Vibe Coding and Software For One

When I heard the term vibe coding, to me it sounded like something indie developers and creative coders use to enjoy experimental or exploratory programming. It sounded as if coders were being encouraged to write code based on how it "feels" rather than following rigid best practices or predefined structures. Why would you do that?

• To avoid overthinking – get ideas down without getting stuck in perfectionism.

• For rapid ideation – perfect for testing UI/UX concepts, game mechanics, or AI-generated content.

• To stay motivated – fun and engaging, making it easier to stay in a creative flow.

• For artistic expression – ideal for generative art, music, and experimental web projects.

So, What Is Vibe Coaching?

This new term - according to the Wiki page I read, was coined last month - it is all about generating code using AI. Computer scientist Andrej Karpathy, a co-founder of OpenAI, introduced the term vibe coding in February 2025 on Twitter. He said

"There's a new kind of coding I call "vibe coding", where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists."

Andrej Karpathy
@karpathy

You use prompt engineering to describe a problem to an AI tool created for coding - like Claude.ai - and the LLM then generates everything you need to create this production. Rather than sit and manually code everything you get to guide your LLM, get it to fix bugs, write tests and basically refine the source code it has generated.

I found a vibe coding manifesto. I do love a good manifesto! You can check it out at https://vibemanifesto.org/

Forget The Code

I am not sure I like the idea of spending thousands on my coding education just so I can "forget that the code even exists" but its giving very 60s, boomer vibes. I can just imagine someone with wide eyes and hands waving high as they tell me to forget the code even exists, man!

Still, I am very open to this new way of thinking, mainly because I used it just today without even knowing I was doing it.

I used Claude.ai today to create a project tracker.

While I love having pieces of paper and post-it-notes all over my desk I decided I wanted another way. So using my favourite tools - Django and Django REST Framework - I asked claude to create a project tracker for me.

Yes, I could have sat and coded it all out myself. Took a week (or three) to write it out and code it, but why bother?

It literally took me hours and now I have my own personal project tracker. It works in local development so I am not even sure whether I will bother deploying it.

I added my problem in Claude as a prompt and got back code. Then I literally did a cut and paste job for the majority of it. There were a few annoying things that I picked up on and told Claude to correct it - but on the whole it did most of the work.

Keeping AI On Track

While it's great to think you can prompt AI to provide code you still need to keep your hands on the wheel. Claude loves to go over the top, if you let it. I remember trying to build my Djangify site. All I wanted to focus on was a simple portfolio site. Before I knew it (this was when I was new to AI and didn't know better) Claude had created a backend folder with a frontend folder and FastAPI with all kinds of files and code. I spent weeks on trying to get it to work before I ditched it.

It taught me a valuable lesson. Keep AI on track or it will send you down a rabbit hole. It is really important to provide clear direction (via Project Knowledge) and continuously keep an eye on where AI is taking you. So now, I ask for an MVP. Something basic to start with and I build from there.

My journal prompt site is a great example. Right now you can get journal and memoir writing prompts. Next stage is to be able to save your favourite prompts in a members area. Stage after that is to provide a way of tracking your writing.

Vibe coding is great but you still need to have a hands on approach.

Software For One

So, I completed my vibe coding and then I realised there was another phrase I have adopted without knowing it...

As a concept, software for one, refers to software designed for a single user, either in terms of:

- Personal Software: Apps or tools meant for individual use (e.g., journaling apps, personal finance trackers, self-hosted dashboards like this project tracker, tools like my news aggregator).

- Solo development projects: Software created by a single developer for their own use, often without concern for scalability or team collaboration.

- Customised automation: Scripts or apps built to streamline a single person's workflow, like Python scripts for organizing files or tracking habits.

This is exactly how I would describe my project tracker. It was created with software for one in mind using vibe coding.

It is also how I would describe my News Aggregator where I collect all my favourite people I love to read and save my inbox from overflowing.

If I continue to use vibe coding does that mean I am not really a coder?

I don't have 10 years to perfect my coding craft. I'd much rather create things quickly and get things moving than spend months learning how to do things "properly".

I have seen my productivity reach new heights thanks to AI. I won't give it up. Not now anyway. Maybe not ever. I will happily part with that monthly fee for as long as it helps me build what I ask.