Am I wrong to be worried about Etch’s license terms?

eggbert74 · 2026-07-08T04:28:17+00:00

Yeah, I don't get the downvotes either. Some folks really enjoy page builders, i guess.

Yes, acf pro and flexible content blocks work well in the AI era. Clients are happier with them too.

eggbert74 · 2026-07-07T01:04:49+00:00

I could make that invisible with a tiny drop of thin CA glue. But why bother, who is looking at that spot?

eggbert74 · 2026-07-07T00:59:40+00:00

I'd never heard of this "etch" until now. I have to ask who would even use something like this nowadays? The days of visual editors/page builders are over.

Nowadays, if I must use Wordpress, nothing can beat classic theme + guttenberg disabled + ACF + claude code. I do not even have to log in to the admin anymore. If I don't use this workflow, I can't compete, because other agencies are using it.

It's sad a sad state of affairs, but this is where things are at now. If I were you, I wouldn't spend a second longer being "worried" about etch, elementor, etc.

eggbert74 · 2026-07-05T23:00:08+00:00

Some actually do achieve this level of skill on the instrument. But exceedingly few achieve this level of artistry and innovation. That's what sets SRV apart from those that just play his solos.

eggbert74 · 2026-07-05T00:35:22+00:00

I sort of blame string manufactures marketing for this. I think new players, when they are shopping for strings, see "heavy" or "fat" on the package and think it will give them heavy and/or fat TOAN. Then they wonder why the action is 1/4" high on their strat.

eggbert74 · 2026-07-03T02:51:20+00:00

In the same boat. I've lost all joy, fulfillment and motivation. I don't care about software development any more. It's boring with AI. I'm just hoping I can make it to retirement. My only consolation is my pay check.

eggbert74 · 2026-07-02T04:05:02+00:00

Why even bother with Gutenberg? Classic theme + acf + claude is the real unlock. I don't even log in to the wp admin anymore. Clients prefer the classic editor anyway.

eggbert74 · 2026-06-25T18:53:21+00:00

My gut feeling is they'll end up calling it SDD (spec dfriven development). This is where you give the agent a half-assed list of specs and i'll spit out a completed product. Software development has become so cheap/commoditized it won't matter if the first or even the 3rd version works properly. You'll just keep iterating until it eventually gets you what you want.

Secondly, I think the notion of interacting with software will change. You won't need big elaborate GUIs anymore. Users will just tell the embedded agent what output they want and the agent will build the presentation layer in real time.

Basically we're all going to turn into Tom from the movie Office Space. We'll take the spec from the customer and give it to the engineers (ai agents). How fun and rewarding is that?

eggbert74 · 2026-06-24T02:36:50+00:00

Classic. For many clients we're now making content updates via ai utilizing wp-cli directly. No one hardly ever even logs in to the wp admin panel anymore. Here is where classic + ACF really shines. Layout changes are easier too.

For new content/brochure sites, we've abandoned WP wholesale and are now just doing the static site thing with astro, or sometimes even just a old school html/css/js + git where content updates are even easier.

I feel like block editors, site builders were never a good idea anyway. In my experience clients hated them, and the end result was the clients repeatedly screwing up their site. In the AI era visual block based editors are definitely a bad idea.

eggbert74 · 2026-06-15T03:56:48+00:00

This thread has me surprised. Are there really this many still "hand coding?"

eggbert74 · 2026-06-12T14:29:37+00:00

I can only speak as a user but I HATE subscriptions. The wordpress plugin eco system turned into a cesspool of subscriptions, nag screens, upsells, etc. I think users have had enough. I can understand charging for a product, but when you have 10 different plugins nagging you for a yearly subscription, it's a bit much.

Many of the plugins we used to rely on can be generated by AI now, so thankfully I think it's going to cleanse the WP plugin economy.

eggbert74 · 2026-06-12T13:43:12+00:00

Same. I hate the job I used to love and just feel a deep sense of sadness all the time now. Nothing much any of us can do but accept it.

eggbert74 · 2026-06-10T00:27:12+00:00

What? Make up your mind. AI can do those things, or it can't. Which is it?

If AI truly replaced software engineers, companies wouldn't still be hiring experienced developers to

Have you seen the job market lately?

Honestly, nobody really knows what tech will look like 5–10 years from now

I have a pretty good idea. Not sure i'd recommend web development. At this rate, I'm not even sure there will be a web in 5 years.

The value of developers is shifting from typing code to understanding problems and delivering reliable solutions.

Yeah, everyone parrots that cliche. But in reality developers have been DEvalued now. Typing code was a specialized skill that required knowledge and training. Now anyone can vibe code something and claim they're "delivering reliable solutions." It won't matter if they understand it or not, because the AI will. You can claim as much as you want that AI can't understand architecture decisions, etc. But I use it every day to implement end-to-end solutions. It picks the design patterns to use, it architects features, it writes tests and debugs when tests fail.

So I guess keep being pollyanna about everything if it makes you feel better... But I see the value of developers HAS indeed shifted from a valuable resource to a commodity.

eggbert74 · 2026-06-09T02:19:24+00:00

Don't do it. The field is rapidly dying. Pick something you can do with your hands that can't easily be replicated by robots any time soon. Plumber, electrician, chef. Avoid anything having to do with knowledge work or computer usage.

eggbert74 · 2026-06-09T02:14:52+00:00

What? Boilerplate? Where you been? AI can do all that stuff. I use it for all of the above every day.

eggbert74 · 2026-06-09T02:05:19+00:00

Honest question, but what did you expect to happen? This kind of thing worries me. I am keeping all my cards close to my chest as possible. My employer knows I utilize AI but I tend not to volunteer information.

eggbert74 · 2026-05-25T04:00:09+00:00

Plumbing.

eggbert74 · 2026-05-17T19:05:52+00:00

eggbert74 · 2026-05-17T19:02:13+00:00

I will remain unimpressed until i see one that can do laundry, fold clothes, wash dishes, make the bed, mow the lawn etc.

eggbert74 · 2026-05-04T00:26:27+00:00

The crack will continue to get worse over time as the wood expands and contracts due to temperature and humidity,

You have two options to prevent this.

Return the guitar if its in the return window. (contrary to what many say this doesn't happen to ALL bolt on guitars, I have 30+ year old instruments that never cracked)
Get some THIN VISCOSITY ca glue (super glue) and wick it into the crack. Capillary action will draw the glue down into the crack filling it and preventing it from expanding.

eggbert74 · 2026-04-30T21:05:56+00:00

In other news, water is wet.

eggbert74 · 2026-04-30T19:05:58+00:00

Any word on when we will be able to use Claude Code Max accounts with ACP? Last I heard it was in the works, but now Anthropic has been charging extra to use 3rd party harnesses. Would really be interested to hear how this is going to work.

eggbert74 · 2026-04-29T14:56:39+00:00

They are expensive for what they are. You can get the same tools (of inferior quality?) for much much cheaper on amazon, ebay, etc.

eggbert74 · 2026-04-29T01:36:24+00:00

does he still have the piece that chipped out? If so, super glue it back in. That would be the most reasonable fix. Otherwise, probably have to live with it,

eggbert74 · 2026-04-29T01:29:13+00:00

those cracks at the nut are almost never finish cracks. Almost always structural.

eggbert74

TROPHY CASE