It’s been four years since my last update. Four years! That deserves some explanation, doesn’t it?

Back then, I had not even completed my hand-crafted prototype (v0.1.x) when it became obvious that it would take an enormous amount of manual effort to build into a good solution. Clearly I should be using an established framework, so i started v0.2.x with the CakePHP framework, with its comprehensive feature set and strong community support.

There was just one tiny detail I had overlooked: my programming education dated back to the era of TurboPascal, when “object-oriented” meant arranging your desk neatly and “framework” was something you’d find in a construction site.

Despite my twin brother‘s valiant attempts to drag me into the 21st century of software development, my brain kept stub.toeing() on all those arrows and curly braces. The project went into hibernation, gathering digital dust in a corner of my GitHub account.

But then 2024 happened, and suddenly everyone was talking about AI. ChatGPT this, Claude that. Being the eternal tinkerer, I had to try it out and soon found myself having actual conversations with Claude.ai about my dormant project. Not just the simple “how do I center a div” kind of exchanges, but proper architectural discussions where Claude wore multiple hats: mentor, project manager, consultant, and lead developer all rolled into one very patient AI.

Claude suggested I might have better luck with CodeIgniter – less magical than CakePHP, but easier to follow for someone whose brain still thinks procedurally. It was glorious. Claude provided both high-level guidance (“here’s how this is typically structured“) and nitty-gritty details (“here’s the exact code you need“).

In a matter of days, I had a beautiful new prototype up and running (v0.3.x, because why break a perfectly good versioning pattern?). The basic functionality is there, and I’m now working on the core lending workflow – you know, the actual point of this whole tool-sharing platform.

The renaissance didn’t stop at the code level. My aging PhpStorm license had expired, and I wasn’t quite ready to shell out for a new one. Claude suggested VS Code as an alternative, and it’s been a great fit (and free – did I mention free?). We even set up a proper git workflow with my self-hosted Forgejo system, complete with fancy webhooks that automatically deploy updates to my dev/test/live servers depending on which branch gets updated. Past-me would be impressed. Present-me is happy.

Working with Claude is an interesting experience: sometimes I’m the director, sometimes I’m just the guy who copies and pastes code. I state my wishes and requirements, Claude suggests and explains, and together we build something that actually works. It’s like pair programming, except my partner never needs coffee breaks and has infinite patience for my endless questions.

I wrote in 2012 that I’m not a good programmer but I am a great planner and coordinator. I can execute anything – as long as I have a good programmer on my side. Now, in 2024, I find that Claude is an excellent programmer that is available whenever I need.

So here we are, four years and one AI revolution later, finally making real progress. Stay tuned – though I won’t promise it won’t take another four years for the next update!