Text.js: Build full-stack React apps that render inside console.log | Hacker News Reader

Text.js: Build full-stack React apps that render inside console.log

textjs.org

106 pointsnateb202249 comments

Hmm..Nice idea..!!

I am trying to think of use cases for this but I can’t think of one. It’s sort of cool, but I need help figuring out who’s the audience for this here. Why would someone need or want this?

those are my favorite apps

I’d wager it’s just a bit of fun. Which is amongst the best reasons to do anything.

Oh that part I understood haha which is why I liked it. Was thinking beyond that though, curious if there’s more to it.

I think the main value is buried in the page, and that is it can also render in the terminal, so it’s sort of React for TUI apps? And they built OpenCode with it?

But then why make console.log your main selling point?

Because console.log is not much different from stdout in JS/Node, I'd guess.

Hey, author here! It’s just for fun :). I think I went too hard on the satire and people thought it was something other than a good time, but it’s just a good time.

There will always be people who miss the satire

the line between satire and slop grows ever thinner in the age of LLMs

Too late, I've already vibecoded a startup that uses this. It's basically Uber for furries. Valuation is $2bn.

Used to think of building something like this for my frontend framework as a way to display help files. Didn't get to it though and nowadays, the point is moot with AI producing most of the code. Less of a need for framework -help.

I'm not impressed until I see Doom ported to console.log rendered thru libghostty-vt.

https://textjs.org/doom

Way ahead of you boss!

I was wondering where the sound was coming from, and forgot to open the devtools :)

I opened the console to see if it there was a demo, but alas there wasn't.

Wait for real? Should be lots of them!

I'm on Safari and didn't see one. Possibly something wrong with my setup

Now build a browser in it

Hahaha

Someone did! With webcontainers or something, but I can’t find the tweet now

Amazing! But why? Definitely a fun idea.

> But why?

Autism is a hell of a drug

I made this, and I am autistic, confirmed!

Trillions of us

The world would crumble without your weird obsessions

I see this as a novel capability with no reason to think “why?”

It’s a capability, use your imagination.

Cheers, neat idea

Developed by anomalyco[1], the same crew behind OpenCode. Not sure how much of the marketing site is satire, but it looks fun.

[1] https://github.com/anomalyco

The marketing site is entirely satire :). But the framework works and there’s lots of resources to guide you along if you want to render an app in the console.

This is cool. Can it also be used out of the box to build regular terminal apps?

Im guessing so, given any stdout is ≈ console.log

Claude code uses a similar design principle, nice to see what they’re doing inspired an open build. These opencode folks are slick.

Use case is to build neat messaging for developers that open the console on your site

A hammer in search of a nail. Why must everything be overcomplicated?

How does it compare to

https://www.ink-web.dev/

https://docs.rs/webatui/latest/webatui/

Useless but ok.

usecase?

Job application form would be fun! Lots of companies put little hiring ads for web devs in their console.

Why do that when not only an AI agent will find it easily, but AI agents have clearly replaced these web developers?

It looks like the authors also created opencode, and there’s a page about how opencode uses it - so local TUI for agents seems like a primary use case.

noice

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