frontpage.
newsnewestaskshowjobs

Made with ♥ by @iamnishanth

Open Source @Github

fp.

Open in hackernews

Maybe we can keep on coding? pseudo code project

7•EmptyDrum•7h ago
6 months ago a few people [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44940089] agreed that LLMs are very good at translating Pseudo-code to real code. I agree. Also, writing pseudo code somewhat makes me feel a similar state of flow. Maybe even more, because no compiler/interpreter annoys me about syntax issues. Now, I built this:

https://github.com/HalfEmptyDrum/Pseudo-Code-Flow

It is basically a Claude Code skill. You can call it on a .pseudo text file with /translate. It will obviously translate the pseudo code into your specified language. This would be nice and all, but I included another subtle but useful feature:

*This is probably the most useful feature and fundamentally changed my coding*:

The LLM will suggest changes (design, architecture, functionality, ...) to your code, but will roughly use your pseudo code style.

I think of pseudo code as the semantic body that is closest to how the code/algorithm is represented in my head. When Claude then answers in my language instead of Python/C++/... (which has lots of boilerplate to make it work), it resonates much easier with me.

Let me know what you think!

Comments

stbtrax•7h ago
feedback: your psuedo code example is just product requirements and not actual psuedo code. and I think if you wrote psuedo code it would just work as is without a skill
EmptyDrum•7h ago
True (will fix) - but then still, Claude will still not change my pseudo code, but directly translate. I liked that part particularly.
EmptyDrum•7h ago
Btw, I got inspired by this: https://www.williamjbowman.com/blog/2026/03/05/against-vibes...

Really useful read!

lazypl82•5h ago
Great point on the flow state with pseudo code. The gap I keep running into is what comes after – once the translated code ships to production, knowing quickly whether it actually behaves as intended is still mostly manual. Curious if others have thoughts on that part of the loop.
EmptyDrum•5h ago
I feel like that this is fundamentally impossible to solve for. Approximately the effort = planning + checking correctness seems to be constant.
raw_anon_1111•5h ago
Why would that be any more manual than it has been before? You still write or have Claude to write unit and integration tests thst you review
jseabra•2h ago
Translating pseudo-code to real code is almost table stakes for any decent LLM at this point. But getting architectural feedback in the same abstraction layer you think in, that's a different thing entirely. I've noticed something similar when working with Claude Code. The quality of the back-and-forth improves significantly when you stay at the intention level rather than jumping straight to implementation. Once you're in the weeds of actual syntax, the conversation tends to collapse into micro-corrections. Staying pseudo keeps the design space open longer. One thing I'd be curious about: how does it handle the translation when your pseudo-code has ambiguous control flow? That's usually where I hit the wall. The semantic intent is clear to me but there are three or four valid ways to implement it and the model just picks one without flagging the decision.
codingdave•17m ago
> The LLM will suggest changes (design, architecture, functionality, ...) to your code, but will roughly use your pseudo code style.

So it will change your architecture, but keep your line-by-line logic? Is this like a self-driving car that takes you to the wrong destination, but accurately follows traffic laws on the way?

Give me the opposite - something that builds exactly what I designed, but has the freedom to get there in better ways than I suggest.

Tell HN: Apple development certificate server seems down?

96•strongpigeon•15h ago•38 comments

Ask HN: How are people doing AI evals these days?

17•yelmahallawy•1d ago•17 comments

Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (March 2026)

283•david927•2d ago•1083 comments

Ask HN: Remember Fidonet?

116•ukkare•1d ago•67 comments

Ask HN: How are people forecasting AI API costs for agent workflows?

4•Barathkanna•5h ago•10 comments

Maybe we can keep on coding? pseudo code project

7•EmptyDrum•7h ago•8 comments

Ask HN: How to be alone?

671•sillysaurusx•2d ago•552 comments

Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

708•Oras•2d ago•502 comments

Ask HN: Most beautiful personal blog UI you have ever seen?

142•ms7892•2d ago•54 comments

Ask HN: How do you review gen-AI created code?

4•captainkrtek•10h ago•4 comments

Tell HN: Vertical tabs has arrived (behind a flag) in Chrome stable

5•crummy•11h ago•0 comments

Ask HN: Is Starlink still being jammed in Iran?

3•Jblx2•11h ago•1 comments

Ask HN: Can I repurpose a Bluetooth voice remote as input device for a PC?

15•albert_e•3d ago•20 comments

Ask HN: How to "make it" as a newlygrad/junior?

4•kartoffelsaft•12h ago•3 comments

Tell HN: I'm 60 years old. Claude Code has re-ignited a passion

1064•shannoncc•4d ago•975 comments

Ask HN: Devs who are out of work – what are you doing for income now?

6•a1n•6h ago•3 comments

Ask HN: Does automatic multilingual support make sense for a launch platform?

2•LeanVibe•17h ago•3 comments

Why is GPT-5.4 obsessed with Goblins?

14•pants2•1d ago•8 comments

Unlocked SaaS, file source as truth?

2•abmmgb•20h ago•1 comments

Ask HN: Is GitHub getting less reliable, or is it just me?

11•_pdp_•1d ago•8 comments

The Architecture of an Exit Scam: A Technical Audit of Zszrun

5•cappyfjao•23h ago•0 comments

Ask HN: Since a week HN keeps logging me off every few days, why?

5•epolanski•1d ago•2 comments

Ask HN: What AI content automation stack are you using in 2026?

3•jackcofounder•1d ago•3 comments

Ask HN: Do you still run Redis and workers just for background jobs?

2•sergF•1d ago•16 comments

Ask HN: Favorite Non-Spammy iPhone Games?

6•bix6•1d ago•8 comments

Ask HN: What game engine would you recommend for vibe coding?

6•general_reveal•1d ago•7 comments

Ask HN: Read‑only LLM tool for email triage and knowledge extraction?

2•maille•1d ago•4 comments

Ask HN: Any informed guesses on the actual size/architecture of GPT-5.4 etc.?

4•dsrtslnd23•1d ago•0 comments

Ask HN: Anyone else feel this community has changed recently?

58•kypro•4d ago•30 comments

Code-review-graph: persistent code graph that cuts Claude Code token usage

2•tirthkanani•1d ago•0 comments