Every day, the PH feed is packed with shiny new SaaS tools most of them browser-based, many of them AI-infused. It s exciting, no doubt. But compared to a time not so long ago, something seems missing: local desktop apps.

They re rare now, and it makes me wonder are native apps still worth building, or have they quietly slipped into the realm of nostalgia?

After all, web apps offer clear benefits for both users and makers or investors. Users don t have to install anything, updates are seamless, and their data is accessible from any device with a browser. For investors, the advantages are just as compelling: a single tech stack, easier user onboarding, lock-in effects, and plenty of levers for driving growth and virality.

I m building landing pages for my next product and exploring AI UI tools that actually help ship faster.

Curious to hear what s working for you from the apps like Lobable or v0

I've tested both and cannot choose what tool is better to buy. Maybe there are better tools?

I'm super curious how everyone starts to vibe code? In the beginning I would simply jump into @bolt.new or @Cursor and just do a prompt and continue refining with the AI. I quickly realized this created a lot of issues as I didn't think about the structure, tech stack, and how I wanted the features to interact with each other and how the way I was building things would impact the user experience. I now do the following:

• Write down a simple problem statement: "what am I trying to solve?"

• Write down a simple solution statement: "what does the thing I'm building do (to solve the problem)"

• Share the above with @ChatGPT by OpenAI and word vomit my thoughts, ideas, how I want the user to interact with my app, etc and ASK ChatGPT to turn everything I said and want into an easy to understand directive and instructions for an Engineer.

• I then take the Engineer instructions and give it to a new chat in ChatGPT and ask it to turn those instructions into a prompt for an AI engineer and to break up the project into sections so that each time we focus on a section the app is shippable and keeps things easy to work on.

• I take the output and paste it into my notes. I then give it to Cursor.

• Once in Cursor, I create a new project folder and got at it!

Curious what everyone else does and if you've experience any things to avoid or must do

Hey everyone

I ve been building products for a long time (15+ years), and I recently tried using v0.dev for the first time. Honestly didn t expect much, but I was surprised how quickly I got something real off the ground - not just a playground UI, but a fully working fitness app with protected routes, dashboards, flow logic, the works.

It s called The HIIT PIT and it s live, but that s not why I m posting.

I m more curious to hear from other devs and indie makers:

I'm super curious how everyone starts to vibe code? In the beginning I would simply jump into @bolt.new or @Cursor and just do a prompt and continue refining with the AI. I quickly realized this created a lot of issues as I didn't think about the structure, tech stack, and how I wanted the features to interact with each other and how the way I was building things would impact the user experience. I now do the following:

• Write down a simple problem statement: "what am I trying to solve?"

• Write down a simple solution statement: "what does the thing I'm building do (to solve the problem)"

• Share the above with @ChatGPT by OpenAI and word vomit my thoughts, ideas, how I want the user to interact with my app, etc and ASK ChatGPT to turn everything I said and want into an easy to understand directive and instructions for an Engineer.

• I then take the Engineer instructions and give it to a new chat in ChatGPT and ask it to turn those instructions into a prompt for an AI engineer and to break up the project into sections so that each time we focus on a section the app is shippable and keeps things easy to work on.

• I take the output and paste it into my notes. I then give it to Cursor.

• Once in Cursor, I create a new project folder and got at it!

Curious what everyone else does and if you've experience any things to avoid or must do

OP-ED?
Recently I've been finding myself actually buying and downloading apps more than before. The common thread? They're all silly things that almost do nothing.
I say almost because what they do offer is a bit of joy during my work day. Some of the recent apps I've purchased or downloaded are @Klack, Googly Eyes, @Docko, @Ball,@TabTab, and @NotchNook.
Some of these do have productivity or quality of life improvements (looking at the last two) but others are simply about making the computer fun again.
For example @Klack has genuinely made me more focused when I type and I've been able to zone in on work. It's like each clickity-clack is driving me closer to where I want to go and idk, the feedback just feels GOOD. The audio is also really nice, not sure how I can explain it, but feels very high-def for something that is mimicking a tactical feeling.
All these apps remind me of a time where shareware and P2P ( @Limewire ) was more popular. Where you might be okay buying a CD or floppy and installing something fun on your computer, then telling (sharing) your buddy about it. And with the rise of vibe coding, I think we're going to see vibeware become a thing. Where users will create something fun, quickly, using AI tools like @Cursor, @Replit, or @bolt.new/@Lovable and then put it at a super low cost or have a free-trial (shareware).
Those that don't want to pay, will create their own iteration of it and choose their own distribution method (P2P) but it won't eat at the original.
It's my genuine feeling that the internet is about to become fun again (it's already started) and I'm curious if I'm the only one feeling this way and/or embracing it?
What do you think? Is the era of vibeware a good thing? And if not why should we refute it?
This piece was written with FKJ - Just Piano in the background.

OP-ED?
Recently I've been finding myself actually buying and downloading apps more than before. The common thread? They're all silly things that almost do nothing.
I say almost because what they do offer is a bit of joy during my work day. Some of the recent apps I've purchased or downloaded are @Klack, Googly Eyes, @Docko, @Ball,@TabTab, and @NotchNook.
Some of these do have productivity or quality of life improvements (looking at the last two) but others are simply about making the computer fun again.
For example @Klack has genuinely made me more focused when I type and I've been able to zone in on work. It's like each clickity-clack is driving me closer to where I want to go and idk, the feedback just feels GOOD. The audio is also really nice, not sure how I can explain it, but feels very high-def for something that is mimicking a tactical feeling.
All these apps remind me of a time where shareware and P2P ( @Limewire ) was more popular. Where you might be okay buying a CD or floppy and installing something fun on your computer, then telling (sharing) your buddy about it. And with the rise of vibe coding, I think we're going to see vibeware become a thing. Where users will create something fun, quickly, using AI tools like @Cursor, @Replit, or @bolt.new/@Lovable and then put it at a super low cost or have a free-trial (shareware).
Those that don't want to pay, will create their own iteration of it and choose their own distribution method (P2P) but it won't eat at the original.
It's my genuine feeling that the internet is about to become fun again (it's already started) and I'm curious if I'm the only one feeling this way and/or embracing it?
What do you think? Is the era of vibeware a good thing? And if not why should we refute it?
This piece was written with FKJ - Just Piano in the background.