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Spending 3 months coding by hand

I'm Coding by Hand

miguelconner.substack.com

April 17, 2026

9 min read

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

52/100

Summary

A coding retreat in Brooklyn focuses on hand-coding without the use of AI for three months. The initiative aims to explore programming techniques at a time when many believe programming challenges are largely resolved.

Key Takeaways

  • The author is spending three months coding without AI to focus on learning and understanding the codebase better.
  • The author previously worked at Aily Labs, where they built AI agents and led a journal club discussing open-source LLMs.
  • The Recurse Center in Brooklyn offers a self-directed programming retreat that is collaborative and free for participants.
  • The author aims to train an LLM from scratch during their time at the Recurse Center.
Read original article

Community Sentiment

Mixed

Positives

  • Spending three months coding by hand fosters deep skills that are likely to be valuable long-term, contrasting with the often mechanical nature of AI-generated code.
  • The coding retreat experience is described as a joyful and enriching journey, highlighting the importance of immersive learning environments for skill development.
  • Engaging with assembly programming provides a unique perspective on coding fundamentals, which can enhance understanding of modern programming languages.

Concerns

  • Reliance on AI-generated code can lead to a lack of enjoyment and satisfaction in programming, as it often feels tedious and mechanical.
  • The shift from manual coding to AI-assisted coding may result in a loss of deep engagement with the craft, similar to the transition from assembly to higher-level languages.

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