I'm holding a hardcover copy of Software Engineering for Vibe Coders. My book. In hardcover. After 20 years of writing - from forum posts to technical editor to Medium articles - this is the first time I'm holding my own book in hardcover format. It's also my first book published in English, which is my fourth language.
This milestone matters not just because it's a book, but because it represents choosing to help instead of staying neutral in the vibe coding debate. Many professional programmers are cautious about this book - some might even resist it because I'm sharing engineering know-how with people who don't have formal CS degrees. But people can't stop the river. Between being neutral, hostile, or helpful, I chose helpful. Even if that makes me an outlier.
How I Started Writing
I don't know exactly what made me start writing. I always liked noting down different stories. Maybe it's connected to reading a lot as a kid. I loved different genres - had a phase of reading tons of sci-fi and fantasy, then entertainment literature, then self-help books. From very early on, I read constantly.
When the internet appeared, it was incredible for me. I could access things that weren't available in libraries, things that were too expensive in bookstores, or things that simply weren't available in Poland at all. So I read and read and read.
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And I wrote. I wrote diaries and other things, and besides that I was interested in programming. When I started getting into it, I increasingly commented on forums, helped others who were learning to code. Eventually I opened a blog to write longer articles on these topics. That first blog was on Code Guru platform hosted by Microsoft. I wrote there because there was a decent .NET programmer community. At that time I mainly programmed in C# and got a job doing that.
The Technical Editor Years
It was very exciting because it opened several opportunities. First, invitations to write articles in industry magazines like CHIP. I don't know if it still exists, but back then it was a hit magazine. Then I got a position as technical editor at a site called something like Webhosting. I wrote there about what's happening in IT industry, programming, etc. It was wonderful because I could dedicate time to following what's happening in the industry. We were among the first to report on this weird thing called Bitcoin. Unfortunately I didn't buy it then. I'd be a millionaire now.
But I wrote there for a few years. Those were wonderful years and helped me shape several writing styles I use. That editorial episode ended after some time and I returned to work as a programmer, but also company founder. Then the topic of my writing changed a bit and I wrote about business and marketing. But I still continued as a commentator and author on programming topics. Because I was also actively programming. I even got an invitation to become editor-in-chief of one of the industry portals, but I declined due to other career plans. Although it was quite an interesting proposition.
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During this time I was very active online, sharing knowledge, helping others. One success was reaching TOP 3% of users on StackOverflow, during the platform's heyday when people actually helped each other. And SO data now constitutes an important information source for programming AI, so maybe when AI helps people, it's using comments and questions I published on StackOverflow.
The Medium Years
During this time my technical interests shifted and I focused, after transitions, on web application programming - JavaScript, TypeScript, etc. Although I often worked fullstack, frontend is my main specialization including user experience, scaling, and business optimization.
And so I lived and worked and kept writing a blog. Then my Medium adventure began. Where I write about what's new in technology and programming, in tech generally, and various comments. Medium helped me get back on my feet as a writer after many years when I wasn't writing regularly. I found a supportive community here, and being able to earn from writing also matters.
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Recently AI changed this situation a bit. Actually it's quite funny, because both as a programmer and as a writer, people keep saying these professions will be replaced by AI. There was a phase when AI appeared that under every article I wrote manually in English, someone asked if AI wrote it. In a sense it's a compliment, because English is my fourth language. So I don't always write perfectly, although I try.
The AI Slop Problem
Now a lot of content online is AI. And it's hard to find yourself in this. Anyone can now ask AI to generate some article. People can see there's no human behind it. Because media are buried in generated content, it's hard to break through. AI is fine for corrections, light assistance, but what's important for me is that in the creative process, which interests me most in writing, I'm the author. I can experiment with expression, use different means of expression, and share my voice, character, and approach to reality. AI won't replace that, but my voice is barely audible in this AI crowd.
And so I lived, and because I'm always somewhere in the middle of what is and what's appearing, professionally the revolution doesn't miss me either. I was lucky to be among the first to use AI in programming and see as a professional programmer how people can combine it with the profession and create enterprise-quality software while using AI, which like any tool has its good and bad sides and people need to know how to use and control it.
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Why I Wrote Software Engineering for Vibe Coders
I noticed a new category of programmers emerging - vibe coders who know programming to varying degrees but don't have formal computer science engineering education, or don't program professionally, yet they program. This paradox causes certain conflicts. One of them is that many rightly point out that not knowing how to program creates difficulties, and these difficulties are called slop. What can people do about it? Not much at scale. Because it's happening, people can't stop it, and it's reality.
So I decided to at least somehow help by creating Software Engineering for Vibe Coders, a book that takes vibe coders seriously and introduces them to important programming conventions and gives advice on how to set up AI to generate better code. So all this can meet somewhere along the way. Because writing (generating) 10,000 lines of code is one thing, but creating a system or application that has much more code and can be further developed and controlled is another. And fortunately software engineering provides solutions developed over years.
The book is available online, in various bookstores, and the paperback and hardcover versions are on Amazon. People can also buy the ebook on Kindle and read a free sample. The Amazon version is available here: https://a.co/d/5ZBK72L
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From a software engineer's perspective, this book is sharing know-how. From a writing perspective, it's an important milestone for me because it's the first time in a long time I'm holding my physical book in my hands. It's also the first book in English I've published.
The approach of my environment - programmers - to the book is cautious. I wouldn't be surprised if it caused resistance, because I'm sharing know-how, but people can't turn back the river. Choosing between being neutral, hostile, or helpful, it's worth choosing the latter. Although I might be isolated in this opinion - people can't change their DNA.
For developers working with AI, I also wrote the Vibe Coding Bible, which goes deeper into production systems and advanced techniques. People can also subscribe to my Vibe Coding newsletter for regular updates on AI development techniques. The ineluctable reality is that vibe coding is here, and we can either help make it better or watch the slop pile up.
If you want to read more of my articles visit https://tomaszs2.medium.com/
Most AI frameworks are built in Python. If you are working with AI or want to understand how these systems work, you need Python fundamentals. Check out Python Flashcards to strengthen those skills.
Holding this hardcover book represents 20 years of writing - from forum posts helping beginners, to technical editing, to founding companies, to Medium articles. The journey from Code Guru to hardcover is long, but every forum post, every StackOverflow answer, every blog article was a step toward this.
Nobody knows what the future brings. Maybe I'll write more books. Maybe this will be the biggest achievement in my writing life and I won't achieve more. Maybe this is the only thing I'll succeed at as a writer. This success is fragile, like candlelight - even a small gust of wind can blow it out.
People need to appreciate these small successes, because life doesn't have many of them. Chasing impossible things, people run so fast they forget what worked and what didn't. For someone, this might be nothing. For someone else, a great achievement. For me - someone without connections, far from major tech centers, without contacts or backing, just a regular person from the end of the world - publishing this book is a big event. Possibly the only one in my life.
What's the longest journey people have taken in their career? Did it lead where they expected? Share thoughts in the comments.