Ask HN: Is the future of software development going to a “no code” basis? - joaodmj
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makecheck
The problem that never seems to be solved by no-code tools is the _debugging_
aspect of coding. Saving a few minutes writing code was never the problem;
rather, we need more ways to save hours or days explaining why things behave
the way they do.

It’s definitely _cool_ when you can wire together a UI without a lot of effort
and see it largely work. Yet if _any part_ doesn’t work exactly right the
first time, you may have no idea why. You are also at the mercy of the tool
developer; if it has bugs (or bugs show up next year), you’re stuck, and they
probably aren’t using an open file format that can be hacked to do the right
thing.

These no-code tools also, in my experience, interact poorly with revision
control, basic teamwork, and other aspects of development. You can’t easily do
simultaneous edits for example.

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joaodmj
I want to launch a discussion on the future of software development. It’s a
fact that front-end development will be deprecated in a near future with tools
like Webflow, Squarespace or Wix. This will mean that the future of front-end
development will be made by designers or anyone with good sense of style. My
question for debate is: shouldn’t we already have a tool that allowed us to
build software on a visual / no code matter?

A non technical founder that don’t want to waste one year learning to code
should have tools available to build software without knowing any programming
language? Makes sense or is this just utopian?

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jiveturkey
"Waste" and "one year" are horrible assumptions behind this question.

What about "wasting" 4 years of high school and "wasting" a few years of
college? Why should someone with an idea be hampered by wasting this time? One
year is nothing, and even if it were a long time, it's not a "waste" \-- you
come out of it with a skill that is needed today, ie if you want to be part of
the technical side of the company you wish to found.

Secondly, a mere one year of study is not going to result in a skilled
practitioner. You will be able to make prototypes.

Digging a little deeper:

> *It's a fact"

No, it isn't. FE development is still not a "mature" space and Wix and the
like only offer rather trivial customizations to a well-defined and
constrained environment. What you describe as FE development is really content
creation and styling, not "development".

Now that I've poo-poo'd the thought, in counterpoint do you know about kintone
and the like? There's an entire ecosystem of no-code app development systems
out there already. Some of them probably qualify as "mature".

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zzzcpan
Any sufficiently flexible tool for development is pretty much
indistinguishable from a programming language. No-code programming is still
programming.

~~~
joaodmj
Interesting point. I have to agree 100%. No matter how you create an
application it will always have to have code. Even if for the user it may seem
a "no-code" app.

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nathan_long
Software without code is like food without ingredients.

Either somebody will describe to the computer what to do in sufficient detail
that it can do it, or they won't. If they do, their description is code. If
they don't, the computer won't know what to do and you don't have software.

~~~
joaodmj
The point is: can / should it be done on a "visual basis"?

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daedalbug
Can you explain why the certainty of 'It’s a fact that front-end development
will be deprecated in a near future' ? I'm fairly certain it's 'a
possibility', rather 'a fact'

~~~
joaodmj
I stated it is a fact because of the revenue numbers of Wix and Squarespace
(both around $500 Million / year). These numbers establish that they are
solving an actual problem. If you look for the next ten years and our kids
start to crate Apps and Websites with these tools, we can state with some
confidence it will happen. Don't you agree?

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sharemywin
Could you explain your premise?

I don't know of any "no code" development happening currently. Am I missing
something(probably)?

~~~
joaodmj
Please see my first reply.

