News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Ask HN: Is prompt engineering just snake oil?. Parent comment

Re:Ask HN: Is prompt engineering just snake oil? by marcellus23 on Saturday April 22, 2023 @03:00PM (#35669838)
There are software engineering domains, like aerospace, where the process is very stringent with rigorous planning and testing.

There are others, like consumer app development, where there's simply no need for that kind of process, so it doesn't exist. HNers might complain, but average people don't care if their social media app crashes once in a while and they have to restart it — so why should developers care? Better to spend their time on other stuff. Whereas people care a lot if their airplane crashes.

I don't think it suggests anything about the relative value of working in those domains.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Is prompt engineering just snake oil? by vimax on Saturday April 22, 2023 @03:21PM (#35670059)
But those consumer apps that use or sell personal data against that persons interests as a business model, or those that leak or lose personal information through negligence are very harmful to society. Why should they get a pass?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Is prompt engineering just snake oil? by marcellus23 on Saturday April 22, 2023 @03:24PM (#35670091)
That's a totally unrelated argument. Plenty of "real" engineers work on weapons systems. Architects work on ultra luxury skyscrapers for Saudi businessmen. Civil engineers work on new highways that destroy poor neighborhoods. No one is talking about ethics here.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Is prompt engineering just snake oil? by vimax on Saturday April 22, 2023 @06:13PM (#35671396)
How is it unrelated if we’re talking about software engineering as a profession? Yes there are some SWEs working in engineering fields, but the majority are not classically “engineers”
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Is prompt engineering just snake oil? by marcellus23 on Saturday April 22, 2023 @06:44PM (#35671582)
Maybe you could explain how it's related? I feel like I did a good job of explaining how ethics makes no sense in this discussion in my above comment.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Is prompt engineering just snake oil? by vimax on Saturday April 22, 2023 @07:07PM (#35671733)
My original comment was that this list of engineering standards is not followed by most software engineering. You seem to be saying there are some that it can be applied ti, and I’m say those are in the minority.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Is prompt engineering just snake oil? by marcellus23 on Sunday April 23, 2023 @11:41AM (#35677181)
* * *
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Is prompt engineering just snake oil? by ajdoingnothing on Saturday April 22, 2023 @03:58PM (#35670374)
Completely agree. It reminds me of 'They Write the Right Stuff' (1996) [1], how a group of engineers developed the software for the Space Shuttle.

[1] https://www.fastcompany.com/28121/they-write-right-stuff

[ Parent | on HN ]