Sufficiently advanced "low code" is indistinguishable from a framework or a library.
The main difference in practice is that most software that markets itself as "low code" obscures how it works and tries to lock you in to charge rent. Though to be fair, there is generally not much of a market for proprietary/non-OSS libraries and frameworks anymore, so if you want to monetize your library/framework low-code (or an API) is probably the way to do it.
Aside from that, I do think the "low code" label can be genuinely helpful as a way of communicating towards semi-technical users that the software they're using is intended to be usable with their level of technical sophistication. IMO this has been a perpetually underserved market, and it's growing over time especially as computer science/programming gains popularity in schools. There are a lot of people out there who understand basic programming and took maybe a couple CS classes in their life, and want to do something entrepreneurial or practical for their non-SWE jobs, but aren't skilled enough to dive right in to doing things the way experienced SWEs would do it.
This makes me think about Microsoft Access and why it never took off. It helps people create databases, forms, and reports. One might call it a no code solution as opposed to merely a low code solution. There are a lot of businesses that's ostensibly in the right place for Microsoft Access.
In my view there are certain aspects of app building that's hard. Some of it is in code, some of it is in design, some of it is in domain modeling. Every once and awhile you get stuck and your low-code solution is suddenly paralyzed at that one point. ChatGPT unblocks you until you REALLY need a programmer.
The real pain point low code seems to solve is boilerplate. Say that I am getting Django ready to go. To get started, have to Dockerize, swap to Postgres, add linting, swap out of the User model, etc.
But once all that is ready to go, it is about as fast as low code in my experience.
Meh, I've had successful things run just off of zapier and friends.
Sometimes the thing really is just the thing. The real thing is plenty of low code systems are just garbage. But Salesforce is the size it is because it's a successful "low code" system.
weitendorf|1 year ago
The main difference in practice is that most software that markets itself as "low code" obscures how it works and tries to lock you in to charge rent. Though to be fair, there is generally not much of a market for proprietary/non-OSS libraries and frameworks anymore, so if you want to monetize your library/framework low-code (or an API) is probably the way to do it.
Aside from that, I do think the "low code" label can be genuinely helpful as a way of communicating towards semi-technical users that the software they're using is intended to be usable with their level of technical sophistication. IMO this has been a perpetually underserved market, and it's growing over time especially as computer science/programming gains popularity in schools. There are a lot of people out there who understand basic programming and took maybe a couple CS classes in their life, and want to do something entrepreneurial or practical for their non-SWE jobs, but aren't skilled enough to dive right in to doing things the way experienced SWEs would do it.
threatofrain|1 year ago
In my view there are certain aspects of app building that's hard. Some of it is in code, some of it is in design, some of it is in domain modeling. Every once and awhile you get stuck and your low-code solution is suddenly paralyzed at that one point. ChatGPT unblocks you until you REALLY need a programmer.
Low or no code did not make sense until ChatGPT.
unknown|1 year ago
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MattGaiser|1 year ago
But once all that is ready to go, it is about as fast as low code in my experience.
aantix|1 year ago
It handless authentication, storing if auth tokens, can run periodic jobs without managing any infra.
Its great.
rtpg|1 year ago
Sometimes the thing really is just the thing. The real thing is plenty of low code systems are just garbage. But Salesforce is the size it is because it's a successful "low code" system.