Hacker News

Ask HN: How would you learn AI-assisted development from the ground up?

Hacker News - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 11:31am

I'm a director/exec, not a software engineer. Background's mostly data analytics, SQL and Excel day to day, some R and PostgreSQL. Years ago I could hack together basic HTML/CSS/PHP too.

Got into AI early and now use ChatGPT and Claude constantly. With their help I've built a handful of web apps, some Python scripts and desktop tools, and an Android app on Supabase with real multiple users.

So I can build things. But I'm very aware there are big holes underneath it. I can usually get something working without really knowing why it works, whether it's actually well built, or what's going to break down the road once it gets more complex.

Feels like it's time to go back to fundamentals. Michael Jordan still worked on his footwork, that kind of thing.

What I'm hoping to get to eventually:

* build small useful apps, windows/mac/android/ios/web

* automate chunks of my own and my team's work

* maybe build a simple SaaS at some point

* generally not get left behind, open to this reshaping my career or spinning into a side thing

Was hoping for something structured, starting from prompt/context engineering and working into real programming fundamentals, APIs, databases, architecture, security, testing, deployment. Problem is anything I find is stale within months given how fast this moves.

Not looking for free necessarily, and definitely not looking for "learn to code in a weekend." Willing to put in real time.

For people who've gone down this road already: what's actually worth learning properly, what's fine to just learn enough to supervise, and what can honestly just stay AI's job?

P.S.: Yes I polished/refined this post using AI, but I first wrote it all myself (the original was twice as long).

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098829

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Categories: Hacker News

Open and Shut

Hacker News - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 11:31am
Categories: Hacker News

Everywhere Foist Upon Us

Hacker News - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 11:29am
Categories: Hacker News

Show HN: AI that opens PRs on your repo to fix your SEO

Hacker News - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 11:27am

Hey HN,

I'm Oli, Software engineer building Zaatar to to automate the organic growth on my different side projects.

The AI orchestrator I've built feels kind of magic tbh,

I hope some of you guys will find it useful!

Cheers

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098777

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

Categories: Hacker News

Four Competing AIs Answer 1 Classic Question

Hacker News - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 11:26am

I sought advice from four mainstream A.Is for a basic consumer use case question and to me, the differing style of the answers are quite revealing.

Premise: A poorly hung clothes dryer spectacularly ripped from the wall whilst on and tumbling, smashing into the washing machine beneath and trying to exit out the laundry door in a manner reminiscent of Stephen King's haunted laundromat story The Mangler.

After all the shards of glass, wall plaster etc were cleared up, the six month old washing machine wasn't working - yes, unsurprisingly but the problem was electronic, not mechanical. The display defaulted to blanks flashing - no error code etc. Having tried all the obvious fixes, I put the dilemma to four A.I.s: Chat GPT, Perplexity, Claude (Pro) and Google Search with A.I. Mode.

All suggested more or less the same checkpoints and then a technician but diverged into unique personae + ideas.

Chat GPT: Empathetic, sycophanticaly validating "you've taken a laundry mishap and turned it into a quantum learning exercise...Here is a well-worded, no nonsense description of the problem to show to your technican or Westinghouse...You should be proud though..."

Perplexity: Scolding like the worst school teacher - essentially, "the machine is damaged because of a situation of your making. Even if it is within warranty blah blah" Have you consulted the washing machine manual? I can help you find it. (Yes I'd consulted the manual and no I had not asked Perplexity about trying to get it repaired within warranty)

Google A.I. Mode: Moved briskly onto 'new washing machine' turf. eg "What did you like most about your Westinghouse? Would you like another front loader or given your traumatic experience with the clothes dryer, would you prefer an all in one washing machine and dryer? Affiliate links galore.

Claude: It is definitely a problem with the electronics - eg: a connector ribbon failure, cracked solder joint etc etc - if you're comfortable and have the serial number, I can provide teardown instructions etc etc

I was actually into this idea and liked that Claude would have gone with me on it but as I was also on deadline, with piles of stinky laundry lurking, I ended up using H.I. - Human Intution.

Intuitively - and wasn't in the washing machine manual - I pressed the on/off button for a long hold and the machine revived - No teardown, no new machine, no eloquently composed briefs for Westinghouse nor shady attempt to get help from them either.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098762

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

Categories: Hacker News

Show HN: OnlyVibes – No Fuss Realtime Interviews

Hacker News - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 11:26am

Article URL: https://onlyvibes.cc

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098758

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

Categories: Hacker News

Lucia, Arctic and Oslo have been deprecated

Hacker News - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 11:23am

Article URL: https://pilcrowonpaper.com/blog/18

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098734

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

Categories: Hacker News

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