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Using vibe coding to build a small specialized tool for a small company that can be used instead of single feature of a commercial SaaS is doable and brings val
by koliber 8mo ago
Using vibe coding to build a small specialized tool for a small company that can be used instead of single feature of a commercial SaaS is doable and brings value.
Using vibe coding to build something to replace an enterprise SaaS offering for a medium to large company is not something to be taken lightly. The tool and the code is not everything. The operating environment, security guarantees, SLAs, support, and a bag of features you don't need today but might tomorrow is what the SaaS offerings bring to the table.
Imagine that I run a really good software house. I can literally build anything you want, feature wise, better than most. I do it quickly. You come to me and say you want to replace Slack for your team of 200, because Slack got too expensive. I say I can do it. Because I am feeling generous and you're my good friend, I will do it for free. However, I will just give you the code, a CI/CD script, and a README.md file. I will disappear and will not maintain or support your software, nor will I give you any guarantees on how well it will work, other than a "trust me."
I wouldn't take the offer.
- zozbot234 8mo agoThe Matrix folks have covered the "replace Slack internal chat" case already. They will give you the code so that you can bring the service up internally, or you can use any 3rd party hosted solution that provides the usual support and "enterprise" guarantees, for a price. Why can't this model generalize to sector-specific SaaS offerings that can now be prototyped cheaply via AI vibecoding?
- cowpig 8mo agoZulip is an actual slack upgrade
- notpushkin 8mo agoOr Mattermost, or Rocket.Chat, or... there’s tons of alternatives now. That’s not the point.
- kelnos 8mo agoAs much as the Slack UX has somewhat enshittified at this point, the UX of Matrix is still so so so far behind Slack that it's often not even worth considering. I hear Zulip could actually be a real alternative, though I have no experience with it.
- lumost 8mo agoThe question is how much further and faster can these tools evolve. Right now, you may not be faced with a valid choice to vibe code your own hubspot, but maybe some contractor firm will do it for you and sell an ultra low cost version. Will opus 6 do the same thing without the contractors while managing the deployment and maintenance as a claw?
- koliber 8mo agoAs with cold fusion, I think the answer is "it will happen", but no one can predict how soon.