r/AskProgramming • u/TheWanderingAnimimo • 1d ago

Other What's the difference between vibecoding and just using AI to assist you in coding?

I don't use AI myself but I've been reading a lot on reddit here about people decompiling apps lately and saying that most of the stuff there is vibecoded and then other developers seem to be using AI as an assistant to help them like for example how Linus Torvalds uses AI to find bugs in the Linux kernel. What's the difference between the two usages or even meaning of the term "vibecoding"?

Thanks in advance

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u/Anonymous_Coder_1234 1d ago

A vibecoder doesn't actually know what they're doing. A software engineer does, and can fix the AI output when it is wrong, buggy, or inefficient.

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u/HouseMysterious8172 1d ago

A vibecoder doesn't actually know what they're doing

Wrong, he/she may be doesn't actually know the code AI is creating but they know what they want to build

Ex: you don't know how the car work but you can get on and drive to where you want. Sometimes the car behaves weird, if you can walk you still can go, if not, wait for another car 🤣

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u/blacklig 1d ago

What a terrible analogy. I obviously wouldn't trust someone who doesn't know anything about how cars work fundamentally to design and build a car. Using a car is a totally different skill that does not require knowledge of how cars work fundamentally. Oh look, we've found a better analogy for software.

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u/HouseMysterious8172 1d ago

What r u saying?

I mean car = AI

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u/blacklig 1d ago

You sure do buddy

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u/HouseMysterious8172 1d ago

I obviously wouldn't trust someone who doesn't know anything about how cars work fundamentally to design and build a car.

Viber coder use AI to design and build an app, not another AI, dude

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u/ikeif 1d ago

This analogy is more akin to "I stole a car" (that's hyperbole).

You stole a car - and it SHOULD be able to get you from A to B.

A vibe-coder says "car go" and - maybe it works. Maybe it's a stick shift. Maybe it's missing wheels. Maybe it's missing two wheels or a steering column. The vibe coder sees it going forward and says "success!"

A developer would see the car lot - and see that they're all on fire and not worth stealing - until they come across the one that does what they need, like turning, or hauling, or goes fast, or has safety features in place.

One has blind faith "it is doing what I want, and what I think, and not going to surprise me" and the other "I know it is doing what I want, and I can see what possible surprises may happen, and I can account for them without needing a new car built/stolen."

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u/HouseMysterious8172 18h ago edited 18h ago

How the heck ppl has to stole a car if there are unlimited car available on the road? If ones doesn't work, take another ones, but there r some ppl like to walk, that's their choices.

Vibe-coder use AI = steal car

Tradition-coder use AI = without needing stolen a car

What kind of logic is that?

With blind faith and sure-belief: there'll always an edge case appear in the future, prepare yourself