Forem: Ahmad Swalih

Codex is great, but what’s it?

Ahmad Swalih — Tue, 20 May 2025 03:39:42 +0000

And how can we use it effectively in our daily life?

Last week, OpenAI launched Codex, an AI software engineering agent operating on the cloud.

What can it do?

First of all, it is available for all the Pro users (not for the Plus users on the $20 plan).

You can literally connect your GitHub account (whether it’s org or personal) and ask whatever you need to achieve—like analyse the full codebase, or find bugs in the current codebase, and whatever you have to do.

The interesting part is that you can have multiple tasks that you have, and it runs asynchronously—means it all runs on each chat and you can leave it there and start on another task.

Eg: you can have a task running for finding bugs and also at the same time have another task running like implementing a new feature and all. So how cool is that though!

So what I can see is that—if you are interested to contribute to a particular open source project and you don’t have any idea on the folder structure and all, you can literally fork that to your personal ACC and connect it to the Codex and ask it to analyse the codebase and explain it plainly—and you have the full documentation as well.

And on the other end, it works on the cloud so that you can use that on your phone as well to do the task.

So that’s it. Even I am also experimenting with it and this is interesting as well—for the people who already know how to code, not for the others ig.

Cursor Vs Windsurf

Ahmad Swalih — Wed, 14 May 2025 05:44:16 +0000

i’ve been using both windsurf & cursor back and forth on my projects and here’s what i felt:

cursor (agentic flow) is amazing

– agentic cursor is powerful when you set up your .cursorrule around the project. it really follows that base and delivers way better output.

– cursor + claude 3.5 always works for me when generating code—I get cleaner, more accurate snippets than with gpt-4o.

– cost-wise it’s the priciest: credits disappear fast if you let it run wild through agentic mode. and blindly accepting every change without checking which files got updated will literally be a nightmare :)

for enterprises: cursor ships with SOC 2 certification and a privacy mode so your code never gets stored remotely, plus you can swap between models (OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, custom) and even bring your own API key [if needed].

windsurf

– crazy fast. even when i compare windsurf + claude 3.5 vs cursor + claude 3.5, windsurf spits out code way quicker (maybe it’s my illusion 😂, but the speed difference is legit).

– cost = $15/mo. cursor is $20/mo (or $16/mo on a yearly plan).

– simpler setup—less “magic” under the hood, so fewer surprises with unwanted errors. it offers on-prem for enterprise and zero-data-retention if you care about IP.

– windsurf’s cascade agent can write changes directly to disk so you see live updates before accepting diffs.

so here’s my final thought:

– cursor wins on complex, multistep tasks and context-heavy flows; windsurf wins when you just need quick, reliable code without a ton of config.

– both run inside vscode—they’re basically vscode clones under the hood, so the UI and feel are nearly identical.

– both support AI terminal commands, inline edits, auto-generated commit messages, and full extension compatibility via the VS Code marketplace.

TL;DR

both tools only really perform if you know the fundamentals & how to use them; otherwise it’s just another piece of software.

so that’s it.

Why is Cursor IDE not Creating an Automatic Git Commit?

Ahmad Swalih — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 02:19:13 +0000

As the Raise in the GenAI and the Cursor IDE, I am very much interested look into this particular part where after getting suggestions from the IDE, we should have the option to have commit from there itself with a descriptive commit message. Much More Convenient, right?

What are your thoughts guys?

Never ever trust a third-party API.

Ahmad Swalih — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 14:36:20 +0000

Yeah, you heard it right. Never fully trust a third-party API with your applications. You guys may have seen a post I shared in the recent days about one of my applications called Breaking Bad that lists the characters of the series Breaking Bad. I built that application 2 years ago using the API breakingbadapi.com, and now the API service has actually stopped, causing my application to crash.

That’s why if any of the main features of your application entirely depend on any third-party API, in the long run, it’s not a good idea to continue with that.

If you really want to use a third-party API, then surely implement a backup plan that can support the API if it goes down.

There are other reasons as well for not trusting a third-party API:

There will be updates in the API, and there is a high chance that the response JSON format can also change.

If it’s a commercial API, then there is a chance that they increase their API pricing on a yearly basis, which could increase the expenses for the application.

If the API is directly integrated into a main feature of your application and unfortunately, the API service goes down, then it’s your worst day for sure.

Just listed some of the circumstances that you may face if you 100% depend on a third-party API, so what you can do is surely implement a backup plan and add another API that also provides a similar kind of service. If the main API fails to fetch the data, then it should retrieve the data from the secondary API (for sure, it will increase the expenses for the application).

So, that’s it.

"Unmasking India's Unicorn Startups"

Ahmad Swalih — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 14:24:34 +0000

Have you heard of the word UNICORN?

No, I am not talking about the mythical one-horned animal (🦄). I am talking about Byjus,Nyka, etc.

In business terms, a unicorn is a privately held startup company valued over $1 billion Dollar.

India has 108 unicorns and it’s a good number for a growing economy like ours. but most of these companies are not profitable. For example, take buyjus, at one point it was one of India’s most valued startups, The GOLDENEYE Boy of the unicorn club. but in this last year, it has seen a dramatic downturn, investors no longer believe in its potential, employees are being laid off and its owner Bayju Ravindran is no longer a billionaire.

So, What exactly went wrong? Our Indian Startups are highly overvalued and Is this summer turning into a funding winter? more importantly, why should you care?

Byjus was founded in the year 2011, the founders were Bayju Ravindran and Divya Gokulnath .So that’s where the name byjus comes from. So the company started with online videos. learning programs and preparations for competitive exams. But things took a turn in 2015, and that’s when Bayjus launched its learning app by the end of 2018 the app had more than 15 million subscribers and Byjus became a UNICORN. But the boom really happened during the pandemic. Everyone was at home, they were learning on their devices so Buyjus saw a meteoric rise there was exponential growth, and it became the growing star of the edtech market what did the company do next?

They decided to expand. They went on an acquisition spree. They acquired the company called WHITEHAT JR, another startup in the edtech and this acquisition was for 300 million dollars. Then they bought a tutorial chain called AAKASH and this was for 950 million dollars and it did not end here. Byjus kept adding more companies to the shopping cart like the topper, epic, Great Learning etc. they came at a hefty price. we’re talking about more than 2 billion dollars. but expansion was not the only thing on their mind the company scaled up it’s marketing too. It poured millions into promotions. Byjus became the main sponsor of the Indian cricket team, it was the official sponsor of the FIFA world cup,it robbed the Bollywood star Sharukhan and football legend “Lionel Messi “ all to promote the brand .

This was the dream run for Byjus but like most good things these too came to an end. you see Byjus was depending on students to learn online. They were expecting them to stay at home. but soon the world opened up, students returned to schools. but byjus kept spending, it kept growing, investors kept pouring in money and they did not expect or predict a downturn which brings us to 2021. that’s when the first signs of trouble emerged. Byjus posted a loss of 327n million dollars this was 17 times more than 2020 ( based on this article on BBC ) and this was just the beginning. Since then bayjus has only gone from one scandal to another. First, there were complaints by parents. They said Bayjus sales executives were forcing them to buy courses. Some of these parents could not even afford them, but the byjus executive did not care about that. they only care about hitting their sales targets ( an article was published on The Economic Times based on the similar issues) . Then came the financial troubles, the company tried to cost cutting, not by reducing expenditure but by firing hundreds of employees ( Economic Times). The troubles continued though!

So You get the drift, The one celebrated company is now mired in debts and Scandals. In 2022, its valuation was worth 22 billion dollars, this year it has been slashed to 5.1billion dollars

It’s an extraordinary unravelling and also a cautionary tale because this is not the story of just one company, this is the story of most of India’s Unicorns like Swiggy, Zomato, Paytm, Bharatpe . I am sure you’ve heard of these names, perhaps even used most of them. These are all highly valued companies but they all are burning money. You see Valuations no longer have any relation to success and profits. It’s actually a huge problem in the Indian startup ecosystem. One report says most early startups in India are overvalued and this hyper valuation is now coming back to bite them (read the report here ). I have some numbers 55 of India’s most valued startups remain in a loss. So here is the full picture, Indian startups are burning money they no longer have unlimited access to unlimited money. It may look like a downturn to but basically, this is a reset. These companies grew unprecedentedly until 2021, they were valued at sky-high levels and now they’re finally being valued at a more realistic level. Does that mean that the Indian startup economy is failing? Well No! It’s just the bubble is bursting like I said this is the reset, Indian Startups have immense potential but valuations need to be based on reality not illusions. you can say that Indian startups are at a crossroads, they need some course corrections and growth will follow

Don’t attach to any programming language

Ahmad Swalih — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:43:09 +0000

I know people who are absolutely obsessed with programming languages, you know? It sounds a bit strange, na?

Yeah, it's true. I've been attending a lot of tech and community events. There, I meet so many techies who claim that they only code in JavaScript. They say JavaScript is like their lifeblood and whatnot. But I can't help but wonder, is it really necessary to limit yourself to just one programming language? Why are people so fixated on programming languages instead of focusing on solving problems?

Beginners starting out in the world of programming often get confused, and it's only natural. There are around 8,945 programming languages out there (both active and inactive as of now), and this number is only going to increase in the future, for sure. So, beginners often find themselves in a dilemma, not knowing which programming language they should study or which one has more scope in the future. They may even wonder if learning a particular language, like 'C/C++', will be beneficial in the long run and all.

First and foremost, it's essential to understand that programming languages are just tools. Yes, you heard it right—they are just tools for solving problems. And secondly, every language has its own advantages and disadvantages, so don't think that studying 'C' or 'C++' won't be useful in the future, okay?

Now, here's the most important thing I want to say: if you're studying or planning to study programming and you're at that point where you're confused about which language to choose, here's a tip for you:

Think about what you want to be after studying programming. For example, do you want to become an app developer or a web developer who creates amazing web applications, just like me? 😄

Once you've made that decision, just do some research on Google, read some blogs, or connect with other programmers you may already know (you can always connect with me 💁), and ask them, 'I want to be a web developer or an app developer. Which language should I focus on more? What are your suggestions?' It always helps, trust me. So, don't worry too much about the programming language. Just start, and everything will fall into place for sure.

Remember, 'Programming Language is Just a Tool for Solving Problems

Is there any projects we can do with Raspberry pi for web developers ?

Ahmad Swalih — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 18:13:09 +0000

Recently i bought a new Raspberry pi 4 (8gb) , is there any ideas you can suggest or you work on ?

Why “FREE “ keyword has so much market in the Startup world?

Ahmad Swalih — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 14:05:53 +0000

It's simple: people love getting something for nothing. Offers that promise to save money naturally draw people in, and the word "FREE" is a powerful trigger for that desire.

Whenever a startup launches a digital/physical product, its only focus is to get some actual users as soon as possible! only then can they receive real feedback. And Acquiring users or reaching the targeted audience is where the pain hides!

Imagine you started a startup with a unique idea: reduce plastic waste by recycling it ( unique idea 😂) and as a part of the process you developed a mobile application for tracking customers and collecting agents. The Application has a Subscription plan and the users are required to pay a monthly fee, the collecting agents will come to their homes once a week to collect the plastics

now in this case the potential clients will be the people who reside in the city/urban area, so we have to target these people, For getting attention from these people we can introduce a free plastic collecting day once a month or 3 months. this will exponentially increase the revenue for sure.

In this example, it’s a service-based startup and people are experiencing the use of their service for free in the real world. so, whenever you launch a product, give the users a chance to use your product for absolutely free so they can decide if it’s worth buying or subscribing to this application or give them a freemium (users can use the product with limited functionality ) option

By Integrating these strategies, startups can attract users, gather valuable feedback, and generate revenue more effectively. The allure of "FREE" is a powerful force that can drive growth and success in the competitive startup ecosystem.

Master the Art of Website Creation

Ahmad Swalih — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 04:20:54 +0000

A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Stunning Websites for Clients

So you want to earn money by building websites, huh?

Whether you know it or not, building a website for a client involves a lot of moving pieces, such as design, hosting, communication with the client, structuring your contract, and more. In your first project, it's guaranteed that you will miss something, and that's okay. You will improve with each project you work on.

Here , I'm going to explain the end-to-end process I follow to create a website for a client:

Initial Meeting with the Client:

The first meeting sets the tone for the rest of your interaction with the client. Before the meeting starts, it's important to get the client in the right mindset. Throughout the meeting, emphasize the value of a high-quality website. Clients are usually busy people, and overhauling their website can be a chore. So, stress that the effort put into their website directly affects their business's bottom line, which is something they care about.

During this meeting, aim to:

1)Understand the purpose of the website.

2)Identify any special needs the client has.

3)Determine the necessary pages to create.

4)Grasp the desired vibe of the website.

5) Ask the golden question: When someone visits your website, what do you want them to do?

This helps you understand how to help the client achieve their business objectives. Remember, in most cases, a website exists for users to make a purchase, schedule an appointment, or subscribe.

💡 A tip for understanding the client's vibe is to come prepared to the initial meeting with three different websites from similar businesses in their space. Have the client review them and provide feedback on what they like and dislike. Keep all the notes in a shared Google Drive for reference throughout the project.

Design:

Create the initial look and feel of the website using tools like Figma. It may be tempting to jump into the building right away, especially if you're new to the tools. However, trust me that taking the time to use a tool like Figma will save you a lot of time later on. The mockup stage is where both you and the client should fall in love with the design. Once that's achieved, you can move on to the building step.

Time to Build:

For a long time, I thought it was cool to build websites using pure HTML and CSS. I had a fear that clients would think I'm cheating if I used tools like WordPress or Wix. But let me tell you a little secret: "They don't care at all." All your client wants is an awesome website. They don't care how you get there; that's why they hired you. It's up to you as an expert to decide the best tools for the job. After building the website, thoroughly test it and demo it to the client.

Deploy:

If you use Wix or WordPress, use providers like Hostinger or Wix hosting itself. Use Namecheap or GoDaddy to purchase the domain.

Payment:

One crucial part of the process is getting the client to pay. When discussing the price upfront, you can use strategies like offering a 15% discount if they pay the full amount upfront. In this case, simply mark up the price by 15%. That way, if they choose the discount, you still get what you wanted initially. If they don't, you get an extra 15% and they still need to pay half upfront or in milestones.

And that's it! Have you built websites for clients before? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you!

Is WordPress Relevant in 2023?

Ahmad Swalih — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 04:14:15 +0000

Hey there, why am I writing about WordPress? Shouldn't I be discussing Next.js, Gatsby, Solidity, React, or something more trendy? Well, that's exactly what I wanted to offer you all—a fresh perspective on WordPress.

WordPress is often considered outdated or not as modern, and many professional programmers who are immersed in the world of fancy JavaScript might overlook it. But this perspective is not entirely accurate.

In the YouTube realm, where we discuss Solidity, Blockchain, React, JavaScript, and all those fancy stuff, WordPress sometimes takes a backseat. You might be forming your opinion about technologies based on these popular YouTube channels, where WordPress is rarely discussed.

So, What is WordPress?

WordPress is a "headless" Content Management System (CMS) built on top of PHP. It currently holds about 43.2% of the entire market share of websites (according to Manaferra website research) and has been growing steadily over the past 4-5 years. These days, WordPress is not only used by bloggers but also serves as a full-blown Content Management System utilized by high-end e-commerce applications and startups. When there is a dominant player in the market, you can't simply ignore it. For example, in India, the number of iOS users is relatively small compared to the USA. So, if you're starting a startup or building an application in India, you should focus on Android due to the market share. This emphasizes the importance of market share when establishing a business or startup, which is why you can't overlook WordPress.

In the early days, WordPress was used as both the front-end and back-end of websites. However, after facing some challenges in rendering all the pages from the WordPress database, people started using it as a headless CMS. They use WordPress as the backend or admin panel of their website, where they can list, edit, or delete products, for example. However, they don't use WordPress on the front end anymore. Instead, they leverage cutting-edge technologies like React.js, Next.js, etc., for the front end. Just imagine combining years of WordPress's maturity as a Content Management System with the power of modern technologies like Next.js or Gatsby. The result is an incredible level of speed and performance.

So, change your perspective—WordPress is not outdated! It is still relevant in the market and remains a valuable choice in 2023.

Happy coding!

5 Things I Learned while Building SaaS-Based Product

Ahmad Swalih — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 18:55:52 +0000

Continuous iteration and Improvement are essential.
User experience (UX) is key.
Scalability is a priority.
Most of the time, you have to be a Jack of all trades

Last but not least - It's a never-ending process; there is always room for improvement.

🌟 Building a product from scratch is like raising a child. Just as parents provide guidance and support to their children, product developers invest time, resources, and expertise to nurture their ideas. It's a process that demands patience, adaptability, and continuous effort to go above and beyond. By paying attention to these key aspects, you can increase the chances of creating a successful and sustainable product.

Share your thoughts in the comment section

Why did Apple launched the vision pro at WWDC instead of an apple event ?

Ahmad Swalih — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 11:47:36 +0000

Apple has been rolling out some new products, software updates and hardware in quite some time but this product is something new with some amazing computational power. We all know that Apple is well known for its products not because it’s very amazing but because it gives you a new experience.

coming to the point that why Apple launched VISION PRO at WWDC.

Before that, will you be buying a Playstation 5 with no game on it? probably not huh! You buy a PlayStation 5 because there is always a new game coming up with it, right? And this makes things interesting! The reason why I am saying this right now is that this (vision pro) product is currently empty or hollow. there is nothing on it. This is just hardware. People buy hardware to enjoy some experience or play some games or work something on it and right now apple’s VISION is an empty product .there is nothing on it apart from the Apple apps. That’s why it launches in WWDC. First They want the developers' hands on it. That's why they take an entire year so that the developers can understand it and come up with some innovative ideas. Because currently, it's just an open-ended framework that’s given to you and what creative is done after it is dependent on the developer's and developers' creativity. And who can deny that developers are creative? 🖖

New companies will turn up and which are going to rise absolutely from zero to a billion dollar company with just this one product, We have seen it. It's a new lineup, new product, and new app store, so hundred per cent sure that new billion-dollar unicorns will be there with this app store. And What are your thoughts about it?