Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code

#201

Post by spicyusername » Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 3:56 AM UTC

blks wrote: post #180

cube2222 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you as far as project size for vibe-coding goes - as-in often not even looking at the generated code. But I have no issues with using Claude Code to write code in larger projects, including adapting to existing patterns, it’s just not vibe coding - I architect the modules, and I know more or less exactly what I want the end result to be. I review all code in detail to make sure it’s precisely what I want…

Sounds like so much work just not to write it yourself.

Getting it right definitely takes some time and finesse, but when it works you spend 30 minutes to get 4-24+ hours of code.

And usually that code contains at least one or two insights you would not normally have considered, but that makes perfect sense, given the situation.

Re: Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code

#202

Post by aurareturn » Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 4:15 AM UTC

__MatrixMan__ wrote: post #172

aurareturn wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems like progress is accelerating, not slowing down. ARC AGI 2: https://x.com/poetiq_ai/status/2003546910427361402 METR: https://metr.org/blog/2025-03-19-measuring-ai-ability-to-com...

Improved benchmarks are undeniably an improvement, but the bottleneck isn't the models anymore, it's the context engineering necessary to harness them. The more time and effort we put into our benchmarking systems the better we're able to differentiate between models, but then when you take an allegedly smart one and try to do something real with it, it behaves like a dumb one again because you haven't put as much wo…

The systems around the LLM will get built out. But do you think it will take 50 years to build out like you said before?

I’m thinking 5 years at most.

The key is that the LLMs get smart enough.

Re: Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code

#203

Post by yoz-y » Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 9:05 AM UTC

nindalf wrote: post #28

This is such a coincidence. I had the same idea a few days ago and also vibe coded a library using Claude. https://nindalf.com/books . The original version of this was meant to encourage me to read more, and I'm pleased to say it succeeded. I hit my goal for the year after a couple of lean years. I also like looking at my highlights and notes and this UI makes it easier to read them. My experience with Claude was mos…

This is neat. How do you fill this in? I assume the highlights and notes come from a Kindle or similar reader.

I also have a bookshelf (fully manual, in another comment), and I’m looking for better ways for retention. I do highlights but I rarely do notes. Also with audiobooks I have yet to find a good way to do this outside of my text note for each book I’m reading/listening-to.

Re: Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code

#204

Post by mentalgear » Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 10:31 AM UTC

cube2222 wrote: post #18

spicyusername wrote: post #4

These are the perfect size projects vibe coding is currently good for. At some point you hit a project size that is too large or has too many interdependencies, and you have to be very careful about how you manage the context and should expect the llm to start generating too much code or subtle bugs. Once you hit that size, in my opinion, it's usually best to drop back to brainstorming mode, only use the llm to help…

I agree with you as far as project size for vibe-coding goes - as-in often not even looking at the generated code. But I have no issues with using Claude Code to write code in larger projects, including adapting to existing patterns, it’s just not vibe coding - I architect the modules, and I know more or less exactly what I want the end result to be. I review all code in detail to make sure it’s precisely what I want…

There actually is a term for this LLM-assisted coding/engineering. Unfortunately it has been pushed away by the fake influencer & PR term "vibe coding" which conflates coding with unknowledgeable people just jerking the slot machine.

Re: Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code

#205

Post by nindalf » Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 12:27 PM UTC

yoz-y wrote: post #203

nindalf wrote: post #28

This is such a coincidence. I had the same idea a few days ago and also vibe coded a library using Claude. https://nindalf.com/books . The original version of this was meant to encourage me to read more, and I'm pleased to say it succeeded. I hit my goal for the year after a couple of lean years. I also like looking at my highlights and notes and this UI makes it easier to read them. My experience with Claude was mos…

This is neat. How do you fill this in? I assume the highlights and notes come from a Kindle or similar reader. I also have a bookshelf (fully manual, in another comment), and I’m looking for better ways for retention. I do highlights but I rarely do notes. Also with audiobooks I have yet to find a good way to do this outside of my text note for each book I’m reading/listening-to.

Yes, that's right. I mainly read on the kindle and I make a lot of notes and highlights while reading. These notes are synced to Amazon's cloud, which I can access by scraping read.amazon.com. I read paperbacks too, but I just add these to the library manually. No highlights from these.

I think highlighting is why I strongly prefer ebooks nowadays.

Re: Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code

#206

Post by SQLite » Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 2:02 PM UTC

simonw wrote: post #188

mtlynch wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dr. Hipp, I love SQLite but also had simonw's misapprehension that the project did not accept contributions. The SQLite copyright page says: > Contributed Code > In order to keep SQLite completely free and unencumbered by copyright, the project does not accept patches. If you would like to suggest a change and you include a patch as a proof-of-concept, that would be great. However, please do not be offended if we rew…

Yes, that "does not accept patches" line must have been where I picked up my incorrect mental model.

Website updated with more precise wording. Sorry for the confusion.

Re: Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code

#207

Post by convenwis » Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 5:07 PM UTC

boplicity wrote: post #75

spzb wrote: post #56

I am yet to see a vibe coded success that isn't a small program that already exists in multiple forms in the training data. Let's see something ground-breaking. If AI coding is so great and is going to take us to 10x or 100x productivity let's see it generate a new, highly efficient compression algorithm or a state-of-art travelling salesman solution.

> Let's see something ground-breaking Why? People don't ask hammers to do much more than bash in nails into walls. AI coding tools can be incredibly powerful -- but shouldn't that power be focused on what the tool is actually good at? There are many, many times that AI coding tools can and should be used to create a "small program that already exists in multiple forms in the training data." I do things like this very…

I've been thinking a lot about the fact that so much of our software has become engagement driven. E.g. Duolingo isn't optimized for learning a language, Facebook isn't optimized for connecting with your friends and family.

I wonder if AI coding tools might get out of this for some cases at least. Make an app that is clearly derivative but actually is optimized to do the thing it actually is supposed to do.

Harder with network effect apps but might be possible for others.

Re: Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code

#208

Post by QuinnyPig » Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 5:12 PM UTC

simonw wrote: post #179

SQLite wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, Simon, we don't "refuse". We are just very selective and there is a lot of paperwork involved to confirm the contribution is in the public domain and does not contaminate the SQLite core with licensed code. Please put the false narrative that "SQLite refuses outside contributions" to rest. The bar is high to get there, but the SQLite code base does contain contributed code.

Thanks for the correction, and sorry for getting that wrong. I genuinely didn't know that. Found that paperwork here: https://www.sqlite.org/copyright-release.html I will make sure not to spread that misinformation further in the future! Update: I had a look in fossil and counted 38 contributors: brew install fossil fossil clone https://www.sqlite.org/src sqlite.fossil fossil sql -R sqlite.fossil " SELECT user, COUNT…

Man, your behavior when you realize you got something wrong is something the rest of us can aspire to. This is one of the things I like the best about you.

Re: Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code

#209

Post by micromacrofoot » Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 5:53 PM UTC

wiseowise wrote: post #17

micromacrofoot wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah there's nothing special about taste most of the time, very few people even have a decent sense of it anyway you can tell by how many people earnestly share AI generated images, many are completely tasteless but people don't care

Author has a great taste, you can see it by just visiting their website.

didn't say that they didn't! but taste isn't really going to stave off AI

Re: Show HN: Vibe coding a bookshelf with Claude Code

#210

Post by simonw » Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 6:13 PM UTC

QuinnyPig wrote: post #208

simonw wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the correction, and sorry for getting that wrong. I genuinely didn't know that. Found that paperwork here: https://www.sqlite.org/copyright-release.html I will make sure not to spread that misinformation further in the future! Update: I had a look in fossil and counted 38 contributors: brew install fossil fossil clone https://www.sqlite.org/src sqlite.fossil fossil sql -R sqlite.fossil " SELECT user, COUNT…

Man, your behavior when you realize you got something wrong is something the rest of us can aspire to. This is one of the things I like the best about you.

It's a devious credibility hack!

I learned it from newspapers: papers that publish prompt and clear corrections when they publish mistakes are more credible than papers that don't acknowledge their errors.