Comment by rgoulter
2 days ago
Hmm.
Using e.g. Claude code: I could see this as next step: "plain text editor" progresess to "with autocomplete"; using an LLM coding agent is then an abstraction over editing code.
Using e.g. LLM-based system: natural language is "higher level" than program code. -- The maximal reading of "LLMs are higher level abstraction and higher level wins" would be: in the future, we'll all be writing only with natural language, never running any compiled programs.
I can see "LLM based coding" as a lasting paradigm shift. But, I don't see "just give your text instructions to the markdown file" as something that will be the predominant way of programming.
Markdown instructions are useful as durable context, but they do not replace programming. Their job is to keep intent out of a transient chat so both the developer and agent can revisit it. The actual constraints still belong in code: types, tests, linters, and dependency rules. Natural language can explain why a boundary matters; executable checks determine whether a change respects it. That feels more like a persistent layer around the programming workflow than a new programming language.