While trying to capture that bug, I (ironically) asked Gemini (but the Gemini-via-Google-search Gemini, since Gemini proper was an outage) for the package name of a screen recorder (gtkRecordMyDesktop); the command it returned referenced a non-existent package¹. I then found an alternative, and then hit a bug in that screen recording software that I had to then work around to get the video file there.
The site I uploaded the video to, Imgur, breaks completely — i.e., it cannot even so much as surface an error message — if your browser refuses to let it store god knows what on your disks. (So as it is, I have an extension that says "why yes, of course you can have storage, and essentially provides a black hole. But since it looks like a "success" to the Javascript, the JS doesn't crash!)
This isn't, to me, some one-off interaction. Every interaction with software these days feels like this, more and more. Just breakages everywhere that leaves me wondering if "coding is solved", where is all the bug free software?
(¹forcefully prompting the AI to actually query the package listing netted me a classic "You're absolutely right! The package name I referenced does not exist!")
[–] zahlman 4 days ago
[–] wiseowise 4 days ago
b) you confuse technical quality with product incentives
If you see this, company doesn’t care about product. And Google doesn’t care about quality for at least a decade now, all they care is a share price and speed of delivery.
[–] zshrdlu 4 days ago
I've noted the same but even before llms so I can't draw a conclusion there. I find strange issues with software I cannot explain. Not only breakages or bugs but also a strange lack of core features and UI/UX that leaves me wondering "am I dumb?".
[–] mlsu 4 days ago
My experience is the same as yours. Every single service I use. Apps, websites, doesn't matter what. Every single one seems just softly degraded. Like I can't trust that features work any more. I could report the bug, but what's the point? It's going to go to some Claude triage agent who is going to "fix" it by slopping up the app even more. Do people even use their own websites and apps any more? Apparently not - the same people declaring software solved are having their AI agents doing computer use and going on these websites for them!
Claude, please read the Bible for me. Tell me what I need to do to get into Heaven. Oh, can you dictate it to me? I'm managing an agent swarm.
Bleh.
[–] hbrn 3 days ago
It exists, at least in terms of ROI. Some enterprises are able to do successful rollouts that allow them to significantly shrink workforce in certain departments without losing quality (no, I'm not talking about customer support).
But most of the software is indeed getting worse right now. The industry is still figuring out how to wield these new tools and what to build with them. Those that figure it out faster than others will make billions.
[–] wellitsnotsoeas 4 days ago
I know, I know, we are shit and AIs are a godsend for small shitty companies that have at least one clever person that architect their way out of a paper bag. I’m sure all ya’ll highly competent, genius academics don’t need it and find it a hindrance but the devs in my bubble really, really need it. And there are a lot of those..
[–] wiseowise 4 days ago
[–] tripledry 4 days ago
Just find it funny how vibes based it all is, capabilities, experiences, anti-ai and pro-ai.
[–] wiseowise 4 days ago
[–] tripledry 4 days ago
That being said, I don't understand what you are referring to.
[–] wiseowise 4 days ago
[–] suddenlybananas 4 days ago
[–] j_w 4 days ago
But don't worry. Coding is solved.
My annoyance is more specific than "it breaks". I hate how all this software (especially "web apps") just assumes that it will have permission to do whatever it wants and never contemplates that the user might have something to say about it.