So what I do now (since Claude Code) is write really bare bones (and slow) pure python implementation (like I used to do for numba, pypy or cython ready code), with minimal dependencies. Then I use the REPL, notebooks and nice plotting tools to get a real understanding of the problem space and the intricacies of my algorithm/problem at hand. When done, I let Claude add tests and I ask it to transpile to equivalent Rust and boom! a flawless 1000x speed upgrade in a minutes.

The great thing is I don't need to do the mental gymnastics to vectorize code in a write only mode like I've had to do since my Matlab days. Instead I can write simple to read for loops that follow my intent much better, and result in much more legible code. So refreshing!

And with pyO3 i can still expose the Rust lib to python, and continue to use Python for glue and plotting

I do think the interview could use a bit more editing, it now reads more like a literal transcript and that is somewhat exhausting to read. Take this excerpt:

>> "Like it just fit my brain. It’s one of those where I don’t have to think about it, it just automatically makes sense to me. Much more than any other programming language. Even though I quite like C, I quite like all the pitfalls in C, I’m very comfortable in C and C++ and pretty comfortable in Java and PHP, but Python is just fun and it’s enjoyable and it makes sense. And this was the Usenet days, of course. I think the Python list, yeah, the email list gateway existed as well. So I think I just subscribed to Python-List and learned a lot about Python just from using it, following along."

Fillets and chamfers are a good example. They seem simple but are geometrically non-trivial, and OCC will fail on cases that Parasolid handles without complaint. You can push either kernel to its limits if you try hard enough, but OCC hits that ceiling much sooner. So any CAD tool built on top of it inherits that ceiling too.

This time everything just installed, and Claude Code turned out to be pretty good. Designing with code is sometimes more work upfront, but iteration is so much better. You get proper abstractions: functions, encapsulation, loops. You can drop in a SAT solver to optimize part placement or grab data from an excel sheet. No more clicking through a GUI that crashes and loses your session. I've spent time with Fusion, SolidWorks, NX, OnShape, FreeCAD, and Rhino, and each has its merits, but none of them can benefit from the LLM revolution the way a code-first tool can.

I asked Claude Code to generate a set of Lego bricks in various sizes, apply a nice color palette, and pack them optimally into a grid. It needed some steering, but all in all I was impressed

Not a single port forwarded, I just set my router up as peer node.