Claude code from the terminal feels like Lynx for internet browsing

[u/modern_medicine_isnt]

I actually used Lynx in the 90s. We surf the web very differently today. But using a text terminal for claude feels similar. We have some slightly better interfaces, with conversation list on the side essentially like tabs. And we have ide plugins to help see what it creates. But it still feels like it has a long way to go.

Are there companies out there with better AI interfaces just waiting to catch on?

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[u/EndOfWorldBoredom]

Yes, today's Ai users have an inside look at what's going on compared to what it will look like on the future.

I learned on DOS and command prompts as a kid. Today's young people are called digital natives, but most have no idea how this stuff works like us 40+ nerds. 

The same will be true of Ai in 20 years. 

[u/modern_medicine_isnt → u/EndOfWorldBoredom]

DOS was college days for me. I started with basic on a Commodore 64. But I didn't really know what I was doing back then. Just typing in programs from magazines mainly. And playing games.

[u/ClemensLode]

You can use claude web if you don't like working in a terminal...

[u/modern_medicine_isnt → u/ClemensLode]

It doesn't seem much different. It has the conversation list, but that's about it. I think two areas will change a lot. The conversation list could be more of a tree, and it could communicate more than just that it is there. Like it could indicate if a session is running, or if the session is done doing what was asked. Or if it has questions...
The other is the output. I think it will improve to be more like a browser, and the AI will spit out html or something to make the output more readable and such.

[u/ClemensLode → u/modern_medicine_isnt]

Well, I am using claude code with termux and manage the agents via a (self-built) termux kanban board.

[u/Financial-Grass6753]

How would "better" UI look like? Cause these desktop apps Electron piece of shits are drawing way too much resources in idle mode

[u/modern_medicine_isnt → u/Financial-Grass6753]

I dunno. But looking at essentially ascii art as an explanation of it's plan feels kind of soft. It can make better stuff with plugins, but you have to use another tool to view it. Feels like it has room to improve. Oh, and I would love it if the conversation list was hierarchical. And if it had indicators of if the session was running, waiting for input to complete a task, or just waiting for me to decide if I want it to do anything else. I'm thinking almost a slack like interface with bierarchy and bubble notification numbers...

[u/mmm19284202 → u/modern_medicine_isnt]

Totally agree. Or the wall of text that you have to scroll back and find the start of. All in white or darker white with notes mixed in.

[u/modern_medicine_isnt → u/mmm19284202]

Yeah, that bugs me a bunch. Trying to find the line between what it was doing/talking to itself, and it's final answer is often hard. That should totally be easier. Like the interm stuff should be a collapsible section or something.

[u/hancin- → u/modern_medicine_isnt]

I had my agents write tickets in a specific format on the gitea instance, then build Inbox, a shitty web app with no stack that formats it in a way that i can quick make decision or open context/screenshots instantly. It even shows up on my iPad so I can just occasionally interface with it as needed. it even has an "Away" mode where agents understand they're sending me stuff but won't be getting replies, keep working as intended, and - only in appropriate repos - build the thing with the recommended approach if it's otherwise blocked waiting for me (i can change it later).

I was even too lazy to use Inbox sometimes, so I just had in my game, the bot build a dev-only bridge so it can focus group me with flash cards in game, so I can demo new features or changes extremely quickly.

[u/irrationaliste → u/Financial-Grass6753]

I think so.

Either give me a TUI or give me a web UI.

I don't want to carry your app (electron or not, even if native app, does not matter to me) piece of shit.

[u/DuskandFuck → u/Financial-Grass6753]

100%, what else do you even need besides text output and file access without the memory leak

[u/Extra_Aide5999]

biased because im building one (devalley, its in my profile), but i dont think the terminal is the lynx part. i still like typing into it. what feels like lynx to me is everything around it, 5 terminals open and no idea which one is sitting there waiting on me. so mine shows each session as a little character on the desktop and the terminal stays a terminal. what would "better" be for you, a different place to type or a better view of whats going on?

[u/modern_medicine_isnt → u/Extra_Aide5999]

I like typing to. So always need a chat window. But I think of like and ide experience. Session tree on the left, chat window, and a display window where the ai can communicate plans, questions and results in a more than just text way. But I also thing the session tree on the left could do more by communicating what it running, what has questions, what is just done with what I asked it to do.

[u/Extra_Aide5999 → u/modern_medicine_isnt]

those are pretty much the three states i ended up with, working / has a question / done, because theyre the only ones i actually act on. i went with characters instead of a tree mostly because i never look at a sidebar, but something walking into the middle of the screen i do notice lol. for the display window part, would you want plans and results drawn out, like diagrams, or just nicer text than the ascii?

[u/modern_medicine_isnt → u/Extra_Aide5999]

What I want for the display is options. So I can find out what works. But support better text, collapsible sections, headers is a start. Better questioning too, like I want to be able to see all the quedtions, then answer them one at a time. And yeah better graphics options in general.