It is an amazing time for programmers
Programmers reflect on how uniquely reachable prominent developers, researchers, and creators have become via email, social media, OSS mailing lists, and niche chat communities—often leading to surprisingly genuine exchanges. At the same time, many describe feeling isolated in their local environments, wrestling with imposter syndrome, ageism, or toxic online dynamics, and trying to recreate the sense of community once found in meetups, IRC, or hobbyist scenes. The rise of AI and “integrator” work fuels anxiety about declining craftsmanship and future “legendary” programmers, yet some see this as an opportunity to focus on higher‑level problems while using direct outreach and small communities to keep the human side of the craft alive.
Reaching Out to Experts and “Legends”
- Many posters say it’s surprisingly easy and rewarding to email well-known programmers, academics, and OSS maintainers; thoughtful messages often get replies, sometimes after long delays.
- Some describe “just joining” OSS mailing lists and contributing as if they already belonged, which led to ongoing participation and reduced self-policing / imposter syndrome.
- Others stress not spamming: contact should be specific, informed, and appreciative (e.g., about particular code, talks, or papers).
- There’s skepticism about reaching out to top CEOs or heads of state: their inboxes are heavily filtered by assistants, and they may not have practically useful advice for most people.
- Several note that famous technical figures are still just people, generally approachable if treated as peers in their domain.
Community, Loneliness, and Meetups
- Multiple commenters describe isolation: being the only programmer around, working alone in windowless rooms, or living in non-tech regions.
- Suggested remedies include: online chat communities, starting local meetups via generic platforms, low-key “beer & programming” gatherings, or meeting fellow tinkerers through trading hardware locally.
- Some report strong positive experiences with meetups and hobbyist communities; others mention ageism, “circles of avoidance,” and feeling frozen out socially.
- There’s frustration with in-person developer conversations that become one-upping, nitpicking, or dominance displays; others note this behavior exists in many professions.
Past and Present Knowledge Networks
- Several compare today’s online connections to historical scientific letter-writing networks, emphasizing that even past “geniuses” depended on communities and correspondence.
- One view highlights that truly curious people exist everywhere, even in rural areas, and can provide valuable engagement even without technical expertise.
Is It Really an ‘Amazing Time’ for Programmers?
- Optimistic view: unprecedented access to experts, vibrant meetups, easy publishing, and powerful tools (including AI) make this a great era for both programmers and computer scientists.
- Skeptical view:
- Many jobs are now “integrator/plumber” roles with little originality.
- AI may entrench mediocre, deskilled software and threaten deep expertise and “legendary” status.
- Open source creates a high bar for new products; GitHub stars are seen as a vanity metric.
- It may be a better time for marketers who can code than for pure programmers.
- Some argue that if AI takes over routine work, remaining humans could focus on higher-level, novel problems—but worry about lost knowledge and over-reliance on LLMs.