Hi, I am a computer nerd. I also took a computer programming class and got the highest score in the class, but I never followed up with advanced classes. Recently, I’ve thought of different ideas for software I’d like to try to create. I’ve heard about vibe coding. I know real programmers make fun of it, but I also have heard so much about it and people using it and paying for it that I have a hard time believing it writes garbage code all the time.
However, whenever I am trying to do things in linux and don’t know how and ask an LLM, it gets it wrong like 85% of the time. Sometimes it helps, but a lot of times it’s fucking stupid and just leads me down a rabbit hole of shit that won’t work. Is all vibe coding actually like that too or does some of it actually work?
For example, I know how to set up a server, ssh in, and get some stuff running. I have an idea for an App and since everyone uses smart phones (unfortunately), I’d probably try to code something for a smart phone. But would it be next to impossible for someone like me to learn? I like nerdy stuff, but I am not experienced at all in coding.
I also am not sure I have the dedication to do hours and hours of code, despite possible autism, unless I were highly fucked up, possibly on huge amounts of caffeine or microdosing something. But like, it doesn’t seem impossible.
Is this a rabbit hole worth falling into? Do most Apps just fail all the time? Is making an App nowadays like trying to win a lotto?
It would be cool to hear from real App developers. I am getting laid off, my expenses are low because I barely made anything at my job, I’ll be getting unemployment, and I am hoping I can get a job working 20-30 hours a week and pay for my living expenses, which are pretty low.
Is this a stupid idea? I did well in school, but I’m not sure that means anything. Also, when I was in the programming class, the TA seemed much, much smarter at programming and could intuitively solve coding problems much faster due to likely a higher IQ. I’m honestly not sure my IQ is high enough to code. My IQ is probably around 112, but I also sometimes did better than everyone on tests for some reason, maybe because I’m a nerd. I’m not sure I will have the insight to tackle hard coding problems, but I’m not sure if those actually occur in real coding.
The exact definition of vibe coding varies with who you talk to. A software dev friend of mine uses ChatGPt every day in his work and claims it saves him a ton of time. He mostly does db work and node apps right now, and I’m pretty sure the way he uses ChatGPT falls under the heading of vibe coding - using AI to generate code and then going through the code and tweaking it, saving the developer a lot of typing and grunt work.
I don’t even have to read everything you wrote past the question.
no. no it does not.
it doesn’t work for many reasons. most of all it doesn’t work when you need to improve or extend the code. handing it over to a new developer also doesn’t work.
If I ever see another developer vibe code IRL I will relentlessly mock them until HR is forced to get involved.
I vibe coded an AutoHotKey script to automate part of my job. It works.
Edit: FWIW you have to pressure it quite a bit to get what you want. One or two prompts usually won’t produce working code on the first attempt. Also you have to understand at least the basics of programing so that you know the right words to enter into the prompt to get the results you desire.
I have successfully written and deployed a number of large complex applications with 100% AI written code, but I micromanage it. I’ve been developing software for 30 years and use AI as a sort of code paintbrush. The trick is managing the AI context window to keep it big enough to understand its task but small enough to not confuse it.
Here’s Simon Willison’s write up of how he uses AI. He’s been using it for a couple of years and distilled his methods in this article. He also discussed when and how he vibe codes.
If you care about it at all, don’t vibe it otherwise go hog wild
People who vibe code are not using free LLMs, they are using custom AI code generation systems they pay subscriptions for. I don’t know which ones work best but I do have a close friend who runs a software company and he just bought subscriptions for all his employees to some system I’ve never heard of because the code it generated drastically sped up their development time.
Most likely Claude, it’s pretty much the best at the moment
A friend of mine is a senior full stack developer and just uses gpt 4o. He makes 300k a year doing it, so it can’t be that bad
It works short term. If you have a deadline tomorrow by all means.
Long term you need to be aware of not just the code but the theory behind the code. You can make it work if you’re promoting what you need and read the result, understand it and test it but if we pure vibe coding is probably too much. How are you gonna solve problems when you don’t fully understand how things work?
Another thing, a lot of AI generated code solves the problem in the most obvious often bad way. For example I asked the AI for help with an ORM limitation I was running into and so many times the code it suggested was just query the db, then filter in code afterwards