Programming as Theory Building (1985) [pdf]

This is an amazing insight into the nature of programming. It feels right to me, and will help me explain what I do to others. I feel privileged to live in an era where many pioneers of our field are still with us. I feel the passing of that era, and their loss, keenly.

One of the most important papers in software engineering, which I believe everyone in this profession should read and internalize. Every time I see another startup trying use LLMs for code generation I sigh in despair. As AI technology improves and becomes better at producing code, what looks like a win in the short term will end up creating more and more code that has been created without a human going through the necessary thought processes and problem solving steps…

The last paragraph: Documentation cannot--and so need not--say everything. Its purpose is to help the next programmer build an accurate theory about the system.

I've really liked this essay and think it's getting at something essential, but at the same time I think some of the conclusions aren't well supported. I heartily agree that a principle part of programming is building, maintaining, and sharing our understanding of the systems. I don't see why that implies that there are no concrete methodologies that could help us do that, and I don't think the essay does a good job of making the link.