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Phoenix.new – Remote AI Runtime for Phoenix

(fly.io)
638 points wut42 | 6 comments | 20 Jun 25 14:57 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source | bottom
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chrismccord ◴[20 Jun 25 15:54 UTC] No.44328933[source]▶
Phoenix creator here. I'm happy to answer any questions about this! Also worth noting that phoenix.new is a global Elixir cluster that spans the planet. If you sign up in Australia, you get an IDE and agent placed in Sydney.
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tiffanyh ◴[20 Jun 25 16:11 UTC] No.44329145[source]▶
Amazing work.

Just a clarifying question since I'm confused by the branding use of "Phoenix.new" (since I associate "Phoenix" as a web framework for Elixir apps but this seems to be a lot more than that).

- Is "Phoenix.new" an IDE?

- Is "Phoenix.new" ... AI to help you create an app using the Phoenix web framework for Elixir?

- Does "Phoenix.new" require the app to be hosted/deployed on Fly.io? If that's the case, maybe a naming like "phoenix.flyio.new" would be better and extensible for any type of service Fly.io helps in deployment - Phoenix/Elixir being one)

- Is it all 3 above?

And how does this compare to Tidewave.ai (created as presumably you know, by Elixir creator)

Apologies if I'm possibility conflating topics here.

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chrismccord ◴[20 Jun 25 17:04 UTC] No.44329739[source]▶
Yes all 3. It has been weird trying to position/brand this as we started out just going for full-stack Elixir/Phoenix and it became very clear this is already much bigger than a single stack. That said, we wanted to nail a single stack super well to start and the agent is tailored for vibe'd apps atm. I want to introduce a pair mode next for more leveled assistance without having to nag it.

You could absolutely treat phoenix.new as your full dev IDE environment, but I think about it less an IDE, and more a remote runtime where agents get work done that you pop into as needed. Or another way to think about it, the agent doesn't care or need the vscode IDE or xterm. They are purely conveniences for us meaty humans.

For me, something like this is the future of programming. Agents fiddling away and we pop in to see what's going on or work on things they aren't well suited for.

Tidewave is focused on improving your local dev experience while we sit on the infra/remote agent/codex/devin/jules side of the fence. Tidewave also has a MCP server which Phoenix.new could integrate with that runs inside your app itself.

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tills13 ◴[21 Jun 25 01:26 UTC] No.44333742[source]▶
> For me, something like this is the future of programming. Agents fiddling away and we pop in to see what's going on or work on things they aren't well suited for.

Honestly, this is depressing. Pop in from what? Our factory jobs?

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abrookewood ◴[21 Jun 25 02:21 UTC] No.44333964{3}[source]▶
Hopefully, from sitting by the pool drinking margaritas ... but I doubt we will get to keep our new found freedom.
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1. dkersten ◴[21 Jun 25 07:08 UTC] No.44335306{4}[source]▶
Never going to happen. More efficiency and automation won’t lead to more free time and money for the masses, it will lead to fewer people employed, and those that are will be working the same hours for the same money but outputting more. Only the rich people will benefit.

In the long term. In the short term, we get to do the same work but faster.

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2. freedomben ◴[21 Jun 25 10:38 UTC] No.44336377[source]▶
Indeed, why would an employer pay us a high salary to sit by the pool? The benefits will go to the founders/investors and the customers. They'll benefit greatly from the increased output and lower costs, but the middlemen (SWEs) will be cut out. That's a great thing if you're a founder/investor or a customer, but not if you're the middleman. New opportunities may come around, but I don't think that's inevitable. It remains to be seen.
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3. neuderrek ◴[21 Jun 25 11:36 UTC] No.44336711[source]▶
It will not be easier for founders/investor either. If couple prompts is all it takes to build your product, your potential customers will write those prompts themselves instead of buying your product.
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4. freedomben ◴[21 Jun 25 11:48 UTC] No.44336793{3}[source]▶
Hot damn, that's a great point! Although I fully expect the models at some point to say stuff like, "I'm sorry I can't generate a <whatever> because that would violate Apple's/Google's/Whatever IP" and then have them enforce it with the power of government (copyright/patent/regulation/etc). There's also lots of industries where compliance requirements create a moat that might be difficult to get past, though that's probably just a short/medium-term problem.
5. dkersten ◴[21 Jun 25 16:30 UTC] No.44338791{3}[source]▶
True. But someone at the top will benefit. Either it’s the companies that can produce more of something that the end user can’t easily replicate themselves for whatever reason, or at least the LLM providers.

What I mean is, it will create value. Just not for the masses. And maybe not for the small businesses. If anything, it will let the big corporations do even more: a few big players doing everything and no little players at all.

6. elbear ◴[22 Jun 25 19:34 UTC] No.44349636{3}[source]▶
Some people prefer to pay for others to handle things and take responsibility.