Many of my recent posts have been about ethics and Generative Artificial Intelligence, particularly where Large Language Models (LLMs) are concerned. They're about retaining humanity and ethics and personhood in a world that decreasingly values people, particularly when it comes to profit margins and returns on investment.
It might appear that I'm against AI. I am not. I am for respect and dignity and humanity. This post, therefore, will appear to be different from my latest writings.
This post talks about an experiment working with an AI to develop a well-engineered tool that is reliable, maintainable, understandable, and correct. This is about writing something that's boring. Beyond the Principle of Least Surprise, my goal was to make this feel quiet and stable and honest.
This is not a demonstration of programming wizardry, excellence in Bash development, or fanciness. I'm not here to show any of that. I have a passion for Bash and script development because shell scripts are often seen as a list of commands to be executed in order of appearance. Bash is not associated with serious development. In fact, when I've taught classes on Bash development to senior, experienced engineers, the most common reaction is that they had no idea Bash could do the things I was demonstrating.
So, this is about my journey in building a tool that I needed using a language that I enjoy with the principles I use to shape my professional practices.
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