Thread

1. anthuswilliams · 1790353553 · focus · HN ↗

   One interesting quirk of the AI-written READMEs these days is how they can include every detail on how it works, thoroughly document every optional flag, known limitation, experimental result, and still not communicate the essence of the project and the problem it solves.

   I have read through the project and I still don't understand what this thing is for and why it is to be preferred over the harness's native memory management tools.

   1. gchamonlive · 1790353980 · focus · HN ↗

      I once told the agent explicitly not to write like it's trying to impersonate Hemingway and it started writing like a normal human being. It's surprising how a writing style that was once revolutionary is now a hallmark of sloppyness.

      Maybe give it a try next time you write a readme with agents. That and giving it an example of good README in real world repos can increase dramatically the likelihood of synthesizing a serviceable README.

      1. senderista · 1790354834 · focus · HN ↗

         I don't recall Hemingway ever using semicolons or em-dashes.

         1. gchamonlive · 1790356817 · focus · HN ↗

            Next time you read I suggest focusing less on punctuation and more on style of writing, because it's not about which syntactic markers you use, but which words you choose and how you use them, emdashes notwithsanding.

            1. senderista · 1790359316 · focus · HN ↗

               Hemingway did not write like a LinkedIn influencer, if that's what you mean.

               1. gchamonlive · 1790359486 · focus · HN ↗

                  He wrote in short bursts. Sentences that connect but barely. Crude, honest. It's not a style you want to use for flow. It's a style you want to use to impress.

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