←back to thread

548 points kmelve | 3 comments | | HN request time: 0.507s | source
Show context
swframe2 ◴[] No.45108930[source]
Preventing garbage just requires that you take into account the cognitive limits of the agent. For example ...

1) Don't ask for large / complex change. Ask for a plan but ask it to implement the plan in small steps and ask the model to test each step before starting the next.

2) For really complex steps, ask the model to write code to visualize the problem and solution.

3) If the model fails on a given step, ask it to add logging to the code, save the logs, run the tests and the review the logs to determine what went wrong. Do this repeatedly until the step works well.

4) Ask the model to look at your existing code and determine how it was designed to implement a task. Some times the model will put all of the changes in one file but your code has a cleaner design the model doesn't take into account.

I've seen other people blog about their tricks and tips. I do still see garbage results but not as high as 95%.

replies(20): >>45109085 #>>45109229 #>>45109255 #>>45109297 #>>45109350 #>>45109631 #>>45109684 #>>45109710 #>>45109743 #>>45109822 #>>45109969 #>>45110014 #>>45110639 #>>45110707 #>>45110868 #>>45111654 #>>45112029 #>>45112178 #>>45112219 #>>45112752 #
dontlaugh ◴[] No.45109969[source]
At that point, why not just write the code yourself?
replies(4): >>45110017 #>>45110032 #>>45110323 #>>45111832 #
kyleee ◴[] No.45110032[source]
Partly it seems to be less taxing for the human delivering the same amount of work. I find I can chat with Claude, etc and work more. Which is a double edged sword obviously when it comes to work/life balance etc. But also I am less mentally exhausted from day job and able to enjoy programming and side projects again.
replies(1): >>45110254 #
nicoburns ◴[] No.45110254[source]
I guess each to their own? I can easily end up coding for 16 hours straight (having a great time) if I'm not careful. I can't imagine I'd have as much patience with an AI.
replies(1): >>45110327 #
1. KerrAvon ◴[] No.45110327[source]
I wonder if this is an introvert vs extrovert thing. Chatting with the AI seems like at least as much work as coding to me (introvert). The folks who don't may be extroverts?
replies(2): >>45110376 #>>45111506 #
2. dpkirchner ◴[] No.45110376[source]
I don't feel like I need to say too much to the agent to get my work done. I'm pretty dang introverted.

I just don't enjoy the work as much as I did when was younger. Now I want to get things done and then spend the day on other more enjoyable (to me) stuff.

3. halfcat ◴[] No.45111506[source]
There is some line here. I don’t know if it’s introvert/extrovert but here are my observations.

I’ve noticed colleagues who enjoy Claude code are more interested in “just ship it!” (and anecdotally are more extroverted than myself).

I find Claude code to be oddly unsatisfying. Still trying to put my finger on it, but I think it’s that I quickly lose context. Even if I understand the changes CC makes, it’s not the same as wrestling with a problem and hitting roadblocks and overcoming. With CC I have no bearing on whether I’m in an area of code with lots of room for error, or if I’m standing in the edge of a cliff and can’t cross some line in the design.

I’m way more concerned with understanding the design and avoiding future pain than my “ship it” colleagues (and anecdotally am way more introverted). I see what they build and, yes, it’s working, for now, but the table relationships aren’t right and this is going to have to be rebuilt later, except now it’s feeding a downstream report that’s being consumed by the business, so the beta version is now production. But the 20 other things this app touches indirectly weren’t part of the vibe coding context, so the design obviously doesn’t account for that. It could, but of course the “ship it” folks aren’t the ones that are going to build out lengthy requirements and scopes of work and document how a dozen systems relate to and interact with each other.

I guess I’m seeing that the speed limit of quality is still the speed of my understanding, and (maybe more importantly) that my weaponizing of my own obsession only works when I’m wrestling and overcoming, not just generating code as fast as possible.

I do wonder about the weaponized obsession. People will draw or play music obsessively, something about the intrinsic motivation of mastery, and having AI create the same drawing, or music, isn’t the same in terms of interest or engagement.