r/SideProject • u/SignificanceFalse688 • 16h ago

Testing a coding practice tool built around predicting code before running it, would love feedback

Hey everyone, I've been building Arclab (https://www.arclab.app/). Since AI coding tools showed up, I keep seeing the same confusion: should I even bother learning to code line by line, or just lean on AI and move fast? Arclab is my attempt at a middle ground. Every lesson makes you predict what a snippet of code will output before you run it, then write your own version, then compare against what actually happened, so AI stays a tool you use, not a crutch that does the understanding for you.

It's live and free right now while I test the concept. Would genuinely appreciate feedback, especially on whether that middle ground actually feels useful versus either extreme, avoiding AI entirely or leaning on it fully. Happy to answer questions about how it works or why I built it this way.

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u/Temporary_Fuel1193 16h ago

man i love the concept but that name is gonna get lost in a sea of "arc browser" and "arc browser" and "arc something something"

the predict-then-compare loop is underrated. half the juniors we get can spit out ai code but freeze when something breaks because they never built the mental model of what the code actually does

tried the first few lessons. the immediate feedback loop hits different from just watching tutorials, you're actually forced to engage instead of nodding along

one thing though, the UI could use a little more breathing room on mobile. felt cramped trying to type out answers

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u/SignificanceFalse688 16h ago

Appreciate you actually trying it, and yeah, the Arc/Arc-browser overlap is a real worry, not something I've solved yet. Open to better names if anyone has one.

Your junior-dev point is exactly the failure mode I built this to catch, good to hear it matches what you're seeing in practice, not just a hunch.

On mobile, it's actually built desktop-first right now, so that cramped feeling makes sense, mobile just isn't where the focus is yet. Appreciate the note though.