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I’ve been successfully shipping software since 1998. I just got the first payment on a greenish-field software product I’m doing on the side solo (that I couldn
by AndrewKemendo 4mo ago
I’ve been successfully shipping software since 1998. I just got the first payment on a greenish-field software product I’m doing on the side solo (that I couldn’t have done solo in 2019 without the tools). This is my workflow:
1. Client asks you to add a feature(s)
2. Spend two weeks unpaid walking the client through scoping down to the most minimal viable set of features that tests the business hypothesis and roadmap
2. I wrote up a reasonably exhaustive bullet list and sent it to a CGPT to write a draft formal definition of features describing what it should (and should not) do, how users can access it and what the suite of tests that we will need through TDD
3. Chat for 30 minutes with CGPT researching which data structures, algorithms, code libraries and external services might serve best to implement this feature.
4. Generate mockups and data schema alongside CGPT, to build the new feature, the tests to make sure it works as expected, and the documentation telling users how to use it and telling other engineers what they’ll need to know to maintain and debug it.
5. Generate minimum code to test the full data workflow.
6. Send repo and or working application binary to Claude and Gemini to critique
7. Adjust as needed. Deploy for client review and acceptance in sandbox. Promote to production
8. GOTO3 and loop
I can do in a week what would have taken a month a decade ago
- sureglymop 4mo agoPart 6 to me seems always totally useless. Whenever I let these tools look at existing repos they are too influenced by what's already there. I could even say "feel free to completely refactor or rewrite anything" and they'll still just do small performative changes. I've now changed my workflow to only using AI for prototyping and rewriting by hand once I can see something is viable. Takes longer but the results are always much better.
- AndrewKemendo 4mo agoI don’t have those problems You have to build your architecture modularly so you’re never having to reason about more than the schema and api-contracts for IPC
- sureglymop 4mo agoWell... again, I'm giving the LLM total freedom to destroy what's there and start from scratch. That could nudge it to structure the code base more like that. It would be totally different if I told that to a junior developer. But imo LLMs don't really structure code well or as well as humans could.
- AndrewKemendo 4mo ago> Well... again, I'm giving the LLM total freedom to destroy what's there and start from scratch Why would you use it like that as a default? Like the first thing you should do when talking to an LLM about a project is to have it discuss exit criteria, scoping, rules, and managing the smallest thing to ship to get iteration started
- timbaboon 4mo agoGOTO3 and loop? Don't you mean GOTO2 and loop ;)
- ben_w 4mo agoAt the moment the list goes 1, 2, 2, 3…
- AndrewKemendo 4mo agoSee what happens when I don’t use AI lol. Should be 4
- slopinthebag 4mo agoYou’re the founder and CEO of an AI startup but also vibecoding side gig work?
- AndrewKemendo 4mo agoNot CEO because I don’t like title, but yes In addition to many other things (like being a dad and farming peaches - hopefully 50 lbs this year)
- slopinthebag 4mo agoNice, respect
- AndrewKemendo 4mo agoThanks! I appreciate it
- holoduke 4mo agoFor websites this work. But now you are a core developer of the GTA6 engine. Your task is to create a fast efficiënt occlusion mapper. One that works from all angles. Has cavities and rt support. Good luck doing this with Claude. It's not gonna achieve this. Because only a handful of games achieved this partly. Maybe next gen AI can do it. But for complex tasks LLMs are still not good enough.
- AndrewKemendo 4mo agoYeah I’d agree especially in gaming