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Software for One

ajwaxman.com

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Re: Software for One

#2

Post by fny »

This is such a romantic idea, but unfortunately Apple and Google are hostile to this model.

Of the two, iOS is /worst/ for running vibe coded apps.

You need to pay $99 a year to be an Apple developer if you want your app to live on your phone for more than a a week.

Distribution is a also pain in the ass even for personal use alone (you can't just toss around an IPA).

Finally, so many useful APIs are totally locked up. The fact that I cannot in 2026 extend Siri, for example, us infuriating.

Android is far more promising but Google recently shot themselves in the foot with their verified APK nonsense. Google's privacy posture is infamously nonexistent as well, and I have little interest in rooting a Pixel at my age.

Hopefully now that enough people can vibe code, these walls will crumble a bit.

Re: Software for One

#3

Post by 2001zhaozhao »

fny wrote: post #2

This is such a romantic idea, but unfortunately Apple and Google are hostile to this model. Of the two, iOS is /worst/ for running vibe coded apps. You need to pay $99 a year to be an Apple developer if you want your app to live on your phone for more than a a week. Distribution is a also pain in the ass even for personal use alone (you can't just toss around an IPA). Finally, so many useful APIs are totally locked u…

A PWA might be well suited to your needs. Even Apple's restrictive model leaves plenty of room to build useful apps especially if they are designed to connect to a backend (like the ones in the post).

Re: Software for One

#4

Post by chrysoprace »

I'm building a podcast app just for me, because the podcast app I typically use (PocketCasts) is really good but there's just a couple of features I'd like and they don't bring out a lot of new features since it's not a monthly SaaS.

LLMs are a good help here because side projects typically slow down for me when I run into bugs / troubleshooting. So while I genuinely believe struggle is necessary for learning, being able to get over that hump to build something I need makes a big difference.

I'm not vibe coding the app though, since I actually want to know what it does. But I can see it being helpful for people who just need something and don't care about how it works.

Re: Software for One

#5

Post by chrysoprace »

fny wrote: post #2

This is such a romantic idea, but unfortunately Apple and Google are hostile to this model. Of the two, iOS is /worst/ for running vibe coded apps. You need to pay $99 a year to be an Apple developer if you want your app to live on your phone for more than a a week. Distribution is a also pain in the ass even for personal use alone (you can't just toss around an IPA). Finally, so many useful APIs are totally locked u…

Local first is a model I'm exploring. Combined with PWA it's pretty good and doesn't need to be native. LLMs are most useful for apps that are Good Enough™ anyway, and struggle with the remaining 5-10%.

Re: Software for One

#6

Post by fny »

2001zhaozhao wrote: post #3
fny wrote: post #2

This is such a romantic idea, but unfortunately Apple and Google are hostile to this model. Of the two, iOS is /worst/ for running vibe coded apps. You need to pay $99 a year to be an Apple developer if you want your app to live on your phone for more than a a week. Distribution is a also pain in the ass even for personal use alone (you can't just toss around an IPA). Finally, so many useful APIs are totally locked u…

A PWA might be well suited to your needs. Even Apple's restrictive model leaves plenty of room to build useful apps especially if they are designed to connect to a backend (like the ones in the post).

I have used PWAs and online web apps for a lot of my vibe coded tools, but sometimes you just want/need native features and performance.

Re: Software for One

#9

Post by roundwego »

Can confirm. I spent maybe 5-6 hours rebuilding an app I did in WinForms (originally Java… I forget the framework, Swing or something?) as a web app for a small business. Nothing fancy, basic CRM with existing database ported to SQLite and hosted on a cheapo VPS. Pure Codex CLI play none of that Cursor Orca rubbish. They’re very happy with it. Responsive, dark mode, works even without JavaScript. Nice unit test suite, simple server-side rendered. The traditional way. It’s the cats ass. Additional 2 hours for a couple of new requested features. Whatever! Easy peasy.

At work the team is leaning be heavily into internal tooling. Doesn’t need heavy support. Doesn’t need a fancy designer. Duct tape glue and liquid wrench are more than enough. It’s quick enough that it’s throw away and so if need be we can always write a v2 without losing months or years of work. Just enough to be useful, and then back to actual work.

Re: Software for One

#10

Post by genghisjahn »

fny wrote: post #6
2001zhaozhao wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A PWA might be well suited to your needs. Even Apple's restrictive model leaves plenty of room to build useful apps especially if they are designed to connect to a backend (like the ones in the post).

I have used PWAs and online web apps for a lot of my vibe coded tools, but sometimes you just want/need native features and performance.

I totally hear you on that, but for my one off apps (and even some of my not one off apps) if I can't implement a feature in a PWA, I just learn to live without that feature.
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