Martin Fowler • 4/14/2026

Fragments: April 14

This article by Martin Fowler reflects on his interview at Pragmatic Summit with Kent Beck, focusing on AI's role in software development. He explores the three virtues of a programmer—hubris, impatience, and laziness—as defined by Larry Wall, emphasizing how laziness drives abstraction and simplicity. Fowler warns that LLMs, which lack this virtue, may lead to bloated code and systems, undermining the human need for efficient, elegant solutions. He shares a personal anecdote about modifying a music playlist generator, illustrating the value of human constraints in engineering.

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#abstraction #software engineering #ai