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codemaxxing.io

started by Marlow and Angus

notes for kids ~10

Youstay incharge.

You do not need to already be a programmer. You need something you want to exist, and you need to keep testing it until it does.

Say it → watch it → test it → ask again

how the work goes

Four steps

  1. 01

    Say it

    Tell the agent what you want, in regular words. “A page for my friends” is a start. “A page with our names and a huge lime button” is better.

  2. 02

    Watch it

    Stuff appears. Read it with your eyes, not with hope. If you cannot tell what changed, ask.

  3. 03

    Test it

    Click every button. Type in the boxes. Try to break it. That is not being mean. That is the job.

  4. 04

    Ask again

    Say what is wrong. Then ask again. The third try is still the work. So is the tenth.

talking to the agent

Use plain words

  • Specific beats fancy

    You do not need special phrases. You need the thing: bigger, greener, the name on the left, the button actually does something.

  • “No, like this”

    The agent will guess. Guessing is its whole job. Your job is to steer. Short and clear. Point at what is wrong.

  • One thing at a time

    If you ask for a whole universe, it will build a messy universe. Ask for the next piece. Then the next.

  • You can change your mind

    “Wait, not a button — a big word I can click” is a normal sentence around here.

  • Ask for options first

    Before you lock an idea in, ask what the agent thinks and for a few ways it could work. Your first idea might be good. A nearby one might be better. There is a whole note for this.

heads up

When it does something wrong

It will. It will say it is finished when it is not. It will invent a button that is only a picture of a button. That is not you being bad at this. That is the agent being an agent.

  1. Do not panic, and do not start over unless you want to.
  2. Tell it what happened, like you would tell a friend: “I clicked it. Nothing moved.”
  3. If it gets stuck repeating the same wrong fix, say “stop. go back to the version that worked.”
  4. Walk away, drink water, come back. The files will still be there.

three rules

Always do these three

  1. 01

    You click it

    If you did not press the buttons, you are guessing. Guessing is how fake buttons survive.

  2. 02

    You decide

    The agent can suggest. It cannot want the thing. You want the thing. That is why you are in charge.

  3. 03

    You show a friend

    If nobody else can see it, it is still a secret on your laptop, not a finished thing.