[sjw987]

This seems like an incredibly defensive take for vibe coding personal apps.

Replacing some subscription app like Any.do, Google Calendar, fitness/diet tracking or basically any other CRUD-centric app, needn't be insecure, and a semi-competent developer can easily host it, continue further development (with or without vibe coding) and secure it. There's huge benefit for software developers that do find themselves using many of these apps with active subscriptions to make their own, tailored for themselves, and cut down their spending.

Yes, when it comes to commercialising such software, more work needs to be done (mostly in support and marketing), but for personal use it's fine. The author explicitly states they don't trust vibe coding enough to turn these into products.

The writing is hardly on the wall for all these companies which make little todo list apps and calendars. The vast majority of people could get a LLM to produce an alternative but the lacking they have in basic software engineering would eventually be a hurdle to further development. Most people will continue spending $1.00/month here, and $2.99/month there. There's no reason why software engineers need to do that anymore, unless paying this gives them access to some sort of content repository (music, books) or actual advanced software.

[bryanrasmussen]

>There's huge benefit for software developers that do find themselves using many of these apps with active subscriptions to make their own, tailored for themselves, and cut down their spending.

I guess if you're unemployed or in an area with spectacularly low wages, and don't have any ideas of your own that seem monetizable.

>Most people will continue spending $1.00/month here, and $2.99/month there.

If I make 100 dollars an hour as a consultant, and I spend 1 hour to make a local version that never needs any updating on my part to replicate a portion of that functionality I get for $1.00/month, it will take me 101 months to see any profit on my investment of time.

Cut my pay in half and I still need 51 months to see any profit. It would be idiotic for me to waste 1 hour on that.

And let's face it, code when made is a cost center, you will have to keep it up to date (so as to not introduce security hazards etc.) you will never break even much less earn anything for your time.

[sorenjan]

By that logic, how much did it cost you to write this comment?

[fragmede]

Now be the teenager with no college degree that you were before you ever made $100/hr. Most of your options then paid < $10/hr, if that. The calculus looks a lot different then.

The vibecoded threat isn't from Devin, the threat is from 15 year old nerds who no mortgage, partner, or responsibilities. Powered by insecurity, pride, and spite, plus a generous amount of teenage hormones. I would love to see What I could have built if I had Claude back when my reflexes were still powered by youth.

Plus, if you made an app that other people were paying $1/month for. Sell yours to people for $2/month (or $0.50/month, you decide!) and you'd recoup your money much faster than 51 months.

[trinix912]

Exactly. Most people are also not in the position to easily make $100/hr and be able to just burn money to "save time" with subscription apps.

There's another competition, your average folks who end up using physical notebooks, stock Notes/Calendar/... apps and Google Sheets when they figure the subscription isn't worth it anymore / they can't keep up with all of them due to rising CoL.

[ryandrake]

One’s time is only worth money if they would otherwise be making money. If they would otherwise be playing video games or watching Netflix, then the app they spent an hour on cost them nothing in opportunity cost.

[sitkack]

I now code for fun with AI because it can handle the boring parts. 80% of anything is mostly drudge. And while we can’t subsist on frosting alone, having assistant that can keep you in the zone is very rewarding.

Three major iterations from now this whole conversation will be quaint and everyone will have always thought this.

[acheron]

Almost nobody can just arbitrarily decide to go make money in a given hour. You work 40 hours a week, you get paid for 40 hours a week, and that’s it.

[sjw987]

And if they simply want something tailored for themselves?

Something designed without content suggestions, ads, influence and constant un-necessary redesigns, for privacy and to retain their own data.

Good for you economically. Some people are unemployed and underpaid. In fact, most are. Half of your post just came across as you broadcasting your economic success.