. Some believe that bots will take over coding. Others see (gen)AI as a threat, pointing to the amount of energy it consumes, or to the risk that computers will supersede humans. Those are all big words, and to me, they are mostly driven by fear and marketing.
In this series, I will sketch the “CodeAI” scenery — at the architectural level. For a moment, we set the great
all-in-one solutions of the AI tech-bros aside. To study the options: what are the interfaces, what are the parts and
parcels we can use to build complicated, high-tech software systems, using generative AI.
Often, an integrated cloud solution is fine. But what when that is not possible, not allowed, or what if we simply like
to alternatives?
Scenery Sketching:: CodeAI
More articles will be added frequently. You can also find the last ones in the navigation bar: (Recent Posts).
Options & Alternatives
When our goal is to have options, we need to find alternatives for the big integrated “all-in-one” solutions;
preferable with the same features. But is that even possible? That is the quest in this series!
There are many reasons why sometimes an “own” sovereign setup is desirable. F.e. when your software shouldn’t leave
the premises? Or, when (code) quality is extra important. You will find more on that in some articles.
Embedded Systems
Given my background, I will focus on complex, technical “sovereign” a/o embedded software. Probably, many findings are
valid too in other domains (like web-, app, and ‘IT’ software); but it’s not my focus.
Similar, there are many environments where the standard tech-bros applications are fine. F.e. when writing open-source,
there is hardly a risk that someone is peeking to your “secrete code”. I do use those tools myself, f.e. to study the
all alternatives for this blog. And perform my lab-work.
Architecting the Horizon
Looking to history, all big changes have come with huge promises and burdens. Seldom were those judgments based on facts
— it was simply too early to call. In due time, we will see the debate on ‘CodeAI’ in the same way. But, how can we
reason about that future today?
Doubtless, some simple coding work can be automated – this is a normal way forward, as we like to “automate”.
But software engineering is more than writing code, a lot more. In particular for “sovereign software” —which includes embedded software— ‘engineering’ is thinking: Understanding the needs, grasping the possibilities of the hardware, comparing the options, and aligning it with others, takes most of our time. When we comprehend all that, writing the code is almost trivial. Personally, I’m glad when bots can do the boring parts.
Remember, we might be at the dawn of big changes ahead. I can’t predict the future. But, I have the skills to investigate. I will look to the options, examine the new (meta) interfaces and share this ‘blueprint’. I hope it helps me – and you– to sketch the future a bit better. Still, we are navigating uncertainty, but now with a few facts.
Challenge
To investigate, find and solve issues and provide you with useful information, I have created an ambitious question:
Can we build a flexible team of bots suited to the technical complications of the embedded systems we build? (And does it speed up development).
Therefore, we should be able to look under the bonnet …
Cooperation
Feel free to disagree, share your ideas below every post, and to request new “topics” in the comments field below.