Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

(github.com)

46 points | by KolmogorovComp 1 hour ago

6 comments

  • flufluflufluffy 23 minutes ago
    > And because Bonsai is written in OCaml, it becomes possible to use the same language and types on both the backend and frontend.

    Finally! I was waiting for this to become possible!

  • bobjansen 28 minutes ago
    This would of been cool back in 2014.
  • xvilka 1 hour ago
    Looks like it's Web-only, no mention of the native UI support (terminal UI excluded).
  • kubb 30 minutes ago
    I wish there were more OCaml shops out there
  • hahahaa 1 hour ago
    Oh it needs a userland trampoline!

    > JSOO does not have tail call optimization

  • Traster 1 hour ago
    The "Why Bonsai?" I found really funny.

    Let me re-write that section for you:

    Why Bonsai?

    At Jane Street we're super excited by Functional programming and by CAML in particular, so when we need low latency software, we use OCAML, when we need hardware, we write out own langauge - HardCAML, and when we need a Web UI, we build a Web UI framework in CAML. Because we fucking love CAML.

    • bofeiw 26 minutes ago
      Agreed, looks like it's reinventing the wheels. Frameworks does not really matter today, AI agents write the code anyway.
      • KolmogorovComp 24 minutes ago
        But AI do benefit a lot from a strict compiler, and having a simple language improve a lot on type-safety, so I don't think it is to throw, even today.
        • rmzs0711 13 minutes ago
          But what about compilation speed? Hot reload? Maintainability? What is the bus factor for these kind of technologies?

          Yea, its cool to have strict type safety, but what's the point of it doesn't have all the benefits from other Frameworks that took years to polish

      • ForHackernews 24 minutes ago
        Better frameworks will still help AIs avoid silly mistakes. A smarter framework means you can be productive with a dumber/cheaper AI.