The developer's work includes framing the problem, preparing context and judging the result.
Programming has always involved changing levels of abstraction. Assembly did not make systems thinking irrelevant. Frameworks did not remove the need to understand the runtime. Intelligent agents are another shift, but a particularly fast one: implementation can now begin before every instruction has been translated into code.
The medium becomes a system of intent
A metagrammer defines the problem, shapes the architecture, assembles evidence and constraints, chooses how work should be delegated, and judges the result. Code remains part of the practice, but it is no longer the only surface on which the practice is expressed.
- Frame the problem precisely enough to act.
- Make context portable and inspectable.
- Choose models and tools according to the task.
- Verify behavior, tradeoffs, and consequences.
- Remain responsible for what ships.
The developer moves up one layer without leaving the craft behind.
Judgment does not scale automatically
Agents can increase the quantity of attempted work. They do not decide which work matters, which compromise is acceptable, or whether a polished implementation answers the right question. As implementation becomes cheaper, taste and technical judgment remain essential.
Metagrammer is a name for this emerging practice. Suprark is one attempt to give it an environment.