Why “there are no programmers” in science fiction matters to C/C++ developer

 

The article argues that in the fictional world of Star Trek, characters do not program computers in the way we do today. The machines are treated as intelligent agents — spoken to, rather than coded. I Programmer

For C and C++ professionals, this is more than a curious sci-fi observation. It invites us to question the nature of programming, the role of the engineer, and how those roles may evolve.

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The status quo: C/C++ in the trenches

Let’s ground the conversation in what we do today:

• In C or C++, we write explicit instructions: memory management, pointer manipulation, object lifetimes, algorithms, and so on.

• We assume that the computer (compiler + runtime) does not know what we intend unless we tell it — in code, in types, in logic.

• We debug, profile, optimise, refactor. We build abstractions (classes, templates, modules) so that our code is maintainable and efficient.

This is quite different from the “just speak to the machine” model in Star Trek: you don’t fire up make, open VS Code, or launch gdb — you simply say “tea, Earl Grey, hot” and the replicator does its job. I Programmer

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The sci-fi vision: programming disappears

In the article, James notes:

“There are lots of similar stories that emphasise the idea that programming is not just a dead art but an irrelevant one.” I Programmer

In other words, the idea is that machines become so advanced that they no longer require us to write code. Instead we ask them. We define our intent. They execute.

For C/C++ developers this is provocative: if the craft of writing manual memory-management code, careful template metaprogramming, low-level system optimisation becomes less important, what does that mean for our role?

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So what does this mean for C/C++ professionals?

Here are some reflections and implications.

1. Focus on why rather than how

If machines eventually handle the “how” (implementation detail), then your value shifts to defining why things should happen: architectural decisions, system design, domain modelling.

In C++, for example, you still choose whether to use RAII, move semantics, or lock-free data structures. That requires domain knowledge, not just syntax.

2. Embrace higher abstraction and performance discipline

C and C++ are still the languages of systems, embedded, real-time, high-performance computing. Even if “programming” becomes more conversational, many of those systems will still rely on C/C++ under the hood.

So:

• Ensure your code is robust, efficient, safe.

• Champion correctness (memory safety, concurrency correctness).

• Build the abstractions that expose “asks” to machines while hiding the “how”.

3. Evolve your role toward prompting, instructing, supervising

In the Star Trek metaphor, humans don’t code—they instruct, orchestrate.

In real life:

• You might work with AI-assisted tools that generate boilerplate or even significant chunks of C++ code.

• Your skill becomes how you frame problems, how you validate and refine generated code, how you integrate modules with constraints (latency, real-time, memory).

• Your value becomes judgement, architecture, verification.

4. Stay grounded in fundamentals

Even as abstraction increases, the fundamentals of C/C++ remain: pointers, lifetimes, aliasing, cache locality, templates, linkage.

Why? Because many of the “asks” you issue to machines will still be compiled down into machine code that obeys those fundamentals.

Thus review:

• Efficient use of data structures and algorithms.

• Safe modern C++ (e.g., using smart pointers, avoiding UB).

• Understanding of concurrency, memory models.

• Awareness of hardware and OS interface.

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Practical advice for C/C++ teams

Here are actionable tips for teams working in C/C++ today who also want to anticipate the shift toward “asking machines” rather than “manually coding machines”:

• Encourage “intent-driven” APIs: Design libraries where users express what they want, not how to do it. Under the hood the library (or tool) handles the how.

• Invest in code-generation and automation: whether via templates, code-generation tools, or AI-assisted completion — reduce boilerplate so you can focus on higher-level logic.

• Maintain performance visibility: even if generation becomes more common, have metrics, profiling, and performance budgets. Automation is no excuse for sub-optimum performance.

• Develop “meta” skills: as machines handle more of the manual coding, you’ll increasingly need skills like system architecture, code review of AI-generated code, safety/security review, domain modelling.

• Teach fundamentals to novices: for younger C/C++ developers, emphasise understanding of machine model, memory, concurrency — these remain the foundation even if the way they code changes.

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A forward-looking C/C++ mindset

In the end, even if we approach a time where we do not manually write every line of code, the mindsets we cultivate now in C/C++ will still matter:

• Precision: understanding what the machine does, how memory behaves.

• Ownership: responsibility for performance, correctness, safety.

• Abstraction: building structures that hide complexity while exposing clear intent.

• Adaptability: shifting from writing low-level code to designing high-level instructions.

The article’s provocative title — “there are no programmers in Star Trek” — is a challenge to us. It suggests that programming as we know it may change dramatically. But for C/C++ professionals, rather than signalling obsolescence, it signals evolution: our role shifts, the tools shift, the abstraction layers shift — but the core values of our craft remain.

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Conclusion

The sci-fi vision where machines simply “do what you ask” may not yet be our everyday reality. But by reflecting on that vision, C/C++ developers can better prepare for future shifts in how we work. Embrace higher-level intent, maintain your fundamentals, adopt automation, and focus on the value you deliver — not just the lines of code you write.

In short: keep writing great C/C++ code today, but also think about how you will ask machines tomorrow.

...till next post, bye-bye & take care.