Building Software with AI: A Four-Document System and the Everlasting Beginner

The author built Protocollie in four days using AI pair programmer Claude, not through expert coding skills but via four documents: Architecture Overview, Technical Considerations, Workflow Process, and Story Breakdown. This process, likened to "throwing spaghetti at the wall," highlights experimentation over planning, showcasing the changing landscape of AI-assisted programming. It reveals a shift in the programmer's role and embraces the uncertainty of this new era, where rapid technological advancement outpaces the accumulation of expertise.