Ask HN: How do you see GitHub Spark, threat to developer community or a helper?

5 points·devsoul··4 comments

Just saw the GitHub Universe 2024 and the highlight was GitHub spar which have ability to create micro apps in minutes without any prior knowledge of coding. Just ask it to create a micro app with your requirements and it will simply create it..!!

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My thought is that this will be taken on by the same people who create low-effort WordPress plugins and charge high dollar amounts for them. Create something super-low-effort, doesn't need to do much except look like it does, and expose an advertisement layer. Publish it as an important mobile app we all need, they make money, we install insecure apps that do nothing for us down the road. Call me a cynic, but I've had to wade through paid plugins and extensions for WordPress and Magento and that is exactly what happens.

Yes, I mean they have stated that this one is for micro apps rather than a professional app. So, there will be a sort of chaos with products like plugins and mini-games, etc. Let's see where AI is going to take us...

There's going to be a lot of slop and a lot of confusion? Given the choice of downloading / using multiple github repos for something, the best option is usually quite clear. Actively maintained, healthy issues page, lots of stars, downloads, etc. What if there's just 1,000 vaguely similar apps/projects that look like they're on life support? Just make your own edition and add to the soup I guess?

Agree, this can be a major issue. GitHub's intention is to have more repos and this will fulfill its purpose with useless products. I hope they give it a second thought.

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