AI is just the latest Monoculture

3 months ago

AI is seen as a potential threat to innovation due to its reliance on existing code and tools.
The article argues that lock-in in software isn't new; it's been a persistent issue for decades.
Tools like Bun, Zig cc, and uv improve speed and reliability but maintain familiar interfaces to ensure adoption.
The C ABI is a universal standard not by design but by historical precedence, limiting language features at boundaries.
Most mainstream languages use curly braces, showing a preference for familiar syntax over innovation.
Hardware dominance (x86, ARM, NVIDIA) is largely due to existing software ecosystems and developer familiarity.
The web, despite its origins as a document platform, remains the dominant application platform due to switching costs.
AI is likely to reinforce existing computing monocultures rather than create new ones.

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