This is a showcase of combining vibe coding with the Fediverse and attempto controlled english (ace).
I’m fascinated by vibe coding, but I’m also highly critical of it. It fascinates me, because it enables people, who normally cannot code to be able to generate running code. What I don’t like, is that it just isn’t actual programming. It’s closer to a wishing well. It fosters a quasi-magical understanding of programming and computer science, which is already too common in current society (I wrote a paper about it here: https://philpapers.org/rec/BINAKR). That’s why, in my opinion, the Fediverse should set a counter-point here with something like a first-order logic language like ACE, which actually brings people closer to an actual understanding of computer science concepts like modeling and logic without hiding the complexity behind seemingly “magic”, and could also result in better code.
The above demo shows a glimpse of how this could look like on the Fediverse. Imagine communities being able to form their own spaces on the social web through language! Simply using natural language will probably not be specific enough here. We always imagine everything getting much easier, but that’s just the logic of digital capitalism that tries to sell us innovation as inventing yet a more easy way to get your coke handed to you, which can only lead to more and more environmental destruction. So, what will the language interface for the future digital look like? I think it will be more something like the semi-formalic language found in technical manuals, cooking recipes and judicial texts. Something like ace, in between coding, domain specific languages, modeling and natural language. And people who are experts at this and know the old technical stuff that no one understands anymore will be the new “coders”. But maybe I’m wrong.
Vibe-coding is gross :(
