If I want it to just write code where I know exactly what I want, I will have it write code. ChatGPT can write code and fill in things when you give it something well specified very quickly.

My point was that if you just ask it an ambiguous question it will return something that is a best guess. It's what it does. To get it to act the way the person above want it to, you need to feed it a suitable prompt first.

You don't need to write a new set of instructions every time. When I "co-write" specs with it, I cut and paste a prompt that I'm gradually refining as I see what works, and I get answers that fit the context I want. When I want it to spit out Systemd unit files, I cut and paste a prompt that works for that.

The stuff I'm using it for is stuff where I couldn't possibly produce what it spits out as productively not because it's hard but because even typing well above average typing speed I couldn't possibly type that fast.

If you have years of experience programming and ten minutes of experience 'prompt engineering' then programming is probably easier, yes.