Stories with Tag Knowledge Base

• Show HN: memEx, a personal knowledge base inspired by zettlekasten and org-mode

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  Posted: 2025-04-12 19:02:26

  Verbose tl;dr

  memEx is a personal knowledge base application drawing inspiration from the zettelkasten method and org-mode. It aims to provide a streamlined, keyboard-driven interface for creating, linking, and navigating interconnected notes. Built with a text-based UI using Go and Bubble Tea, memEx emphasizes speed, simplicity, and extensibility. Features include bidirectional linking, flexible queries, integration with external editors like Vim and Emacs, and the ability to export notes in various formats like Markdown and Org-mode. The project is open source and encourages community contributions.

  Shibao has introduced memEx, a self-hosted, personal knowledge base application drawing inspiration from the well-established zettelkasten methodology and the versatile org-mode system. This new tool aims to provide a robust and flexible environment for managing personal notes, ideas, and information, facilitating the creation of interconnected networks of knowledge. MemEx is implemented using the Go programming language, leveraging its efficiency and concurrency features for a performant and responsive user experience.

  The core functionality of memEx revolves around the creation and management of notes, which are stored as plain text files. This plain text approach ensures portability and longevity of data, independent of proprietary formats or specific software. Mirroring the zettelkasten philosophy, memEx encourages the creation of atomic notes, each focusing on a single idea or concept. These notes can then be richly interconnected using internal links, creating a web of related information. This network of interconnected notes facilitates the exploration of ideas and the discovery of new relationships between concepts.

  Furthermore, memEx embraces the organizational power of org-mode, a popular text-based system for note-taking, task management, and authoring. This integration allows users to leverage org-mode’s features within memEx, including structured hierarchical notes, task tracking, and agenda views. The combination of zettelkasten and org-mode principles offers users a powerful framework for organizing, connecting, and developing their thoughts and ideas.

  MemEx is designed to be self-hosted, giving users complete control over their data and privacy. The source code for memEx is publicly available on a Gitea instance, fostering community involvement and allowing for customization and extension of the application. While still in its early stages of development, memEx offers a promising approach to personal knowledge management, providing a foundation for building a personalized and evolving repository of knowledge.

  • Knowledge Base
  • personal knowledge management
  • zettlekasten
  • org-mode
  • note taking
  • information management
  • productivity
  • Software
  • Open Source
  • gitea
  • memex
  • HN
  • Show HN

  Summary of Comments ( 31 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43667061

  Verbose tl;dr

  HN users generally praised the memEx project for its simplicity and clean interface, particularly appreciating the focus on plain text and Markdown. Some compared it favorably to other personal knowledge management tools, noting its speed and ease of use. Several commenters suggested potential features, including graph visualization, backlinking, and improved search functionality. A few expressed concern about the project's longevity and the potential lock-in of using a self-hosted solution. The developer actively engaged with the commenters, addressing questions and acknowledging suggestions for future development.

  The Hacker News post for "Show HN: memEx, a personal knowledge base inspired by zettlekasten and org-mode" generated a moderate amount of discussion, with several commenters expressing interest and offering feedback.

  A significant thread revolved around the choice of the Crystal programming language for the project. One commenter expressed enthusiasm for Crystal, mentioning its speed and type safety, while acknowledging its relative niche status. This spurred further discussion about the potential benefits and drawbacks of using a less mainstream language, touching on topics like community size, library availability, and the long-term viability of the project. Concerns were raised about the smaller community impacting the project's ability to attract contributors and maintain momentum over time. A counterpoint suggested that the niche nature could also be a strength, attracting a dedicated and passionate community.

  Several commenters focused on the features and functionality of memEx itself. Some drew comparisons to other similar tools, like Logseq and Obsidian, discussing their respective strengths and weaknesses. Specific features of memEx, such as the ability to link notes and create a graph visualization, were highlighted and praised. One user asked about planned future features, expressing a desire for mobile support. Another commenter suggested potential integrations with other tools, demonstrating a desire to incorporate memEx into a larger workflow.

  There was also discussion around the broader concept of personal knowledge management (PKM) and the different approaches taken by various tools. The zettlekasten and org-mode inspirations of memEx were mentioned, and comparisons were drawn to other PKM methodologies. This led to a conversation about the importance of finding the right tool and workflow to suit individual needs and preferences.

  Finally, some commenters offered specific technical suggestions and feedback related to the project's code and implementation. One user pointed out a potential issue with the handling of Unicode characters. Another offered suggestions for improving the user interface and experience. These comments demonstrate a level of engagement with the technical details of the project, suggesting a potential for community contributions and improvements in the future.

• Obituary for Cyc

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  Posted: 2025-04-08 19:13:50

  Verbose tl;dr

  Cyc, the ambitious AI project started in 1984, aimed to codify common sense knowledge into a massive symbolic knowledge base, enabling truly intelligent machines. Despite decades of effort and millions of dollars invested, Cyc ultimately fell short of its grand vision. While it achieved some success in niche applications like semantic search and natural language understanding, its reliance on manual knowledge entry proved too costly and slow to scale to the vastness of human knowledge. Cyc's legacy is complex: a testament to both the immense difficulty of replicating human common sense reasoning and the valuable lessons learned about knowledge representation and the limitations of purely symbolic AI approaches.

  The demise of the Cyc project, a monumental, decades-long endeavor to construct a comprehensive common-sense knowledge base and reasoning engine, is lamented in this elegiac post. The author meticulously details the project's ambitious goals, tracing its origins back to the 1980s and the vision of Douglas Lenat, who believed that imbuing machines with human-like common sense was the crucial missing piece in achieving true artificial intelligence. Cyc aimed to encode the vast tapestry of everyday knowledge, the unspoken assumptions and inferences that humans effortlessly make, into a formalized, symbolic representation. This involved painstakingly hand-crafting a massive ontology of concepts, relationships, and rules, a Herculean task that required the dedication of a specialized team for over three decades.

  The post explores the philosophical underpinnings of Cyc, highlighting the inherent complexities of representing common sense, a domain characterized by vagueness, context-dependence, and exceptions to rules. It delves into the technical intricacies of CycL, the project's unique logic-based representation language, and the challenges encountered in scaling the knowledge base while maintaining consistency and accuracy. The sheer scope of the project, encompassing millions of assertions about the world, presented significant hurdles in terms of knowledge acquisition, validation, and maintenance.

  Despite its noble aspirations and unwavering dedication, Cyc ultimately fell short of its initial grand vision. The post attributes this to a confluence of factors, including the limitations of symbolic AI approaches in capturing the fluidity and nuances of human cognition, the immense difficulty of formalizing common sense knowledge, and the underestimation of the sheer magnitude of the undertaking. The author suggests that the rise of data-driven, statistical AI paradigms, with their emphasis on learning from vast datasets, further overshadowed Cyc's symbolic approach.

  While acknowledging Cyc's shortcomings, the post also recognizes its significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence. It served as a valuable exploration of the intricacies of knowledge representation and reasoning, pushing the boundaries of what was considered possible. The vast knowledge base accumulated over decades, though imperfect, represents a remarkable achievement and a testament to the project's ambition and perseverance. Furthermore, Cyc's legacy lives on in the form of OpenCyc, a freely available version of the knowledge base, and in the lessons learned about the challenges and complexities of building truly intelligent machines. The post concludes with a melancholic reflection on the project's unfulfilled potential, a reminder of the enduring quest to unlock the secrets of human intelligence and imbue machines with the capacity for common sense.

  • Cyc
  • Obituary
  • Knowledge Representation
  • artificial intelligence
  • AI
  • Knowledge Base
  • Cycorp
  • Douglas Lenat
  • Expert Systems
  • Symbolic AI
  • Good Old-Fashioned AI
  • GOFAI
  • Cognitive Science
  • Common Sense Reasoning

  Summary of Comments ( 202 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43625474

  Verbose tl;dr

  Hacker News users discuss the apparent demise of Cyc, a long-running project aiming to build a comprehensive common sense knowledge base. Several commenters express skepticism about Cyc's approach, arguing that its symbolic, hand-coded knowledge representation was fundamentally flawed and couldn't scale to the complexity of real-world knowledge. Some recall past interactions with Cyc, highlighting its limitations and the difficulty of integrating it with other systems. Others lament the lost potential, acknowledging the ambitious nature of the project and the valuable lessons learned, even in its apparent failure. A few offer alternative approaches to achieving common sense AI, including focusing on embodied cognition and leveraging large language models, suggesting that Cyc's symbolic approach was ultimately too brittle. The overall sentiment is one of informed pessimism, acknowledging the challenges inherent in creating true AI.

  The Hacker News post titled "Obituary for Cyc" sparked a lively discussion with a variety of perspectives on the project's history, ambitions, and ultimate fate. Several commenters offered firsthand accounts or insights gleaned from their proximity to Cyc.

  One compelling thread explored the tension between Cyc's pursuit of common sense reasoning and the emergent capabilities of large language models (LLMs). Some argued that LLMs, despite their statistical nature, effectively demonstrate a form of "emergent" common sense, questioning the need for Cyc's meticulously handcrafted knowledge base. Others countered that LLMs lack true understanding and are prone to errors, highlighting Cyc's potential to provide a more robust and reliable foundation for AI. This discussion touched upon the philosophical differences between symbolic AI, as exemplified by Cyc, and the connectionist approach of LLMs.

  Another key theme revolved around Cyc's practical applications and its perceived lack of widespread impact. Several commenters questioned the commercial viability of Cyc and speculated on the reasons behind its relative obscurity. Some attributed this to the project's ambitious scope and the inherent difficulty of encoding common sense. Others pointed to management decisions or the challenges of integrating Cyc's technology into existing systems.

  Several commenters shared anecdotes about their interactions with Cyc and its creators, offering glimpses into the project's culture and internal workings. These personal accounts provided a more nuanced picture of the challenges and triumphs faced by the Cyc team.

  Some comments delved into the technical details of Cyc's architecture and knowledge representation, highlighting its unique approach to symbolic AI. These discussions offered insights into the complexities of building a system capable of representing and reasoning about common sense knowledge.

  A few commenters expressed a degree of cautious optimism about Cyc's future, suggesting that its vast knowledge base could still hold value in specific applications or as a complement to other AI approaches. However, the overall sentiment seemed to be one of respectful acknowledgment of Cyc's historical significance, tinged with a sense of disappointment at its unfulfilled potential. The discussion reflected a broader debate within the AI community about the best path toward achieving artificial general intelligence.

• Launch HN: Promptless (YC W25) – Automatic updates for customer-facing docs

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  Posted: 2025-02-18 17:30:39

  Verbose tl;dr

  Promptless, a YC W25 startup, has launched a service to automatically update customer-facing documentation. It connects to internal tools like Jira, Github, and Slack, monitoring for changes relevant to documentation. When changes are detected, Promptless uses AI to draft updates and suggests them to documentation writers for review and approval before publishing. This eliminates the manual process of tracking changes and updating docs, ensuring accuracy and reducing stale information for improved customer experience.

  Promptless, a startup emerging from the Y Combinator Winter 2025 cohort, has launched a novel service aimed at automating the often tedious process of updating customer-facing documentation. Recognizing the challenge businesses face in keeping their public-facing documentation accurate and synchronized with their constantly evolving products or services, Promptless proposes a solution that eliminates the need for manual intervention. The system leverages undisclosed technology, likely involving sophisticated analysis of internal systems and codebases, to automatically identify changes requiring documentation updates. Instead of relying on engineers or technical writers to manually identify and implement these changes, Promptless automatically generates suggested updates for existing documentation, ensuring consistency and accuracy. This proactive approach aims to significantly reduce the time and effort required to maintain high-quality customer-facing documentation, ultimately leading to improved customer satisfaction and reduced support burden. The service is currently in a limited beta release, inviting interested parties to join their waitlist for early access and the opportunity to shape the future development of this automated documentation update tool. The core value proposition of Promptless lies in its promise to eliminate the "prompt" – the manual trigger usually required to initiate documentation updates – thereby streamlining a crucial yet often neglected aspect of product development and customer support.

  • YC W25
  • Y Combinator
  • Launch HN
  • SaaS
  • documentation
  • Technical Writing
  • Customer Support
  • Automatic Updates
  • Promptless
  • API Documentation
  • Docs as Code
  • developer tools
  • Product Documentation
  • Content Management
  • Knowledge Base

  Summary of Comments ( 55 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43092522

  Verbose tl;dr

  The Hacker News comments express skepticism about Promptless's value proposition. Several commenters question the need for AI-driven documentation updates, arguing that good documentation practices already involve regular reviews and updates. Some suggest that AI might introduce inaccuracies or hallucinations, making human oversight still crucial and potentially negating the time-saving benefits. Others express concern about the "black box" nature of AI-driven updates and the potential loss of control over messaging and tone. A few commenters find the idea interesting but remain unconvinced of its practical application, especially for complex or nuanced documentation. There's also discussion about the limited use cases and the potential for the tool to become just another layer of complexity in the documentation workflow.

  The Hacker News post "Launch HN: Promptless (YC W25) – Automatic updates for customer-facing docs" has generated several comments discussing the product and its potential use cases and limitations.

  Several commenters express interest in the product and its potential. One user highlights the challenge of keeping documentation updated and sees Promptless as a potential solution. Another user questions the practicality of fully automating documentation updates, suggesting a hybrid approach involving AI suggestions and human review might be more realistic. They also mention the importance of human oversight to ensure accuracy and clarity.

  A key theme in the discussion revolves around the complexity of integrating such a tool with existing documentation workflows. One commenter asks about support for specific documentation formats like Markdown and OpenAPI/Swagger. Another raises concerns about the potential for the tool to introduce inaccuracies or inconsistencies into the documentation. The potential for hallucinations is also brought up, highlighting a common concern with AI-powered tools.

  The discussion also touches upon the target audience for Promptless. One commenter wonders if the tool is primarily aimed at developers or technical writers. This leads to a discussion about the potential benefits for both groups, with some suggesting that technical writers might benefit the most from automated updates.

  One user expresses skepticism about the ability of AI to fully replace human writers, arguing that certain aspects of documentation, such as understanding the user's perspective and crafting clear explanations, still require human input. This skepticism is echoed by another commenter who believes that good documentation requires human empathy and understanding of context, which AI may lack.

  The founder of Promptless actively engages in the comments section, answering questions about the product's features and addressing concerns raised by users. They clarify the intended use case, explaining that Promptless is designed to augment, not replace, human writers. They also provide details about supported formats and the process of integrating the tool with existing documentation workflows. The founder emphasizes that human review is still a crucial part of the process.

  Overall, the comments section reveals a mixture of excitement and cautious optimism about the potential of AI-powered documentation updates. While many commenters recognize the potential benefits, there are also concerns about the limitations of AI and the importance of maintaining human oversight in the documentation process.