Revive old apps and sketch new ones with a coding agent

Terence Tao used a coding agent to port old Java applets to JavaScript and to build two new math visualizations in conversation.

Done with Custom agent· Intermediate

What they did
He gave an AI agent about two dozen Java applets from 1999 and asked it to recreate them in JavaScript using the source code and each applet’s web page. For the more complicated ones, he had the agent first build the mathematical core and check it before adding the interface. He also used the same style of back-and-forth coding to make two fresh tools: a spacetime diagram for special relativity and a Gilbreath conjecture visualizer.
How it went
The porting work finished in a few hours, and the applets now run again. He noticed one small bug tied to dragging, and the agent also uncovered two bugs in the original programs. Each new app took a few hours as well, and he describes the relativity tool as an alpha version.
Tips
Tao says his own programming skill and subject knowledge were key for guiding the agent and spotting issues. He treats low-risk visual tools as a reasonable place to tolerate some mistakes while iterating.

Try it yourself with Claude Code

I want you to help me build or restore an app in [language/framework] at [path or new folder]. First, give me a brief plan. Then work in small steps: inspect the code, propose the next change, make it, and test it before moving on. If the app has a tricky core, build and verify the underlying logic first, then add the interface. Stop and ask for my approval before any action that would delete files, overwrite important work, send data, make payments, or submit anything. When you finish, tell me exactly what changed and how I can run it.

Fill in the [brackets]. Agents can make mistakes, so review anything before it is sent, paid or deleted.

Read the original on terrytao.wordpress.com ↗

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