Whew, thanks for not being a knee-jerk about my 'mental prosthetic'! It takes real skill and understanding, I think, to even write the pseudocode or plain language description of a working script. After all, describing the problem and the outline of the solution is usually the hardest part. Pecking out the syntax takes the bulk of the time, but if you can avoid that step, what is lost? Very little in my experience.

I've begun collecting an assortment of custom python and shell script utilities to accomplish routine or one-off tasks for which system utilities don't exist. You bet you are still learning when doing it this way. After all, you have to understand the code well enough to tell if the output is what you need.

[–] renzev@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

After all, describing the problem and the outline of the solution is usually the hardest part.

This is what people who think that AI will replace programmers don't understand. Programming is a way of thinking; knowing all the syntax and best practices is of course important, but secondary. If you've got that curiosity burning inside, those skills will come automatically as you gain more experience. Keep on learning, and don't be afraid to use the latest tools to your advantage, no matter what snobs on the internet say!