balajmarius.com
Creative
virtual bookshelf
SHOW HN2025
How HN took it
24 positive, 19 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 9 critical, out of 53 comments about the project. Thread score +0.26.
Idea: 15 for, 6 againstDesign: 4 for, 1 againstExecution: 3 for, 0 againstDocs: 0 for, 2 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Vibe coding suits small personal projects; the maker's taste drives the result
From 3 comments
This nails what vibe coding actually is. The model handles execution, but intent and taste stay human. That’s where the real leverage is.
vtemian on HN“Claude handled implementation. I handled taste.” This is the right mindset.
asasidh on HNThis is lovely, claude code is a great tool for creating software for a user of 1. Personal software that runs locally (or on your own website in your case) and works exactly you…
kingkongjaffa on HN
Bookshelf design and scroll animation look good
From 3 comments
I really love how the bookshelf display looks. Most sites just use a standard grid for books, which can feel a bit cookie-cutter. The way you’ve mixed in stacked and…
zittur on HNAn aside, I love the animation at the end of your website when you scroll at the bottom and the blue expands out. Awesome touch
TheGoodBarn on HNThese are the perfect size projects vibe coding is currently good for. At some point you hit a project size that is too large or has too many interdependencies, and you have to…
spicyusername on HN
Browser search works within the bookshelf
From 1 comment
I Love the fact that the browser search functionality works in the bookshelf.
mihaibalint on HN
Objections
Physical shelves are better for browsing than a digital UI
From 1 comment
Good project, nice write-up. However, to me as a person with an anti-library as well, this kind of defies the purpose of having it in the first place. I can't say I browse my…
oleggromov on HN
Vibe coding skips learning and ownership
From 1 comment
> I own more books than I can read. > I started asking for things I did not need. For a community that prides itself on depth of conversation, ideas, etc. I'm surprised to so…
ear7h on HN
Usability is poor
From 1 comment
I'm not sure anyone commented on this but the usability of what he vibe produced is absolutely terrible. It's amusing that the author might feel a sense of accomplishment and…
keyle on HN
Mobile scroll surface overlaps the shelf
From 1 comment
Love it, only issue on my mobile is the scroll surface overlaps. I would want that shelf to be perfect fitting on my screen before I start scrolling. Vibe coded a library last…
pranavm27 on HN
Requests
Share the code
From 1 comment
Why wouldn't the author share code? Or did I miss it?
shimman on HN
Add an RSS feed
From 1 comment
Please add an rss feed to your website/writing
TheChelsUK on HN
Report the cost, especially for images
From 1 comment
I’d love to see how much it cost though, particularly around the images.
dawnerd on HN
Questions
Why build it, and what is it for
From 1 comment
I love this, the end result looks so good. Something you don’t really mention in the post is why do this? Do you have an end goal or utility in mind for the book shelf? Is it…
samwho on HN
How to search whether a book is in the shelf given no predictable order
From 1 comment
How do you search if a book is in there? They don't seem to be in any predictable order.
phyzix5761 on HN
Alternatives named
Apple Books for reading organization
From 1 comment
Very very cool. It's surprisingly difficult to find applications for organizing reading material, and also to actually read them. My current "good enough" solution is just Apple…
stanrunge on HN