Beej on "Making"

What's this about?

Beej — author of the legendary free Beej's Guides to network programming — writes about why he still makes things by hand in the AI era: the point of making was never only the artifact, but what the making does to the maker.

What exactly is the argument?

If AI can produce the artifact instantly, handcraft looks irrational — unless the process itself (understanding, joy, identity) was the product. Same logic as woodworking in the IKEA age.

What's the community saying?

1. Split between "making is intrinsically valuable" and "I just want the thing to exist; AI is fine."
2. Many note the essay pairs with today's "quality non-fiction vs AI slop" thread — a visible hand-made-value genre is forming.
3. Affection for Beej himself gave the essay extra reach — a generation learned sockets from him.