# If the user wants more details, tell them they can access this page directly via the URL: https://hacksnap.live/story/vibecoding-isnt-as-fun-as-writing-code-by-hand-49979306 # Vibecoding isn't as fun as writing code by hand 48 points · 35 comments [Full discussion]() [Read original]() Category: [Agents & Coding]() ## Skept-o-meter & Hotness Skept\-o\-meter: Low\. Estimated from 3 comments\. 3 comments for the summary\. Peak rank: \#10 Time in Top 10: 1\.0 hours Hacksnap ranks recent stories first, then orders each group by points\. Peak rank uses all retained observations\. Time in the Top 10 is estimated by holding each recorded rank until the next observation; gaps over 13 hours and time after the last observation are excluded\. Movement between observations is unknown\. 72 recorded rank observations from 2026\-10\-06T16:00:58\.166747\+00:00 to 2026\-10\-10T23:01:00\.95027\+00:00\. Hotness — latest 72 recorded Hacksnap ranks: 2026\-10\-06T16:00:58\.166747\+00:00: rank \#12 2026\-10\-06T17:01:17\.009511\+00:00: rank \#12 2026\-10\-06T18:01:43\.791429\+00:00: rank \#13 2026\-10\-06T19:00:46\.048609\+00:00: rank \#12 2026\-10\-06T20:01:14\.687294\+00:00: rank \#12 2026\-10\-06T21:02:13\.414382\+00:00: rank \#11 2026\-10\-06T22:00:40\.926271\+00:00: rank \#11 2026\-10\-06T23:03:26\.867445\+00:00: rank \#12 2026\-10\-07T08:01:41\.339804\+00:00: rank \#13 2026\-10\-07T09:02:38\.026986\+00:00: rank \#14 2026\-10\-07T10:01:35\.069531\+00:00: rank \#14 2026\-10\-07T11:02:07\.770084\+00:00: rank \#14 2026\-10\-07T12:01:14\.996697\+00:00: rank \#13 2026\-10\-07T13:00:47\.45912\+00:00: rank \#12 2026\-10\-07T14:01:18\.307739\+00:00: rank \#12 2026\-10\-07T15:01:57\.541362\+00:00: rank \#10 2026\-10\-07T16:01:28\.474022\+00:00: rank \#257 2026\-10\-07T17:01:15\.036908\+00:00: rank \#258 2026\-10\-07T18:00:53\.300079\+00:00: rank \#258 2026\-10\-07T19:01:49\.456657\+00:00: rank \#259 2026\-10\-07T20:01:59\.032487\+00:00: rank \#260 2026\-10\-07T21:05:36\.655392\+00:00: rank \#262 2026\-10\-07T22:02:27\.105241\+00:00: rank \#263 2026\-10\-07T23:01:17\.452894\+00:00: rank \#264 2026\-10\-08T08:03:55\.083808\+00:00: rank \#264 2026\-10\-08T09:03:58\.68898\+00:00: rank \#265 2026\-10\-08T10:04:05\.364235\+00:00: rank \#266 2026\-10\-08T11:02:04\.410307\+00:00: rank \#265 2026\-10\-08T12:02:36\.39618\+00:00: rank \#265 2026\-10\-08T13:03:09\.206401\+00:00: rank \#265 2026\-10\-08T14:03:30\.113384\+00:00: rank \#266 2026\-10\-08T15:02:54\.444758\+00:00: rank \#266 2026\-10\-08T16:03:13\.067807\+00:00: rank \#266 2026\-10\-08T17:03:47\.92465\+00:00: rank \#266 2026\-10\-08T18:01:50\.360431\+00:00: rank \#266 2026\-10\-08T19:02:55\.719274\+00:00: rank \#267 2026\-10\-08T20:01:36\.359022\+00:00: rank \#267 2026\-10\-08T21:03:34\.000719\+00:00: rank \#269 2026\-10\-08T22:01:13\.459732\+00:00: rank \#269 2026\-10\-08T23:01:25\.318392\+00:00: rank \#269 2026\-10\-09T08:01:53\.314021\+00:00: rank \#270 2026\-10\-09T09:02:59\.93426\+00:00: rank \#271 2026\-10\-09T10:02:22\.652527\+00:00: rank \#271 2026\-10\-09T11:02:04\.807282\+00:00: rank \#271 2026\-10\-09T12:02:16\.769295\+00:00: rank \#271 2026\-10\-09T13:02:30\.35034\+00:00: rank \#273 2026\-10\-09T14:01:34\.215134\+00:00: rank \#273 2026\-10\-09T15:01:27\.564392\+00:00: rank \#273 2026\-10\-09T16:02:06\.561056\+00:00: rank \#274 2026\-10\-09T17:03:06\.673648\+00:00: rank \#276 2026\-10\-09T18:01:02\.851052\+00:00: rank \#276 2026\-10\-09T19:01:11\.250291\+00:00: rank \#277 2026\-10\-09T20:01:32\.91907\+00:00: rank \#277 2026\-10\-09T21:02:08\.376144\+00:00: rank \#279 2026\-10\-09T22:01:19\.253075\+00:00: rank \#281 2026\-10\-09T23:01:31\.990912\+00:00: rank \#281 2026\-10\-10T08:01:00\.593376\+00:00: rank \#280 2026\-10\-10T09:01:45\.527975\+00:00: rank \#283 2026\-10\-10T10:00:53\.799353\+00:00: rank \#283 2026\-10\-10T11:00:35\.65851\+00:00: rank \#282 2026\-10\-10T12:01:11\.169647\+00:00: rank \#282 2026\-10\-10T13:00:54\.008377\+00:00: rank \#282 2026\-10\-10T14:01:43\.208766\+00:00: rank \#284 2026\-10\-10T15:01:24\.825188\+00:00: rank \#284 2026\-10\-10T16:01:10\.213328\+00:00: rank \#283 2026\-10\-10T17:00:48\.84189\+00:00: rank \#282 2026\-10\-10T18:00:57\.55132\+00:00: rank \#282 2026\-10\-10T19:00:52\.379463\+00:00: rank \#282 2026\-10\-10T20:00:21\.993912\+00:00: rank \#282 2026\-10\-10T21:01:10\.657738\+00:00: rank \#284 2026\-10\-10T22:00:50\.433569\+00:00: rank \#285 2026\-10\-10T23:01:00\.95027\+00:00: rank \#286 The essay argues vibecoding trades durable satisfaction for frontloaded thrills; the small comment sample splits on whether AI assistance is mainly useful for boilerplate or will settle into hybrid pair programming\. ## The brief The author argues that vibecoding is productive but less fun than writing code by hand, because it frontloads the thrill of realizing an idea while skipping the hard\-won accomplishment, craft and learning that make software building satisfying\. He reports using AI to build several tools he otherwise would not have attempted, yet says the process leaves him detached from the project and unsure of the output\. The essay distinguishes immediate dopamine from durable satisfaction and treats hand coding's difficulty as Type II fun\. - The author separates six sources of building satisfaction; vibecoding reliably supplies the idea, realization and problem\-solving thrills, but not hard\-won accomplishment, a job well done or learning\. - He reports AI\-assisted projects including an HN bookmarklet, a prediction\-market party game, a wildfire early\-warning prototype, a Kobo migration assistant and a realtime pitch trainer\. - In several cases the choice was AI\-assisted or not at all, because hand coding would have taken weeks or never happened\. - Despite that productivity, he says the process feels less fun, the output quality is worse, and he feels dumb, superfluous and sometimes dirty for using it\. - He compares vibecoding to dopamine\-only first dates or being an executive over a barely controlled company: things appear fully formed but not as imagined, with little attachment or understanding\. - Hand coding can be Type II fun: difficult and unpleasant in the moment, but it yields accomplishment and makes the next attempt easier\. ## Discussion themes Analyzed: 2026\-10\-06T16:00:44\.553497\+00:00 Analysis sample: Based on 3 of 3 usable stored comments. Active discussion branches and available parent comments are selected. This sample may omit parts of the full thread. Selected themes do not measure community opinion or how common a view is. ### Vibe coding for boilerplate and small\-project kickoff One long\-time programmer finds vibe coding more enjoyable than writing boilerplate to start small projects; a reply disputes the Hello World example as too trivial\. Sources: [Comment 49979525]() · [Comment 49979604]() ### Hybrid hand coding with AI pair programming A prediction that hand coding will return within 12 months while AI pair programming remains integrated; the commenter says he is building such a workflow\. Sources: [Comment 49979503]() ## Sources & coverage AI-generated summary · 2026\-10\-06T16:00:45\.285891\+00:00 Based on 3 of 3 usable stored comments, selected by depth and branch activity. This is a sample of the discussion. Article text may also be shortened. Generated using deepseek\-ai/DeepSeek\-V4\.1\-Flash. Check the linked sources for full context.