It's still ok to enjoy programming

What the author says

The author says that programming can still be enjoyed outside of work. At work, code is judged by the money it makes, and hand-written code has lost some of its value. But the author says work is not all of life. The author codes on weekends because it is fun, and feels no need to justify it.

Key facts from the article

• The author is learning game programming and has made a simple Breakout clone with poor collision detection.
• Recent weekend projects included pushing type safety in Java and studying recursion schemes.
• The author wrote a book that covers reasoning about program correctness.
• The author also enjoys vibe-coding, where apps are made with AI and the code is never read.

Why this is being said

The author says reading Hacker News made them feel that programming was losing its point. Many posts online seem gloomy about the future of coding because AI can now write code quickly. The author feels this mood spreads and makes people think there is no joy left in learning.

Why it matters

The essay is a reminder that learning and making things can be good in themselves. People who code as a hobby may feel pressure to see every project as a career step. The author argues that exploring hard ideas, even without a clear use, is still worth doing.

What to watch

• Whether more people treat programming as a hobby as AI changes how code is written at work.
• Whether online discussions about the future of coding become less gloomy.