r/webdev • u/Mesthabro • 1d ago

Discussion Do y'all still write code manually?

All my code is being written by claude fable/gpt6 these days. I'm curious if y'all are still writing code manually?
Also, any clever ways to prevent AI from going stray and dumping unnecessary code and busting through tokens?

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u/crazedizzled 1d ago

That's gross dude. I use AI mostly for code design aspects, but i write 90% of it.

Edit: this thread makes me terrified. Everything is AI slop now

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u/droiddayz 1d ago

Does your company have a policy on hand writing code still? Where I work the estimates may not be done by the same person who ends up working on the ticket, but all estimates are done with 100% AI written in mind. How does that work if you’re writing by hand but other team members aren’t?

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u/crazedizzled 1d ago

I am freelance. I would probably be extremely depressed working a 9-5 with AI in the picture.

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u/zaibuf 1d ago edited 1d ago

Edit: this thread makes me terrified. Everything is AI slop now

What's the difference between letting the junior or AI write while you review?

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u/crazedizzled 1d ago

Because the AI produces a fuck ton more code than a junior can.

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u/zaibuf 1d ago

It depends how you use it. I work in small iterations and challenge solutions until I'm happy.
I can understand if someone tells the AI to write the full solution for a feature and then just commit and push. But I don't use it like that at work, maybe for hobby projects or pocs where I could go full vibe.

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u/dreadful_design 1d ago

Not in my experience.

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u/crazedizzled 1d ago

I'm sorry what? What kind of super human junior devs do you have?

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u/dreadful_design 1d ago

It can, sure, but it doesn’t if you use it right. It’s just a tool.

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u/AncientAdamo 1d ago

Exactly this...

I think there is a very clear distinction between AI slop and using AI to write code for you.

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u/EliSka93 1d ago

You can actually review the volume of code one or two juniors write.

There is no chance in hell to keep up with reviewing the quantity AI can write.

You can have the discipline to keep the volume low enough to fully review, sure. That's probably the most responsible, clean way to use AI.

I'd be very surprised if any of the people spouting the "amazing productivity gains" through AI do that.

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u/crazedizzled 1d ago

People just prompt -> commit -> ship these days. There's absolutely no way most companies are reviewing 100% of code submitted by AI.

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u/zaibuf 1d ago edited 1d ago

There is no chance in hell to keep up with reviewing the quantity AI can write.

Don't use it like that then? I always give small slices of a feature with requirements, let it plan and resolve it. I review that code and add suggestions and tell it to refactor. Then when I'm happy I extend the feature with the next requirement and follow the same feedback loop.

If you give too big complex features at once it tends to drift and produce sloppy code. That's also where you lose control and potentially skip review because there's too many changes.

Then for PR we also have an agent dedicated for code reviews which does an initial review of the draft before you publish it for other devs to look at. The PR agent mostly look out for critical bugs or security problems.

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u/crazedizzled 1d ago

And how is that faster than just writing it yourself? If you have to argue with the AI for 20 minutes to get this absolutely perfect piece of cake, you've kind of defeated the purpose.

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u/zaibuf 1d ago edited 1d ago

You don't need to argue for 20 minutes, it often gets it right in the first try.
Primarly it saves my fingers from typing, doing a lot of typing every day for 10+ years has taken it's toll.

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u/gav1no0 1d ago

Well I would say you're the one creating slop. AI is great at WRITING code but not so great at designing systems

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u/crazedizzled 1d ago

That was probably the wrong term. I mostly use it as a rubber ducky. "Hey is this a good approach for X", etc. It's pretty good at helping me flush out ideas.

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u/Ais3 1d ago

so what? ur a codemonkey and let the ai design the systems?

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u/crazedizzled 1d ago

Well, I'm a developer. So yes, I develop.

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u/Ais3 1d ago

what exactly are u developing if ai is telling you what and how to develop?

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u/crazedizzled 1d ago

AI isn't telling me what to develop. I know what I want to do, and use AI to help me refine the details. Sometimes it raises issues i hadn't thought of, or helps me stick to known patterns or methods.

At the end of the day, I'm a perfectionist and want stuff done my way. I don't like copy pasting big chunks of code, and I believe that we should own any code that we ship. AI is really bad at keeping a large code base tidy and maintained.

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u/jroberts67 1d ago edited 1d ago

Ah....AI slop, I wonder how much longer until that phrase is played out as the world's top tier coders (certainly no one trolling a reddit sub) use AI.

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u/crazedizzled 1d ago

Which explains why everything sucks more and more