We built Else, a tool for PMs to prototype on top of their actual product.
I started using Else to build Else, and I now inadvertently spend all my time turning it into my ideal dev environment.
Else works similar to most cloud agent systems with some key differences that I personally think have a huge impact, but I’m worried I have tunnel vision.
WHY DO I THINK IT'S SO GOOD?
It’s equally good at the first 80% (the agent spends an hour building the feature) and the last 20% (you need to test, iterate, fix issues, and polish the UX).
- It’s built around the app, not the code. Think Lovable, v0, etc. The app runs on a real url (no remoting into localhost).
- When building a feature, the agent also creates an overview page with videos and buttons that load the correct db and frontend state. Saves tons of time when you manually verify.
- If a tool or state snapshot is universally useful, save it. Over time, you build an extensive development dashboard.
- Else can also run locally using Docker containers instead of VMs.
- Else can edit Else. If you want something to work differently in the dev tool itself, just tell the agent to change it.
WHY AM I WORRIED IT'S HUBRIS?Isn’t this what Devin, Cursor cloud agents, etc, etc, etc are trying to solve? These are my pain points, but maybe I'm just not using them right?
- Getting the full stack running is a major PITA, and it’s just as much of a PITA to maintain
- I personally hate the “remote desktop into a browser so you can use localhost” approach. It’s clunky and limiting, and it makes the last 20% painful. I usually end up switching back to local development, which has its own issues.
- They feel rigid. I want to tweak things to my preferences, but I don’t want to spend time figuring out how.
What about working locally with Conductor, Superset, or just Claude/Codex?
- I don’t want to live in the terminal.
- I still need to figure out how to run five instances of my app concurrently.
- Once I’ve solved that, it’s still a headache to keep track of which agent is on which port.
SO TELL ME HONESTLY:
- Am I high on my own supply? Have I just not spent enough time figuring out the best way to use the tools already on the market?
- I’m considering open-sourcing and releasing the local version as a Conductor/Superset alternative for people who don’t want to live in the terminal. Would you be interested in trying it?
Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48574681
Points: 1