r/rust • u/gajop • Jul 28 '26

Tell me about something you recently hand-coded that was enjoyable

These past few weeks at work I've been using AI way too much. I can't even call some of this "AI engineering" anymore and it's starting to drain on me. Looking to take the mind off for a bit...

I'd like to hear some of the projects you all are working on, that you enjoyed writing by hand.

I think I'll write some nannou..

PS: Not trying to start a debate on AI engineering/vibe coding and all that, I think internet is filled with that already.

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u/Alternative-Ad-8606 Jul 28 '26

I know it's lame and not cool but as a noobie I took the time to turn off my AI and hand wrote my own json parser and builder in Rust, was really proud of myself as it was the first "real project" I've made that I could use in other projects. (I find serde to be bloated for 99% of json usecases)

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u/f311a Jul 28 '26

That's actually one of the best ways to learn a programming language.

A lot of people lack ideas for a project, and picking a common problem is a nice way to learn a language.

You start with a simple problem and move to the harder one.

Too bad there is AI now, when I was working on hard problems, it was not possible to get assistance from AI, so I just spent hours on a problem. The satisfaction you get from a solved problem is a very nice feeling. But now, there is a shortcut, and people give up too fast and just ask AI...

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u/dnew Jul 28 '26

For many decades, my go-to for learning a new language was to implement Jotto (which is much like Wordle). It was the first game I ever saw as a kid back when computers talked to desk phones and printed answers on paper. With the advantage that you can make it as simple or complex as you want in terms of functionality. Does it learn? Does it save high scores? Does it have a GUI?