The addition of 'Vibe Coding' to the Collins Dictionary made headlines recently. But somewhat poetically, there is no entry for the consequences that can easily result from the celebrated praxis.
\ As an increasingly geriatric coder, my understanding gleaned from watching 'The YouTube' is that Vibe coding seems to involve writing software:
\ None of these things inherently indicate technical debt…but they do make it considerably more probable. And yet, technical debt mysteriously has no entry in the Collins dictionary.
\ One term has earned linguistic prestige; the other, despite being older, more widely used, and infinitely more expensive, remains unacknowledged.
\ It is almost as if the hype is more relevant than the reality.
\ And in fairness, maybe we are entering a new age, where these things don't matter as vibe-coded work can just be replaced with more vibe-coded work, and churn becomes the new norm.
\ I have no doubt that vibe coding can hold great value, and I have no doubt it will change the world. I also have no doubt the outcome will be as old as every quick fix that became someone else's long-term problem…even if the dictionary fails to name it


