Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.social
Jul 31, 2026, 1:10 AMIn engineering we say "Good, Cheap, Fast. Pick 2"'. AI is when you pick Fast twice.
Replies
Question GirlQuestionGirl@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 3:07 AM@loucyx good and fast
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 3:47 AM
@QuestionGirl good and AI are like water and oil, so I’m inferring you mean that you would choose good and fast over “fast twice” like sloperators do. It’s a good yet expensive choice, but if you have the resources, is a good option.
I personally prefer good and cheap, which means slow, but only initially. Slowly made good code is faster in the long run, but quickly made bad code will be slower in the long run.
The only true way to avoid debt is to not take loans to begin with 😊
adaddinsane (Steve Turnbull)adaddinsane@mastodonapp.ukJul 31, 2026, 6:02 AMPretty sure that's a bot.
- Question GirlQuestionGirl@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 6:21 AM
@loucyx I always avoid debt in my life, even though many things I took a risk in my final choice 😊🤜🤛
Jul 31, 2026, 3:34 AM@loucyx This triangle can be used in any job related circumstances btw. If someone expects all 3 you can show them the triangle.
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 3:54 AM
@Axolotl1 sadly there are a lot of companies getting comfortable with exploitation which is the “loophole” of this graph: You dismiss worker rights and suddenly you can get cheap work! :AAAAAA:
Jul 31, 2026, 4:37 AM
🌈 Kerblambuli 🦄ChrisUplus@chaos.socialJul 31, 2026, 6:18 AM- Jul 31, 2026, 6:25 AM
@ChrisUplus depends on country I guess. Majority of all workers are unionized in the ones I've worked in except for one (USA) @loucyx @Axolotl1
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 1:27 PM
@owl @ChrisUplus @Axolotl1 guess what country has the worst predominance of slop? Trust me, we want to have unions, but US companies love to union bust 🤬
Evelyn Estelledragonfi@social.jsteuernagel.deAug 1, 2026, 6:19 PM@loucyx @owl @ChrisUplus @Axolotl1 Exploitation is not a loophole in the graph though. Might work for a few weeks, but then reality catches up and you lose one (or more) of the three. Usually quality first, then speed, then cheap.
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialAug 1, 2026, 8:31 PM
@dragonfi @owl @ChrisUplus @Axolotl1 yeah, I guess my point is it only catches up if we do something about it. That’s why I said in several replies that “companies are getting comfortable with exploitation”. Workers have to stay united and keep fighting to protect our rights and to push back on exploitation.
Jul 31, 2026, 9:30 AM
Philip CrawleyIsItBroke@techhub.socialJul 31, 2026, 8:13 AM- Philip CrawleyIsItBroke@techhub.socialJul 31, 2026, 1:52 PM
bit101bit101@mstdn.socialJul 31, 2026, 6:52 PM@IsItBroke @Axolotl1 @loucyx funny, I get Good, Fast, CheALT
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 6:58 PM
@bit101 @IsItBroke @Axolotl1 I think you get ALT on the left in mobile, and ALT on the right in web :blobugh:
Brisingrbrisingr05@freeradical.zoneJul 31, 2026, 8:57 PM@loucyx @bit101 @IsItBroke @Axolotl1 I get ALT on the right on Tusky 😅.
- bit101bit101@mstdn.socialJul 31, 2026, 9:58 PM
@loucyx @IsItBroke @Axolotl1 oh no! I'm Alt Right???
- Jul 31, 2026, 10:28 PM
@bit101 @loucyx @IsItBroke how did we get here
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 11:00 PM
@Axolotl1 @bit101 @IsItBroke IDK, Ada ... people is getting weird, help!
- Jul 31, 2026, 11:46 PM
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 11:53 PM
Kaitokaito02@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 3:44 AM@loucyx AI, fast? 🤔
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 3:51 AM
@kaito02 don’t get me wrong, from my POV it’s slow in the long run (because it introduces never ending tech debt), but sloperators chose “fast twice” because they only think about speed and amount of code as metrics, they don’t even consider quality or cost.
Jul 31, 2026, 7:03 PM- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 7:17 PM
@erisceleste @kaito02 I believe you. To prove a point I once showed a coworker how much back and forward you have to do to get a descent form in React (that relies on the platform instead of reinventing the wheel with JS), and then I show them how much it took to actually do it yourself.
I guess, when I say "fast", I mean typing speed... on that side I'm slower than a LLM chatbot.
LukefromDCLukefromDC@kolektiva.socialJul 31, 2026, 4:03 AM@loucyx Imagine flying on-or sharing airspace with-a plane designed by AI
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 4:07 AM
@LukefromDC I don’t have to imagine it, I can just watch one of the many airplane accident movies hollywood produced over the years 🤣
Stéphane Charette 🇨🇦charette@mstdn.caJul 31, 2026, 4:27 AM@loucyx Sometimes you only get to pick one!
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 4:28 AM
@charette oh yes, 100%
�utf_7@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 5:00 AM- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 5:10 AM
@utf_7 @charette I agree, tho! I said this in the past, but from my point of view, there's no tradeoff between quality and speed. If you decide to make your app bad to make it "fast", it will only be fast initially, but the tech debt will make it slow sooner or later.
If you choose to make your app good, then you'll have to be slow initially, but you'll be faster in the long run.
The problem is this industry forgot about "long term", everything has to be done now ("move fast, break stuff" 🤢).
LastOfThemlastofthem@mastodon-belgium.beJul 31, 2026, 5:42 AM
Jul 31, 2026, 8:38 AM
CismonXcismonx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 4:30 AM@loucyx Quite a few people believe that with LLMs you can pick all three.
It could be true under certain circumstances, but whatever that is, it's certainly not healthy and/or ethical. (e.g., being fast but unsustainable; being good only for the business but not for the users; being cheap by exploiting others)
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 4:32 AM
@cismonx somehow looking for moral and legal loopholes while saying they can choose all 3 is so on brand for AI grifters 🤣
Centaureacentaureacyanus@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 6:18 AM
the roamerthe_roamer@mastodonapp.ukJul 31, 2026, 5:45 AMClaude will pick "two".
- Jul 31, 2026, 8:34 AM
@the_roamer
GPT will "pick pick" @loucyx 
Evasmolbrain@floofy.techJul 31, 2026, 6:04 AM@loucyx dwarf fortress is good twice ( just for its never ending status but it doesnt really have a price for lifetime work)
And gatcha games are cheap twice lol
Raffael1000Raffael1000@chaos.socialJul 31, 2026, 6:49 AM@loucyx The swabian (sothwest german) mentality tells me to choose good and fast, as it will be cheaper in the long run than replacing cheap things.
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 1:25 PM
@Raffael1000 if you have the resources to get fast and good, that’s good for you. Some of us pick good and cheap, and take our sweet time, but only initially. It gets fast in the long run. The worst choice is “fast and cheap”, because long run the debt will make it slow and expensive 😅
- SelSelvari21106@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 7:18 AM
@loucyx good and cheap please.
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 1:22 PM
@Selvari21106 ohh yis, the beauty of taking our sweet time working on a problem 💕
Jul 31, 2026, 7:25 AM"But did you see how quickly I did mine?"
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 1:21 PM
@nilz OMG that’s a great clip to use when talking with sloperators! I’ll start using it 🤣
Jul 31, 2026, 7:46 AM@loucyx except when you actually need it to work cause it might not do that at all.
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 1:20 PM
@elexia I agree! Long term choosing “fast twice” is choosing tech debt twice 🤣
@stevewfoldsstevewfolds@mastodon.worldJul 31, 2026, 7:59 AM@loucyx
iirc the triangle came from critical path method for manufacturing and construction. It is also applied to human relationships in several ways.- Jul 31, 2026, 8:29 AM
@loucyx
Fast2 means "faster than typing, but slower overall, because slop" - Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 1:19 PM
@androcat 100% … the fast that CEOs love: Fast now, long-term slow, but who cares about long term?!
Alessandroalorenzi@livellosegreto.itJul 31, 2026, 8:36 AM@loucyx with AI you take all 3 twice.
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 1:17 PM
@alorenzi lol, that’s what sloperators believe while generating the worst tech debt you’ve ever seen 🤣
- Alessandroalorenzi@livellosegreto.itJul 31, 2026, 1:42 PM
@loucyx lol that's what card punchers believe while compilers appears
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 1:47 PM
@alorenzi comparing slop to compilers is a stretch, but I guess you’re used to the mental gymnastics required to get behind LLMs. Sadly for you, I block grifters because I don’t think you deserve anyone’s time or attention, so…. bye!
Claudio Zizza 🦜SenseException@phpc.socialJul 31, 2026, 8:46 AM@loucyx Never confront a company with this. They don't want to hear it. They want all 3.
Jul 31, 2026, 12:08 PM@SenseException @loucyx when all 3 are selected, the solutions provider picks which one gets dropped
- Lou Cyxloucyx@mastodon.socialJul 31, 2026, 1:16 PM
@SenseException oh trust me, I know. But that’s because companies are getting way too comfortable with exploitation.
Owen G. Richards - ANTIFAscistOwen_G_Richards@writing.exchangeJul 31, 2026, 9:01 AMWhat about this version?
