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Show HN: Memex is a Claude Code alternative built on Rust+Tauri for vibe coding

86 points by davidvgilmore 1y ago

Hi HN, TL;DR Memex is a cross-platform desktop app for vibe coding. Think ChatGPT + Claude Code rolled into one. Why we built it: We love chat tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT. We also love coding agents, like in Cursor and Windsurf. We don’t like that web-based app builders are opinionated about tech stack and we can’t run them locally. So, we built Memex to be a chat tool + coding agent that supports any tech stack. What it can do today: Claude Code-like coding. Agentic web search / research. Pre-built templates (e.g. fullstack, iOS, python + modal, etc). Inline data analysis + viz. Checkpointing (shadow git repo). Privacy mode. How it works: Written in TS+Rust+Python, using Tauri for the cross-platform build (macOS, Windows, Linux). It has a bundled python environment for data analysis. Agent uses a mix of Sonnet 3.7 + Haiku. Status & roadmap: Free download with free tier and paid plan: https://memex.tech https://memex.tech. Up next: [1] Additional model support (e.g. Gemini 2.5). [2] MCP support. [3] Computer use. Ask: Kick the tires. Give us feedback on product + roadmap. If you love it – spread the word! Thanks! David

graylien 1y ago
Nice, by TS+Rust+Python and Tauri, does this mean it is not a VS Code fork? I have been exploring those recently. I'll give it a spin anyway!
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  Correct - not a VS Code fork. Built it from the ground up with TS+Rust+Python and Tauri
  - davidvgilmore 1y ago
    and thanks! we'd love to hear feedback!
diego_moita 1y ago
> Agent uses a mix of Sonnet 3.7 + Haiku And only on the enterprise plan you're allowed to use other models. Thanks but I'll stick with Aider.
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  thanks for the feedback. To understand the preference - would you prefer to (1) bring your own keys or (2) use different models? Regarding (2), we haven't supported other models yet because they each come with their own peculiarities regarding system prompting / tool use / etc. By focusing on just Sonnet+Haiku, it's allowed us to focus more time on other features (e.g. checkpointing ...). Regarding BYOKs - a lot of our beta users didn't actually have keys setup, so it was easier for them to get started without bringing their own keys. The folks that have been interested in BYOKs have mainly wanted to bring their Bedrock/Vertex keys and are interested in enterprise/team features. Hence structuring it this way. But we're posting here to get feedback and we are willing to make changes :)
  - ehsanu1 1y ago
    Where I work, our legal department requires making use of LLMs only through our own contractual relationships with model providers. Given that, BYOK is table stakes for me at least. Litellm is what we use internally, so we can support any LLM backend with any open source tool, and create virtual keys for each developer to monitor and manage usage limits etc.
    - davidvgilmore 1y ago
      helpful context. yeah - we want to get the BYOK support to be self-service but we just prioritized other things based on user feedback. thanks again for the context.
  - diego_moita 1y ago
    > (2) use different models? Primarily this. Models are evolving fast, every 2 months we see a model emerging with new interesting features. I want to be able to easily switch and try them.
    - davidvgilmore 1y ago
      Got it. Helpful. Our roadmap is essentially this: [1] Additional model support (e.g. Gemini 2.5). [2] MCP support. [3] Computer use. so in the near future we aim to have the top agentic coding models supported
m00dy 1y ago
side question, how did you guys embed python into rust ? I was looking at the same problem a week ago.
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  We use Tauri's "sidecar" feature https://v1.tauri.app/v1/guides/building/sidecar/ https://v1.tauri.app/v1/guides/building/sidecar/
  - m00dy 1y ago
    planning to open source this project ?
    - davidvgilmore 1y ago
      We're planning to open source some components but not the full app. Today, all of our templates are open source and we plan to keep it that way and grow them over time. https://github.com/orgs/memextech/repositories https://github.com/orgs/memextech/repositories
      - m00dy 1y ago
        I'll need a very compelling reason to install a binary on my system.
        davidvgilmore 1y ago
        That's fair! We're hoping to make Memex compelling :) thanks for the feedback
slightwinder 1y ago
[flagged]
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  named Memex because: (1) We are fans of the ethos of https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-may-think/303881/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-m... (2) We are most excited about helping to accelerate technical progress by making science and engineering more productive. While we are not the same thing as a Memex, it was designed to help improve the productivity of science.
- woleium 1y ago
  Gentle reminder of one of the HN guidelines for comments: Please don't complain about tangential annoyances—e.g. article or website formats, name collisions, or back-button breakage. They're too common to be interesting.
- codegladiator 1y ago
  [flagged]
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
codyvoda 1y ago
is this a Claude Code alternative? seems way more GUI-focused Codex is OSS (and Aider of course) and serve as decent alternatives
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  It is an agentic coding tool at its core, so yes - I'd say it's fair to call it a Claude Code alternative. Regarding the GUI focus: we did that so it's more approachable to both tech folks and people not as accustomed to using a terminal (e.g. PMs, sales engineers, etc.). But a lot of our beta users are devs. Also, when using its agentic search and data viz capabilities, some users prefer to not do that in the terminal.
  - codyvoda 1y ago
    sure I’d just say it’s a Cursor alternative :shrug:
    - davidvgilmore 1y ago
      Fair
Topfi 1y ago
Could you explain how/when you rely on Haiku vs Sonnet or how the two models work together? Looking forward to testing Memex, anything that goes beyond a VSCode fork automatically catches my attention, completely regardless of LLM support.
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  We use Haiku for a bunch of small things ... naming a conversation, naming a project (if you don't provide a name), compressing long conversations to manage context window ... Sonnet is the real workhorse, though. E.g., for all the thinking and tool use Thanks and looking forward to any feedback you have! It was definitely a lift+risk to start from scratch instead of forking.
ZeroCool2u 1y ago
How does it compare to just using Roo or Cline in VSCode?
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  The main difference is that Memex isn't an IDE. It's a chat-based, full agentic coding experience. You can see the code it creates, but you can't edit it (yet). It's not for everyone, but as agentic coding gets better we expect it will become a more common usage pattern.
  - ZeroCool2u 1y ago
    Oh wow okay, yeah big difference.
pelagicAustral 1y ago
I've been having a blast using Claude Code lately, I've spun about 3 fully functional mini apps I had in the backlog for ages and didnt wanted to touch because of boilerplate and really not feeling the love for the functionality. I've installed this and will give it a try... these tools are so much fun to work with once you know how to build with them and you understand the limitations as well.
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  Thank you! Yes - there are definitely limitations. We are bullish on models getting better and we're hoping to add features that make it easier for folks to do more. Looking forward to your feedback!
- unshavedyak 1y ago
  What sort of cost have you experienced with Claude Code? Ie API usage costs. Mind describing your workflow?
  - pelagicAustral 1y ago
    So far about 200US. My workload is: - clone my Rails boilerplate (simple app skeleton with: auth [rolify, devise, devise-passwordless], vite [tailwind, flowbite], friendly urls, pagy, ransack, and smtp). I've got a few sample pages and user profile edit along with an administrative area for user and role management. That's it. - bring in Claude Code and ask to gonthrought the codename to get familiar. - obviously by now I know what I want to build and i have got my scope written down or I just know it by heart. - I divide the scope in portions that I feel are the logical trayection of the app, so my instructions make sense, we don't build models ahead of models that are dependant on the former. - start passing instructions to build the app block by block. Model to model... - finally add things like email notifications for which I would pass every single controller action I want a notification for. Everything generic with a wide spread in the app goes in this phase. That's more or less it... like I said, I've build a few fully functional prod read apps so far.
mirekrusin 1y ago
Can you build open source memex clone with it?
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  well, maybe not a full clone (yet). But it can one-shot Tauri apps pretty well :)
s1mplicissimus 1y ago
Is it just me or does the logo indicate an (uncomfortable) closeness to vscode?
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  That's probably fair. My only defense is that we are on a shoestring budget and I'm not a designer ... I admit our branding isn't great. But heck - we pivoted twice in 18 months on just a pre-seed and still have half our cash left. Hopefully we'll be able to grow and afford a better logo later :)
bevelwork 1y ago
Initial impression is good. Few feedback items: 1. Its hard to get a sense of what task is being worked if you migrate back to the main page then come back to a running task. You kind just have to figure it out and hope its still running. 2. I wish you could opt into a global `git diff` view. Saying here's what we modified in the last iteration. 3. Also for local runs I'd greater prefer if it'd prompt confirmation before executing something I haven't seen yet. Essentially on a real piece of code you'd have to make sure you're 100% in a sandbox so you don't bork things for other developers. 4. ctr+c killing the current operation definitely happened on accident trying to copy another prompt. 5. It'd be really nice if it was git-aware. E.g. when files are finalized they're committed to whichever branch and uncommitted files are considered work in progress.
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  thanks - great feedback on (1) re: multi tasking ... that's a known UX limitation. You can "command+click" the logo in the top left to open a new window, then just keep the convos open. That's the way to multi-task with it today. We definitely want to clean this up in a future version. (2) noted - yeah, a global git diff is a good feature request on (3) in the settings (wrench icon) there's a toggle for "Manual" code execution. To be clear - you also want to be able to approve file edits, not just command execution? (4) doh - that's a good point (5) we actually run a shadow git repo that commits on every turn the agent takes. It's aware of your .gitignore too. We only expose checkpoints on user messages right now, but we're planning on doing more on this front.
nidnogg 1y ago
I like the stack, but did it really need to be such a gen-Z sounding name?
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  Our namesake is Vannevar Bush's "Memex": https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-may-think/303881/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-m... We like the ethos of peaceful scientific progress. And we're most passionate about advancing technological progress, which is what the original Memex aimed to do by increasing scientists' productivity. Our Memex is a small contribution to technological progress, but it's one I am at least proud to make
  - nikisweeting 1y ago
    That's like calling a CRM app "Wiki" because you like the idea of collaborative editing of knowledge (in a world where Wikipedia already exists and is synonymous with wikipedia.org). Like... sure, no one can stop you, but it seems both counterproductive to your own marketing and mildly disrespectful to the other projects that are closer to the original ethos behind the name. It's not that hard to name things uniquely, at least call it "Memexa Code" or something.
    - -__---____-ZXyw 1y ago
      Geez, thank you for taking the time to write that! Seconded, very much. I Ctrl-f'd for "Bush", because in my head I immediately went, awh no, I bet it's going to be something a million miles away from what Vannevar Bush was trying to describe. I strongly dislike when people naming things just pick something from the past to squat and vibe off. Have some respect for the legends of yesteryear, don't simply squat their concept-names with some very tangentially related product. Pick a different vibe. As my co-commenter said, even just put a tiny spin on it, to leave the original word unassaulted.
Luc 1y ago
Could you clarify the terms of service? From https://memex.tech/termsandconditions https://memex.tech/termsandconditions : "use and access the Services for Subscriber's personal, non-commercial use." So we can't use Memex for paid apps?
- imdsm 1y ago
  That's vibe legalese probably
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  You can use it for paid apps, open source apps. Whatever you want. Everything you create with Memex is 100% yours. That clause is only meant to keep people from reselling our app, Memex, itself. But I agree it's super confusingly written and we're going to fix that.
bitpush 1y ago
What's the association with Google? I ask this because you feature the Google logo prominently on the landing page.
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  We have users at Google that use Memex
  - bobismyuncle 1y ago
    Just to be sure, same with Samsung, Harvard, UCLA? It means that someone once signed up with an email address from the organization? You can just do that?
    - davidvgilmore 1y ago
      In general, we can't see what users are doing. But we can see some things like that they upgrade to new releases. We only site users @ logos that are using it on a consistent basis
  - bitpush 1y ago
    Are you suggesting that people are committing code into google / samsung / salesforce codebase using Anthropic / Sonnet?
    - davidvgilmore 1y ago
      we can't see their activity other than that they have accounts and have used it. In the case of Google, we've had folks from both PM & engineering. We've talked with our PM user who has been using for prototyping.
jlebensold 1y ago
Congrats David on your launch! Memex was helped us with a research project accepted last year.
amne 1y ago
so "vibe coding" is the term to use? I have to say for a me, as a non-native english user, it sounds .. weird. Can't take it serious. I think of Kai Lentit's videos everytime I see it.
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  Honestly I hear you on this one. But the market has really taken up "vibe coding", so it's been the easiest way to clearly communicate to people what Memex does.
corinroyal 1y ago
Memex as a name for a "vibe coding" platform is just trolling.
bionhoward 1y ago
Damn this looks cool but it’s got a customer noncompete, “you will not (and will not enable others to) use the AI Features: (e) for the development of any service or other offering that competes with or replicates the Services.” That’s real bad since they also write “ Memex may generate aggregate, deidentified data from your use of the Services and Subscriber Data ("Usage Data") and use it to operate, improve and support the Services” AKA “we can learn from your codebase and you aren’t allowed to compete with us” Basically, it’s a brain-rape machine for idiots who don’t read the fine print. Sad
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  thanks for calling this out To be 100% clear: we do not prevent anyone from using Memex to build a Memex competitor. That clause was boilerplate our lawyers included, and it doesn't reflect how we operate or what we intend to enforce. I should have caught it and we'll fix it. On the Usage Data side, your code is never stored anywhere other than your machine when you use Memex. And you can enable "Privacy mode" to not have your prompts stored either.
  - tough 1y ago
    > I should have caught it and we'll fix it. That's a great reply and hoping for it to give memex a try, not that i want to give a competitor but I can use and give back to OpenAIs codex codebase because its MIT, it would suck to use an app you cannot modify for your own pleasure or build your own specific itching solving version of, most so as a tool for builders
    - davidvgilmore 1y ago
      That's fair. We do plan to open source components of Memex to allow for extensibility while also having a strong enough revenue model to build without being fully dependent on VCs
      - tough 1y ago
        I can respect that, maybe just an sdk and plugin architecture or hooks is fine too. will check memex out and give any concrete feedback on that regards if i have it
blackguardx 1y ago
What does "not opinionated" mean in this context? It doesn't appear that I can give it my API key of the AI service and my choice.
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  in this context, not opionionated == you can use it to build with Rails, FastAPI, Firebase, python + modal ... whatever tech stack you want to use. Some will work better than others just due to the nature of the LLMs. We've heard loud and clear from the HN community that bringing your own key is important, and we're going to fix that. Regarding multiple models -- that's next up in the roadmap. We're a small team - we were three and just had two more join recently. So we decided to add checkpoints / shadow git repo before adding multiple model support. (p.s. sorry this comment got buried!)
binary132 1y ago
I thought vibe coding was a joke / meme now
hbogert 1y ago
used cursor to finally start a project which otherwise i would not have started (very good!) I spent probably 80% of the time manually refactoring the dreadful spaghetti code and dead code it generated. This was with Claude sonnet as well. It feels as if you make tremendous progress initially, only to be hampered afterwards. Is this inherent to vibe coding, or am I just doing it wrong?
- spacemadness 1y ago
  That sounds right to me for AI generated code depending on the complexity. It can be very hit and miss. I generate small snippets and inspect when I use AI, so I don’t vibe code really. I find the more code is produced, the higher likelihood for hallucinations and weird hard to catch bugs.
vunderba 1y ago
Looks interesting but desperately needs out-of-the-box support for BYOK. Just being able to swap between models (Sonnet, Gemini 2.5 Pro, etc.) in agentic systems like Cline, Aider, etc. is a huge deal.
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  thanks - yeah, we've heard this feedback loud and clear from the HN community. We're cooking
  - mitchitized 1y ago
    Hey, there's a really cool new tool that you could use to add this feature, I think it was called 'memex' or something like that. (sorry couldn't resist) Been playing around with this for a day and found it intuitive and fun to use. A little scary on the "but how much will this cost me if this becomes a frequently-used tool?" question. Can't wait to point this at local models, too!
- benzible 1y ago
  This looks interesting but I'm able to use Claude Code w/ Sonnet 3.7 via AWS credits. If that's only available in an enterprise plan here, I won't be trying this.
thro1 1y ago
To be precise (reminding HN is a trust source, with respects): Memex is not a Claude Code alternative. Memex is not built on Rust+Tauri. And: Memex is not for vibe coding (!). Memex is the opposite of what memex.tech say it is what looks like a joke - using that name memex.tech "is just trolling".
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  Hi @thro1 - this is my first post to the HN community. Memex is something I and my cofounders have worked hard on. While I expected some trolling, your comment is just baffling. To anyone reading this exchange: I wrote the Show HN attempting to be as clear and to the point as possible according to the "Show HN" guidelines. And everything I wrote is factual. It's available for free for you to try yourself on our website.
  - thro1 1y ago
    It's confabulated. (With AI?) - The missing word is: transclusion. Actually, what we have here instead: memex.tech as a simulacrum of the Memex Opposite. What Memex is indeed (not fake): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex - something like discussed: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18635123 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18635123 (Getting to Xanadu) (WiP never ended)
ramesh31 1y ago
What exactly are you providing here that requires a paid subscription? Why not just pass through provider API keys?
dcre 1y ago
No comparative advantage against established players. I recommend hiring a designer as well. Sorry!
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  I suppose you copy and paste this for each startup launch you see?
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
davidvgilmore 1y ago
HN Community: We had this clause in our Terms and Conditions: "you will not (and will not enable others to) use the AI Features: (e) for the development of any service or other offering that competes with or replicates the Services.” That clause was boilerplate our lawyers included, and it doesn't reflect how we operate or what we intend to enforce. I should have caught it, but I missed it. The terms and conditions are now updated to not include a anti-competition clause.
steveharman 1y ago
There a quite a few "Memex is similar to" Cursor, Claude Code, Trae etc etc here. But I couldn't find "Memex is better than...because..." What's the elevator pitch for why a vibe coder should use Memex rather than Roo, Cline, Trae, Cursor, Windsurf and the countless others that I've already forgotten about Thanks
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  Memex makes it easy to ideate, research, and build projects without writing a line of code. It's a fully chat based interface (not an IDE). Its GUI allows you to visualize data inline, perform deep research-esque queries, and create + run programs. It supports any programming language / tech stack that LLMs "know". It also comes with pre-built templates that allow you go from 0-60 on your project quickly.
luke-stanley 1y ago
I think using the name Memex for "a tool for vibe coding" is a big mistake, especially if you have more general ambitions. Vannevar Bush says in As We May Think: “Consider a future device … in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory.” The word memex is from memory expansion - "mem" and "ex". Do you want to confuse an intimate, personal memory tool with vibe coding? Do you think closed source freemium SaaS with cloud hosted models is suitable for intimate personal mind expanding cognitive augmentation?
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  Your comment is fair. I don't love vibe coding as a category name. And somehow using vibe coding to describe something whose namesake, the Memex, had such virtuous ambitions feels cheap. But I ALSO want people to understand what our product does. I want to make something that truly empowers people. Many of our users are tech savvy, but not coders. We decided to make a GUI because it allowed them to one-click install. And we are closed source freemium right now because we're trying to find a revenue model that we can sustain ourselves with without being wholly dependent on VCs. We plan to open source components of Memex so it's more extensible in the future and to give back. We were never going to have something that is worthy of the name memex on the first release. But our ambition is that with time and hard work, we have a chance.
  - luke-stanley 1y ago
    Vibe coding is fine but right now it dominates the pitch, and it's a stark contrast to Vannevar Bush's grand vision of memory expansion. Even if you want it to be more, the pitch makes the name hard to justify and could harm trust building. I understand your dilemma with open-source licensing, but being closed source is not the core issue. Bush described a Memex as a private and personal tool. But right now, your tool depends on cloud-hosted LLMs, and the cloud is not private. With nothing to prevent mandated access, an intimate mind mirror is problematic. In some places, people can get into serious legal trouble for visiting a doctor, favouring a political cause, who they're attracted to... Not having a solution could scare potential users away. The name raises expectations that conflict with the product pitch, which is confusing and makes it harder to trust the product. That said, you could still launch with API support for private local LLM endpoints, like Ollama and other OpenAI-style APIs. Do you have support for that already? If so, pointing that out could help. The name has serious weight, and if people don't see it as living up to it, don't you think that you might be better off avoiding the expectations it invites? You could adjust the branding, or change the pitch, and work on building trust. I would suggest considering doing all 3!
thro1 1y ago
Warning. This thread spread misinformation. And most of comments here (unknowingly?) validate some fake reality, with HN reputation. What Memex is indeed (not fake): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex . Moreover, what's presented here with the same name is the opposite of the memex idea and is it's pollution. Dang: I don't see it fit HN being used in such way - with the submission title saying something that's not true left just like that.

86 points by davidvgilmore 1y ago

graylien 1y ago

Nice, by TS+Rust+Python and Tauri, does this mean it is not a VS Code fork? I have been exploring those recently. I'll give it a spin anyway!

davidvgilmore 1y ago
Correct - not a VS Code fork. Built it from the ground up with TS+Rust+Python and Tauri
- davidvgilmore 1y ago
  and thanks! we'd love to hear feedback!

diego_moita 1y ago

> Agent uses a mix of Sonnet 3.7 + Haiku And only on the enterprise plan you're allowed to use other models. Thanks but I'll stick with Aider.

davidvgilmore 1y ago
thanks for the feedback. To understand the preference - would you prefer to (1) bring your own keys or (2) use different models? Regarding (2), we haven't supported other models yet because they each come with their own peculiarities regarding system prompting / tool use / etc. By focusing on just Sonnet+Haiku, it's allowed us to focus more time on other features (e.g. checkpointing ...). Regarding BYOKs - a lot of our beta users didn't actually have keys setup, so it was easier for them to get started without bringing their own keys. The folks that have been interested in BYOKs have mainly wanted to bring their Bedrock/Vertex keys and are interested in enterprise/team features. Hence structuring it this way. But we're posting here to get feedback and we are willing to make changes :)
- ehsanu1 1y ago
  Where I work, our legal department requires making use of LLMs only through our own contractual relationships with model providers. Given that, BYOK is table stakes for me at least. Litellm is what we use internally, so we can support any LLM backend with any open source tool, and create virtual keys for each developer to monitor and manage usage limits etc.
  - davidvgilmore 1y ago
    helpful context. yeah - we want to get the BYOK support to be self-service but we just prioritized other things based on user feedback. thanks again for the context.
- diego_moita 1y ago
  > (2) use different models? Primarily this. Models are evolving fast, every 2 months we see a model emerging with new interesting features. I want to be able to easily switch and try them.
  - davidvgilmore 1y ago
    Got it. Helpful. Our roadmap is essentially this: [1] Additional model support (e.g. Gemini 2.5). [2] MCP support. [3] Computer use. so in the near future we aim to have the top agentic coding models supported

m00dy 1y ago

side question, how did you guys embed python into rust ? I was looking at the same problem a week ago.

davidvgilmore 1y ago
We use Tauri's "sidecar" feature https://v1.tauri.app/v1/guides/building/sidecar/ https://v1.tauri.app/v1/guides/building/sidecar/
- m00dy 1y ago
  planning to open source this project ?
  - davidvgilmore 1y ago
    We're planning to open source some components but not the full app. Today, all of our templates are open source and we plan to keep it that way and grow them over time. https://github.com/orgs/memextech/repositories https://github.com/orgs/memextech/repositories
    - m00dy 1y ago
      I'll need a very compelling reason to install a binary on my system.
      - davidvgilmore 1y ago
        That's fair! We're hoping to make Memex compelling :) thanks for the feedback

slightwinder 1y ago

[flagged]

davidvgilmore 1y ago
named Memex because: (1) We are fans of the ethos of https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-may-think/303881/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-m... (2) We are most excited about helping to accelerate technical progress by making science and engineering more productive. While we are not the same thing as a Memex, it was designed to help improve the productivity of science.
woleium 1y ago
Gentle reminder of one of the HN guidelines for comments: Please don't complain about tangential annoyances—e.g. article or website formats, name collisions, or back-button breakage. They're too common to be interesting.
codegladiator 1y ago
[flagged]
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

codyvoda 1y ago

is this a Claude Code alternative? seems way more GUI-focused Codex is OSS (and Aider of course) and serve as decent alternatives

davidvgilmore 1y ago
It is an agentic coding tool at its core, so yes - I'd say it's fair to call it a Claude Code alternative. Regarding the GUI focus: we did that so it's more approachable to both tech folks and people not as accustomed to using a terminal (e.g. PMs, sales engineers, etc.). But a lot of our beta users are devs. Also, when using its agentic search and data viz capabilities, some users prefer to not do that in the terminal.
- codyvoda 1y ago
  sure I’d just say it’s a Cursor alternative :shrug:
  - davidvgilmore 1y ago
    Fair

Topfi 1y ago

Could you explain how/when you rely on Haiku vs Sonnet or how the two models work together? Looking forward to testing Memex, anything that goes beyond a VSCode fork automatically catches my attention, completely regardless of LLM support.

davidvgilmore 1y ago
We use Haiku for a bunch of small things ... naming a conversation, naming a project (if you don't provide a name), compressing long conversations to manage context window ... Sonnet is the real workhorse, though. E.g., for all the thinking and tool use Thanks and looking forward to any feedback you have! It was definitely a lift+risk to start from scratch instead of forking.

ZeroCool2u 1y ago

How does it compare to just using Roo or Cline in VSCode?

davidvgilmore 1y ago
The main difference is that Memex isn't an IDE. It's a chat-based, full agentic coding experience. You can see the code it creates, but you can't edit it (yet). It's not for everyone, but as agentic coding gets better we expect it will become a more common usage pattern.
- ZeroCool2u 1y ago
  Oh wow okay, yeah big difference.

pelagicAustral 1y ago

I've been having a blast using Claude Code lately, I've spun about 3 fully functional mini apps I had in the backlog for ages and didnt wanted to touch because of boilerplate and really not feeling the love for the functionality. I've installed this and will give it a try... these tools are so much fun to work with once you know how to build with them and you understand the limitations as well.

davidvgilmore 1y ago
Thank you! Yes - there are definitely limitations. We are bullish on models getting better and we're hoping to add features that make it easier for folks to do more. Looking forward to your feedback!
unshavedyak 1y ago
What sort of cost have you experienced with Claude Code? Ie API usage costs. Mind describing your workflow?
- pelagicAustral 1y ago
  So far about 200US. My workload is: - clone my Rails boilerplate (simple app skeleton with: auth [rolify, devise, devise-passwordless], vite [tailwind, flowbite], friendly urls, pagy, ransack, and smtp). I've got a few sample pages and user profile edit along with an administrative area for user and role management. That's it. - bring in Claude Code and ask to gonthrought the codename to get familiar. - obviously by now I know what I want to build and i have got my scope written down or I just know it by heart. - I divide the scope in portions that I feel are the logical trayection of the app, so my instructions make sense, we don't build models ahead of models that are dependant on the former. - start passing instructions to build the app block by block. Model to model... - finally add things like email notifications for which I would pass every single controller action I want a notification for. Everything generic with a wide spread in the app goes in this phase. That's more or less it... like I said, I've build a few fully functional prod read apps so far.

mirekrusin 1y ago

Can you build open source memex clone with it?

davidvgilmore 1y ago
well, maybe not a full clone (yet). But it can one-shot Tauri apps pretty well :)

s1mplicissimus 1y ago

Is it just me or does the logo indicate an (uncomfortable) closeness to vscode?

davidvgilmore 1y ago
That's probably fair. My only defense is that we are on a shoestring budget and I'm not a designer ... I admit our branding isn't great. But heck - we pivoted twice in 18 months on just a pre-seed and still have half our cash left. Hopefully we'll be able to grow and afford a better logo later :)

bevelwork 1y ago

Initial impression is good. Few feedback items: 1. Its hard to get a sense of what task is being worked if you migrate back to the main page then come back to a running task. You kind just have to figure it out and hope its still running. 2. I wish you could opt into a global `git diff` view. Saying here's what we modified in the last iteration. 3. Also for local runs I'd greater prefer if it'd prompt confirmation before executing something I haven't seen yet. Essentially on a real piece of code you'd have to make sure you're 100% in a sandbox so you don't bork things for other developers. 4. ctr+c killing the current operation definitely happened on accident trying to copy another prompt. 5. It'd be really nice if it was git-aware. E.g. when files are finalized they're committed to whichever branch and uncommitted files are considered work in progress.

davidvgilmore 1y ago
thanks - great feedback on (1) re: multi tasking ... that's a known UX limitation. You can "command+click" the logo in the top left to open a new window, then just keep the convos open. That's the way to multi-task with it today. We definitely want to clean this up in a future version. (2) noted - yeah, a global git diff is a good feature request on (3) in the settings (wrench icon) there's a toggle for "Manual" code execution. To be clear - you also want to be able to approve file edits, not just command execution? (4) doh - that's a good point (5) we actually run a shadow git repo that commits on every turn the agent takes. It's aware of your .gitignore too. We only expose checkpoints on user messages right now, but we're planning on doing more on this front.

nidnogg 1y ago

I like the stack, but did it really need to be such a gen-Z sounding name?

davidvgilmore 1y ago
Our namesake is Vannevar Bush's "Memex": https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-may-think/303881/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-m... We like the ethos of peaceful scientific progress. And we're most passionate about advancing technological progress, which is what the original Memex aimed to do by increasing scientists' productivity. Our Memex is a small contribution to technological progress, but it's one I am at least proud to make
- nikisweeting 1y ago
  That's like calling a CRM app "Wiki" because you like the idea of collaborative editing of knowledge (in a world where Wikipedia already exists and is synonymous with wikipedia.org). Like... sure, no one can stop you, but it seems both counterproductive to your own marketing and mildly disrespectful to the other projects that are closer to the original ethos behind the name. It's not that hard to name things uniquely, at least call it "Memexa Code" or something.
  - -__---____-ZXyw 1y ago
    Geez, thank you for taking the time to write that! Seconded, very much. I Ctrl-f'd for "Bush", because in my head I immediately went, awh no, I bet it's going to be something a million miles away from what Vannevar Bush was trying to describe. I strongly dislike when people naming things just pick something from the past to squat and vibe off. Have some respect for the legends of yesteryear, don't simply squat their concept-names with some very tangentially related product. Pick a different vibe. As my co-commenter said, even just put a tiny spin on it, to leave the original word unassaulted.

Luc 1y ago

Could you clarify the terms of service? From https://memex.tech/termsandconditions https://memex.tech/termsandconditions : "use and access the Services for Subscriber's personal, non-commercial use." So we can't use Memex for paid apps?

imdsm 1y ago
That's vibe legalese probably
davidvgilmore 1y ago
You can use it for paid apps, open source apps. Whatever you want. Everything you create with Memex is 100% yours. That clause is only meant to keep people from reselling our app, Memex, itself. But I agree it's super confusingly written and we're going to fix that.

bitpush 1y ago

What's the association with Google? I ask this because you feature the Google logo prominently on the landing page.

davidvgilmore 1y ago
We have users at Google that use Memex
- bobismyuncle 1y ago
  Just to be sure, same with Samsung, Harvard, UCLA? It means that someone once signed up with an email address from the organization? You can just do that?
  - davidvgilmore 1y ago
    In general, we can't see what users are doing. But we can see some things like that they upgrade to new releases. We only site users @ logos that are using it on a consistent basis
- bitpush 1y ago
  Are you suggesting that people are committing code into google / samsung / salesforce codebase using Anthropic / Sonnet?
  - davidvgilmore 1y ago
    we can't see their activity other than that they have accounts and have used it. In the case of Google, we've had folks from both PM & engineering. We've talked with our PM user who has been using for prototyping.

jlebensold 1y ago

Congrats David on your launch! Memex was helped us with a research project accepted last year.

amne 1y ago

so "vibe coding" is the term to use? I have to say for a me, as a non-native english user, it sounds .. weird. Can't take it serious. I think of Kai Lentit's videos everytime I see it.

davidvgilmore 1y ago
Honestly I hear you on this one. But the market has really taken up "vibe coding", so it's been the easiest way to clearly communicate to people what Memex does.

corinroyal 1y ago

Memex as a name for a "vibe coding" platform is just trolling.

bionhoward 1y ago

Damn this looks cool but it’s got a customer noncompete, “you will not (and will not enable others to) use the AI Features: (e) for the development of any service or other offering that competes with or replicates the Services.” That’s real bad since they also write “ Memex may generate aggregate, deidentified data from your use of the Services and Subscriber Data ("Usage Data") and use it to operate, improve and support the Services” AKA “we can learn from your codebase and you aren’t allowed to compete with us” Basically, it’s a brain-rape machine for idiots who don’t read the fine print. Sad

davidvgilmore 1y ago
thanks for calling this out To be 100% clear: we do not prevent anyone from using Memex to build a Memex competitor. That clause was boilerplate our lawyers included, and it doesn't reflect how we operate or what we intend to enforce. I should have caught it and we'll fix it. On the Usage Data side, your code is never stored anywhere other than your machine when you use Memex. And you can enable "Privacy mode" to not have your prompts stored either.
- tough 1y ago
  > I should have caught it and we'll fix it. That's a great reply and hoping for it to give memex a try, not that i want to give a competitor but I can use and give back to OpenAIs codex codebase because its MIT, it would suck to use an app you cannot modify for your own pleasure or build your own specific itching solving version of, most so as a tool for builders
  - davidvgilmore 1y ago
    That's fair. We do plan to open source components of Memex to allow for extensibility while also having a strong enough revenue model to build without being fully dependent on VCs
    - tough 1y ago
      I can respect that, maybe just an sdk and plugin architecture or hooks is fine too. will check memex out and give any concrete feedback on that regards if i have it

blackguardx 1y ago

What does "not opinionated" mean in this context? It doesn't appear that I can give it my API key of the AI service and my choice.

davidvgilmore 1y ago
in this context, not opionionated == you can use it to build with Rails, FastAPI, Firebase, python + modal ... whatever tech stack you want to use. Some will work better than others just due to the nature of the LLMs. We've heard loud and clear from the HN community that bringing your own key is important, and we're going to fix that. Regarding multiple models -- that's next up in the roadmap. We're a small team - we were three and just had two more join recently. So we decided to add checkpoints / shadow git repo before adding multiple model support. (p.s. sorry this comment got buried!)

binary132 1y ago

I thought vibe coding was a joke / meme now

hbogert 1y ago

used cursor to finally start a project which otherwise i would not have started (very good!) I spent probably 80% of the time manually refactoring the dreadful spaghetti code and dead code it generated. This was with Claude sonnet as well. It feels as if you make tremendous progress initially, only to be hampered afterwards. Is this inherent to vibe coding, or am I just doing it wrong?

spacemadness 1y ago
That sounds right to me for AI generated code depending on the complexity. It can be very hit and miss. I generate small snippets and inspect when I use AI, so I don’t vibe code really. I find the more code is produced, the higher likelihood for hallucinations and weird hard to catch bugs.

vunderba 1y ago

Looks interesting but desperately needs out-of-the-box support for BYOK. Just being able to swap between models (Sonnet, Gemini 2.5 Pro, etc.) in agentic systems like Cline, Aider, etc. is a huge deal.

davidvgilmore 1y ago
thanks - yeah, we've heard this feedback loud and clear from the HN community. We're cooking
- mitchitized 1y ago
  Hey, there's a really cool new tool that you could use to add this feature, I think it was called 'memex' or something like that. (sorry couldn't resist) Been playing around with this for a day and found it intuitive and fun to use. A little scary on the "but how much will this cost me if this becomes a frequently-used tool?" question. Can't wait to point this at local models, too!
benzible 1y ago
This looks interesting but I'm able to use Claude Code w/ Sonnet 3.7 via AWS credits. If that's only available in an enterprise plan here, I won't be trying this.

thro1 1y ago

To be precise (reminding HN is a trust source, with respects): Memex is not a Claude Code alternative. Memex is not built on Rust+Tauri. And: Memex is not for vibe coding (!). Memex is the opposite of what memex.tech say it is what looks like a joke - using that name memex.tech "is just trolling".

davidvgilmore 1y ago
Hi @thro1 - this is my first post to the HN community. Memex is something I and my cofounders have worked hard on. While I expected some trolling, your comment is just baffling. To anyone reading this exchange: I wrote the Show HN attempting to be as clear and to the point as possible according to the "Show HN" guidelines. And everything I wrote is factual. It's available for free for you to try yourself on our website.
- thro1 1y ago
  It's confabulated. (With AI?) - The missing word is: transclusion. Actually, what we have here instead: memex.tech as a simulacrum of the Memex Opposite. What Memex is indeed (not fake): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex - something like discussed: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18635123 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18635123 (Getting to Xanadu) (WiP never ended)

ramesh31 1y ago

What exactly are you providing here that requires a paid subscription? Why not just pass through provider API keys?

dcre 1y ago

No comparative advantage against established players. I recommend hiring a designer as well. Sorry!

davidvgilmore 1y ago
I suppose you copy and paste this for each startup launch you see?

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

davidvgilmore 1y ago

HN Community: We had this clause in our Terms and Conditions: "you will not (and will not enable others to) use the AI Features: (e) for the development of any service or other offering that competes with or replicates the Services.” That clause was boilerplate our lawyers included, and it doesn't reflect how we operate or what we intend to enforce. I should have caught it, but I missed it. The terms and conditions are now updated to not include a anti-competition clause.

steveharman 1y ago

There a quite a few "Memex is similar to" Cursor, Claude Code, Trae etc etc here. But I couldn't find "Memex is better than...because..." What's the elevator pitch for why a vibe coder should use Memex rather than Roo, Cline, Trae, Cursor, Windsurf and the countless others that I've already forgotten about Thanks

davidvgilmore 1y ago
Memex makes it easy to ideate, research, and build projects without writing a line of code. It's a fully chat based interface (not an IDE). Its GUI allows you to visualize data inline, perform deep research-esque queries, and create + run programs. It supports any programming language / tech stack that LLMs "know". It also comes with pre-built templates that allow you go from 0-60 on your project quickly.

luke-stanley 1y ago

I think using the name Memex for "a tool for vibe coding" is a big mistake, especially if you have more general ambitions. Vannevar Bush says in As We May Think: “Consider a future device … in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory.” The word memex is from memory expansion - "mem" and "ex". Do you want to confuse an intimate, personal memory tool with vibe coding? Do you think closed source freemium SaaS with cloud hosted models is suitable for intimate personal mind expanding cognitive augmentation?

davidvgilmore 1y ago
Your comment is fair. I don't love vibe coding as a category name. And somehow using vibe coding to describe something whose namesake, the Memex, had such virtuous ambitions feels cheap. But I ALSO want people to understand what our product does. I want to make something that truly empowers people. Many of our users are tech savvy, but not coders. We decided to make a GUI because it allowed them to one-click install. And we are closed source freemium right now because we're trying to find a revenue model that we can sustain ourselves with without being wholly dependent on VCs. We plan to open source components of Memex so it's more extensible in the future and to give back. We were never going to have something that is worthy of the name memex on the first release. But our ambition is that with time and hard work, we have a chance.
- luke-stanley 1y ago
  Vibe coding is fine but right now it dominates the pitch, and it's a stark contrast to Vannevar Bush's grand vision of memory expansion. Even if you want it to be more, the pitch makes the name hard to justify and could harm trust building. I understand your dilemma with open-source licensing, but being closed source is not the core issue. Bush described a Memex as a private and personal tool. But right now, your tool depends on cloud-hosted LLMs, and the cloud is not private. With nothing to prevent mandated access, an intimate mind mirror is problematic. In some places, people can get into serious legal trouble for visiting a doctor, favouring a political cause, who they're attracted to... Not having a solution could scare potential users away. The name raises expectations that conflict with the product pitch, which is confusing and makes it harder to trust the product. That said, you could still launch with API support for private local LLM endpoints, like Ollama and other OpenAI-style APIs. Do you have support for that already? If so, pointing that out could help. The name has serious weight, and if people don't see it as living up to it, don't you think that you might be better off avoiding the expectations it invites? You could adjust the branding, or change the pitch, and work on building trust. I would suggest considering doing all 3!

thro1 1y ago

Warning. This thread spread misinformation. And most of comments here (unknowingly?) validate some fake reality, with HN reputation. What Memex is indeed (not fake): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memex . Moreover, what's presented here with the same name is the opposite of the memex idea and is it's pollution. Dang: I don't see it fit HN being used in such way - with the submission title saying something that's not true left just like that.