I Miss Being a Coder in the Age of AI !!

In an era dominated by AI-generated code, a programmer finds themselves longing for the simpler days of manually writing code. The constant stream of new AI tools, frameworks, projects, and software is overwhelming, and the author misses the thrill of brainstorming ideas, grappling with problems, and finally seeing their code work. This longing has prompted them to embark on a unique challenge: building their own browser engine in Rust.

Initially, this idea may seem far-fetched, as a project of this magnitude already exists called Servo, started by Mozilla. However, the author is drawn to the challenge of building something from scratch, even if it's just a tiny version of a browser. They have a basic understanding of Rust, so they'll be learning as they go.

The motivation behind this project is not to create a superior browser, but rather to gain a deeper understanding of how browsers work by building a simplified version themselves. They plan to use AI to assist them in their learning journey, helping with concepts, Rust programming, problem breakdowns, architecture thinking, and troubleshooting. However, the goal is to write as much of the code themselves as possible, ensuring that the learning experience remains focused on the coding itself.

Milestones for this project include creating a project skeleton, parsing HTML into a DOM tree, parsing CSS into rules, style resolution, block layout, painting text, rendering, and basic interactivity. As the project progresses, they anticipate that this list may evolve.

The author emphasizes that this is an educational endeavor, not a race to create the next Chrome or Firefox. They aim to keep the "coder in them alive" by experiencing the joys and challenges of coding firsthand. This includes debugging, dealing with poor code, exploring documentation, working late nights, and finally achieving that satisfying moment when everything works as intended.

Throughout the project, the author intends to document each milestone, sharing their learnings and the mistakes they encounter along the way. They acknowledge that the project might not reach completion, and they're okay with that. The primary goal is to document the process and remind themselves of the pure joy of coding.

Ultimately, this project serves as a reminder of what it feels like to write code, a reminder that may become even more valuable as AI continues to automate many aspects of programming. The author expresses their enthusiasm for the learning process, with a hint of AI assistance for turning their experiences into articles.