alt Hacker NewsJust because the ReadMe is slop, doesn’t mean the code is slop. People are starting to make apps for themselves now and open-sourcing them so they’re not putting much thought into the ReadMe or distribution.
This just means ReadMe’s are less important now. I just have my terminal agent dig into the code and tell me what features are there. If the app is actually useful.
Even before AI, there were so many projects with subpar ReadMes, no screenshots, etc. But once you use the software, you realize how good it is.
Source: I maintain a massive collection of open-source alternatives and quality of open-source alternatives have increased a lot
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Perhaps we should have README.md and README.ai the latter containing a bunch of stuff that humans don't want to read but agents can use to answer questions humans ask
You’re right that a poor quality readme doesn’t mean a poor-quality product, but it seems more likely than not to me.
Slop is an instant tab close for me. If something’s good, it’ll come around again. I’ll catch it when there's some evidence that it’s worth my time.
This project is 100% slop, as evidenced by all commits having a Claude attribution. https://github.com/awlevin/typesafe-computer-use/graphs/cont...
If you do not respect your project to write your readme yourself chances are i will not care though.