As a lazy, backslidden programmer, I feel like tools like Antigravity and Codex have changed my daily workflows, and despite some major weaknesses, I can’t recommend them enough.
For the better part of a decade, I have felt somewhat ashamed that I had allowed the skills gained during my Computer Science degree studies to wither and virtually disappear. It’s 100% a “me” problem, but like many graduates of my time (early 2010s), I was never stuck in one area of the tech industry to use the programming skills I had developed over a 3-year college degree.
I had worked on small projects here and there, but unfortunately, I’m almost ashamed to admit that I don’t find programming that fun or interesting. It has always felt like a routine. A means to an end. I liked the generation of ideas, the conceptualization, but I’m not interested in the implementation. I know, I know, maybe those ideas should never come true, you scream at your screen. That’s an incredibly fair criticism.
The very idea of a “vibration code” session seems lazy, because in many ways it is. And yes, I feel like maybe my mini-projects aren’t worth doing if I can’t get around and lay the groundwork on my own. The thing is, I felt that way until I used Codex and Antigravity just a few months ago.
If these tools exist and you know the limitations or at least have an idea of what you are doing. I think of it as “delegation” to a developer, a developer who depends on very clear and structured information to do the right things, or he will end up with all kinds of problems. I wouldn’t throw a junior developer under the bus, but some of my developer friends compare these tools to junior developers, so please don’t shoot the messenger!
Custom applications for your daily life
There are several reasons why my opinion has completely changed. As much as “productivity” can be a very toxic trait or used as a way to sell you a snake oil solution for your daily production, I can’t deny that one of the biggest obstacles in my time are those repetitive tasks that you do multiple times and find annoying over and over again.
Think about watermarking images, making adjustments in After Effects, compressing and converting files, adjusting colors in Photoshop, all that kind of stuff, and much more. In isolation there is no problem. En masse, incredibly tedious and very waste of time.
For years, I’ve searched for extensions, tools, apps, and scripts to try to automate the monotony. Then, after a regular conversation, I have about everything related to the process with my colleague jeff benjamin About this exactly, he suggested: “Why don’t you try using Codex to create that for you?”
I was perplexed why I hadn’t thought of it. I thought I was familiar with what new technology can offer, but it had never crossed my mind to even test the waters on this. I’ve tried to get Gemini to create some scripts for some animations in After Effects with very mixed success several times before, but I found the chat-style UI to be just a bad experience for doing anything code-related. Could I really code something that meets my expectations? Turns out you really can.
A dedicated interface designed to help you conceptualize and build an implementation plan before letting the AI loose to create that vision immediately felt more appealing. After a few hours of tinkering, I felt like I had opened Pandora’s box, at least in a good way.
I fell in love with the idea of being able to get AI to create a unique tool to suit my specific needs rather than buying a generic plug-in or add-on for potentially hundreds of pounds or dollars. It blew my mind and I felt so stupid for something I should know, or at least try.
I want to point out that I would never be foolish enough to claim that “I” built this. No, I actually outsourced the idea to Gemini, ChatGPT or Claude.
Half a year later, I have created several tools for personal use. Things that almost automate those annoying little tasks. I’ve refined processes, I’m regaining time to dedicate to other areas of my work, or at least I can dedicate more time to each area equally in ways I couldn’t before.
Personal over product
We are largely told that vibration coding for mass-released products is possible. I agree 100% with most software developers that you probably shouldn’t publish vibration-coded apps unless you can go back with a fine-tooth comb and know exactly how your app works. Maybe not line by line, but understanding the complexities is very important for both troubleshooting and troubleshooting.
Yes, you can create a prototype in minutes, but getting something working can take a few hours, days, or even weeks. Many people may not have the patience to see a project through from start to finish, and that is a big obstacle. You can have 80-90% of a project “done” and spend even more time fixing the 10%. To be transparent, this is something that put me off old-school software engineering in the past; The thing is that guiding a tool to try to solve those problems can be a success or a failure.
Not to mention that there are problems with releasing such powerful tools to those who do not have the ability to truly understand what they are doing with them, as vibration-coded applications can get out of control very quickly without strict barriers or direction. Spaghetti code begets spaghetti code, but that’s not as big a problem as it might be if your project is for personal or hyperlocal use only. Inherent security risks are something you should 100% consider before trying to build things at any scale. Please note that you may not have any idea about possible vulnerabilities. Hence my projects are always local.
Even with those obstacles or pain points, I can’t help but recommend a little vibration coding if you have an idea and want to make it a reality.
With the Googlebook will be launched later this year, There is a chance that vibration-encoded apps could fill the “app gap.” Maybe it’s a little complicated, but it could be a composite experience that will be better than the sum of its parts.
If that ends up being true, now might be the time to give Antigravity, Codex, or Claude Code a real shot, if you haven’t already. I can’t recommend it enough.
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