+----------------------------+
| In Your first malleable |
| HTML file on Hyperclay, I |
| gave you a tutorial on |
| using HyperclayJS. Now |
| I'll explain why I think |
| this type of software has |
| legs in the age of LLMs. |
+----------------------------+
Hi web explorers,
I'm sitting alone in the dark
at 8:21 p.m. on Feb 27, with
my laptop open, trying to
figure out why an anonymous
user can see the edit controls
on a Hyperclay file.
As I'm staring at the screen,
all I can think is: this
shouldn't be possible.
Something is fundamentally
broken.
This is not an unusual kind of
day for me. I spend most of my
day ping-ponging between
layers of the stack, keeping
everything in sync. I call
this in-between work "the
plumbing." It's the messy,
behind-the-scenes stuff that
makes my more complex projects
function.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I switch out of
full-stack mode and open a
fresh code editor, it feels
like putting down a puzzle and
picking up a sketchbook.
I take a deep breath.
Finally, I can code up a quick
tool or interactive UI without
worrying about technical debt.
I stitch together a few JS
libraries or build my own, and
before I know it I have a
functional app in a single
HTML file. This surface-level
work is downright pleasant
compared to the underbelly of
a full-stack project.
I text a friend:
+----------------------------+
| Hey, remember that ASCII |
| email editor you saw me |
| using? I added a new |
| feature: a unique ASCII |
| maze right inside your |
| email: [MAZE]. Try it out: |
+----------------------------+
I wish all my work could be
like this: a piece of digital
clay I can mold and hand off
to someone else.
That's why I'm building
software to support malleable
HTML files.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following blog post is
something I've wanted to write
since my first job out of
college, when I first saw how
the impulse to code the
printing press before writing
the book could backfire and
kill a good idea early:
Everyday Magic
It's one of the best things
I've published.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HyperclayJS
I just launched a new homepage
for HyperclayJS, the
open-source library that makes
building on Hyperclay a
breeze. It enables full web
app functionality with a
single script tag on any
Hyperclay or Hyperclay Local
file. It gives you autosave, a
DOM library, livesync, and a
lot more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upcoming: Beta Invite
Your beta invitation is coming
in the next email. Invitations
will be open for only 48 hours
because I want to support each
user individually.
Let's hack the web platform
and make it better for
everyone,
— David
@panphora