<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nI\u2019ve always been a frustrated programmer. Capable enough to do a lot of techie bits, not capable enough to actually code. I\u2019m in awe of my development team. They can convert requests into code while thinking about scale, the implications, the gotchas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But AI changed everything, likely forever. Now, with vibe coding, an unaccomplished programmer like myself can convert ideas into applications, and ones that really work\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far this year I have written three mobile apps \u2013 including Zahara Go, so blame me if you don\u2019t like it \u2013 a complete back-end system we now run Zahara on, a supplier portal, and a whole spread of customer tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started off asking ChatGPT to code for a particular task. \u201cHey Chat, I\u2019m looking to create a list view connected to this SQL table, can you give me the code for the back and front end please.\u201d (Always be polite to AI is my recommendation). Then \u2013 and this is where the \u2018vibe\u2019 comes from \u2013 I might say \u201cCan we add a button at the top, make it our blue #2a68ec and have that pop up a new modal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You start to think, that will be nice, let\u2019s add that, or tinker with this. No more scratched heads or sweated brows attempting to figure where you mistyped your application code. Just pure, instinctive building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This method taught me the basics and I started to understand how the code fits together. But it had its limitations. Bugs were slow to fix copying and pasting between my code editor and ChatGPT, and the larger the file got the harder it was to understand where the issues lay. Then things changed again. People started talking about Cursor and Claude and well, quite frankly they\u2019re amazing. Now I code with context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cursor shows me the entire file structure and how the project fits together. When I ask for something new, I just sit back as it creates files, edits existing ones, fixes its own code and then congratulates itself, usually with \u201cPerfect\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nA person working at a desk with two monitors displays code and a conversation about implementing a long-press floating action button, capturing the Vibe Coding atmosphere with AI code suggestions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nSo, what do my development team think of me creating things like mobile apps? Well, the great news here is that they are on-side. They recognise they too will be able to do more. And quite frankly the faster we do things, the better chance we have of delighting our customers. Our mobile app was long overdue a re-write and, with the next eighteen months already mapped out, no one in-house had the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vibe coding is a threat and an opportunity. The businessman in me sees the opportunity \u2013 I can write stuff that no one else in the team has time to do, and as a creative, it\u2019s as enjoyable as crafting something out of wood (one of my hobbies) or tinkering with an old motorbike. It ticks a lot of boxes. But the threat is this: We have already canned Calendly and Zoho CRM, and have our sights on countless other pieces of software that will be absorbed into our in-house system, The Bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Would we give Xero the boot? Here\u2019s the kicker (excuse the pun): Absolutely not. How about HubSpot? Nope. Definitely not. Why? Because they add value \u2013 a lot of it. And I think this is the takeaway point for anyone in the software business today. You better make it valuable. Better yet, it should be valuable and meet a lot of needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We think Zahara does exactly that. It\u2019s far from a one-trick pony like, say, Calendly. As a result I would hope our customers see the value and don\u2019t think \u201cLet\u2019s write our own\u201d. I can assure anyone reading this, it can\u2019t be done over a weekend. Could you write a simple purchase order generator quickly? Yes. Absolutely. You could vibe that pretty easily and get it hosted on Azure or AWS. But the value comes when you apply a number of business functions into one application and provide a beautiful user experience. Then paying, say, \u00a3150 a month for an application that in our case controls costs, manages suppliers, checks budgets, reads and matches invoices, and updates Xero is pretty good value.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n\r\n\r\n