I don’t really like AI and think “vibe coding” is stupid, but this might be the most disconnected-from-reality academic paper I’ve ever heard of.
Is the paper written with AI?
Essentially, the paper argues that AI tools install open source dependencies in a way that comes between software developers and project maintainers, undermining interactions that potentially return value to those doing the work of software maintenance.
I’m sorry… are you implying that before AI, people were intimately familiar with every dependency in a project?? Come on. This is why everyone ignores academic computer science.
There is a documented decline in Stack Overflow questions after the launch of ChatGPT
This is literally not true. The decline of Stack Overflow provably starts years before ChatGPT’s popularity growth. As a developer, I never used Stack Overflow starting in 2020. Other things became more useful, like Reddit, years before ChatGPT became usable.
Tailwind CSS is an embarrassing example to use as well.
curl ended their bug bounty program because idiots can’t help themselves with AI and it’s a total waste of time. I actually thought the article was going to be about that, not a few-years-old CSS project that obviously over-hired.
On their website they list no fewer than FORTY major corporate sponsors of the project.
Tailwind is supported by incredible partners and sponsors who make it possible for a team of talented designers and engineers to maintain the framework full-time.
This to me it sounds like Tailwind CSS is actually learning how open source projects are profitable over time. Unsurprisingly, acquiring all of your customers through their passive reading of your documentation has never worked for long. Ask Red Hat.