Do you know how to operate a punch card?

Yes, and IBM has current documentation if you need to that has been updated in 2026: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos/3.2.0?topic=considerations-u...

It's generally and simply an encoding of what amounts to binary machine code which you translate via assembly code acting as a deterministic compiler from assembly to machine code if you are doing it manually.

LLMs aren't a deterministic process and human languages aren't as clear as machine code and assembly.

Yes. But Python isn't punch cards behind the scenes so it's not the same thing at all.

Besides. You're not asking <AGENT OF THE WEEK> to produce punch cards to jam into the PDP.

If I transported you to the 1960s and gave you a wizard that could punch cards for you with a chance of making a mistake, would you still bother to learn how to operate a punch card?

What would you do if the wizard gets stuck? Coarse the wizard into making the black box work through somebody else's direct perspective on the problem?

I don't think this is comparable.

It's more like a restaurant. You give an order and a little while later, a finished dish appears.

The difference between a Chipotle and a Michelin starred establishment is that Chipotle is just assembling a mass produced good. A Michelin chef knows their ingredients inside and out; knows the science of how those ingredients work; knows varied techniques to extract flavors, create textures, etc.

Anyone can work in a Chipotle; few can achieve a Michelin star.

> Do you know how to operate a punch card?

I remember! You created a control card, with tab stops and other controls, wrapped it around a control drum, and then had an easy time punching your source FORTRAN!

I just looked and found my old control drum, in the back of my junk drawer. But I can't find an old punch card machine in there, most have lost it somehow.

Do you maintain a system in which punch cards play a critical role?

Do you let your Jenkins re-inference your entire program from markdown files on each push?

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