3 ms·

2029? I have no idea why you would think this is so far off. More like Q2 2026.

by cheevly 9mo ago

xmprt 9mo ago
You're either overestimating the capabilities of current AI models or underestimating the complexity of building a web browser. There are tons of tiny edge cases and standards to comply with where implementing one standard will break 3 others if not done carefully. AI can't do that right now.
- rvz 9mo ago
  It's most likely both. > There are tons of tiny edge cases and standards to comply with where implementing one standard will break 3 others if not done carefully. AI can't do that right now. Firstly the CI is completely broken on every commit, all tests have failed and its and looking closely at the code, it is exactly what you expect for unmaintainable slop. Having more lines of code is not a good measure of robust software, especially if it does not work.
- torginus 9mo ago
  Even if AI will not achieve the ability to perform at this level on its own, it clearly is going to be an enormous force multiplier, allowing highly skilled devs to tackle huge projects more or less on their own.
  - thesz 9mo ago
    Skilled devs compress, not generate (expand). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kUQWuK1L4w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kUQWuK1L4w The "discoverer" of APL tried to express as many problems as he could with his notation. First he found that notation expands and after some more expansion he found that it began shrinking. The same goes to Forth, which provides means for a Sequitur-compressed [1] representation of a program. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequitur_algorithm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequitur_algorithm Myself, I always strive to delete some code or replace some code with shorter version. First, to better understand it, second, to return back and read less.
- rlt 9mo ago
  Not only edge cases and standards, but also tons of performance optimizations.
- tocsa 9mo ago
  Even though several people seconded the complexity of a browser, I must add one more take and bring up one of my all time favorite blog posts, back from 2000 (I am old), when browsers were already complex, Joel Spolsky's Joel On Software episode "Things You Should Never Do, Part I" https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/06/things-you-should-never-do-part-i/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/06/things-you-should-... His first example was Netscape browser v6.0, and why there wasn't a v5.0 after v4.0, why it took three years: "They did it by making the single worst strategic mistake that any software company can make: They decided to rewrite the code from scratch." I think this blog post is very relevant here.
geeunits 9mo ago
[flagged]
- dang 9mo ago
  Please don't cross into personal attack on HN. https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html
gordonhart 9mo ago
Web browsers are insanely hard to get right, that’s why there are only ~3 decent implementations out there currently.
- qingcharles 9mo ago
  The one nice thing about web browsers is that they have a reasonably formalized specification set and a huge array of tests that can be used. So this makes them a fairly unique proposition ideally suited to AI construction.
  - pleurotus 9mo ago
    As far as I read on Ladybird's blog updates, the issue is less the formalised specs, and more that other browsers break the specs, so websites adjust, so you need to take the non-compliance to specs into account with your design
mkoubaa 9mo ago
Yeah if you let them index chromium I'm sure it could do it next week. It just won't be original or interesting.
johnfn 9mo ago
You should make your own predictions, and then we can do a retrospective on who was right.

2029? I have no idea why you would think this is so far off. More like Q2 2026.

by cheevly 9mo ago

2029? I have no idea why you would think this is so far off. More like Q2 2026.

xmprt 9mo ago

You're either overestimating the capabilities of current AI models or underestimating the complexity of building a web browser. There are tons of tiny edge cases and standards to comply with where implementing one standard will break 3 others if not done carefully. AI can't do that right now.

rvz 9mo ago
It's most likely both. > There are tons of tiny edge cases and standards to comply with where implementing one standard will break 3 others if not done carefully. AI can't do that right now. Firstly the CI is completely broken on every commit, all tests have failed and its and looking closely at the code, it is exactly what you expect for unmaintainable slop. Having more lines of code is not a good measure of robust software, especially if it does not work.
torginus 9mo ago
Even if AI will not achieve the ability to perform at this level on its own, it clearly is going to be an enormous force multiplier, allowing highly skilled devs to tackle huge projects more or less on their own.
- thesz 9mo ago
  Skilled devs compress, not generate (expand). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kUQWuK1L4w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kUQWuK1L4w The "discoverer" of APL tried to express as many problems as he could with his notation. First he found that notation expands and after some more expansion he found that it began shrinking. The same goes to Forth, which provides means for a Sequitur-compressed [1] representation of a program. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequitur_algorithm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequitur_algorithm Myself, I always strive to delete some code or replace some code with shorter version. First, to better understand it, second, to return back and read less.
rlt 9mo ago
Not only edge cases and standards, but also tons of performance optimizations.
tocsa 9mo ago
Even though several people seconded the complexity of a browser, I must add one more take and bring up one of my all time favorite blog posts, back from 2000 (I am old), when browsers were already complex, Joel Spolsky's Joel On Software episode "Things You Should Never Do, Part I" https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/06/things-you-should-never-do-part-i/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/06/things-you-should-... His first example was Netscape browser v6.0, and why there wasn't a v5.0 after v4.0, why it took three years: "They did it by making the single worst strategic mistake that any software company can make: They decided to rewrite the code from scratch." I think this blog post is very relevant here.

geeunits 9mo ago

[flagged]

dang 9mo ago
Please don't cross into personal attack on HN. https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html

gordonhart 9mo ago

Web browsers are insanely hard to get right, that’s why there are only ~3 decent implementations out there currently.

qingcharles 9mo ago
The one nice thing about web browsers is that they have a reasonably formalized specification set and a huge array of tests that can be used. So this makes them a fairly unique proposition ideally suited to AI construction.
- pleurotus 9mo ago
  As far as I read on Ladybird's blog updates, the issue is less the formalised specs, and more that other browsers break the specs, so websites adjust, so you need to take the non-compliance to specs into account with your design

mkoubaa 9mo ago

Yeah if you let them index chromium I'm sure it could do it next week. It just won't be original or interesting.

johnfn 9mo ago

You should make your own predictions, and then we can do a retrospective on who was right.