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Comment by tills13 | Hacker News Reader

So let me get this straight, not only does it not explain what it is, it's a bit of a puzzle to even get to the download links, and then it straight up downloads an .exe which you expect me to run on my computer?

Give me more info without me having to pry it out of you through finding your github which honestly isn't much more descriptive.

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I don't think you are the intended audience for this. I also don't think the project is finished.

It is great to see projects like this, clearly a labour of love rather than beaten out of someone for some faceless corporate website.

It is always the experiments like this that you remember. 99% of the web is a forgettable experience.

Props to the creator for sharing this with us.

I like the website. The little puzzle holds my attention for enough seconds to make me curious. The issue is just the lack of information after you figure it out. I still can't tell what this software is. It "plays games"? Is it supposed to be a game-playing AI? Is it a game console? A fantasy console? A game engine?

I wish web designers would understand they do not have unilateral, unchecked power to make my browser do what they want - if they want that power they're going to have to ship a PDF or a program.

The accessibility for this site additionally looks like it's a goddamn nightmare.

> I wish web designers would understand they do not have unilateral, unchecked power to make my browser do what they want

They don't have that power, which is why they cannot do that. What they can do though, is use the provided checked powers (HTML, CSS and JS APIs) to deliver whatever damn experience they want. And if you don't like it, you can close the page.

> if they want that power they're going to have to ship a PDF or a program.

The comment you're replying to, seems to say the website is literally doing that.

There is some more information on their GitHub page [1].

"Automat's objective is to be able to semi-autonomously play a variety of games. It's the first step towards a more general environment for interacting with computers."

[1] https://github.com/mafik/automat

You drink the coffee by holding the cup to the bottom of the screen. When cup is empty, you can clip the github logo and go to the repo.

https://github.com/mafik/automat

I thought Automat was the framework for displaying the website, but I guess it isn't.

If you click on the moleskine notebook, you can read seven pages of "handwritten" notes, though they are full of analogies and exhortations that still don't actually explain what it is.

I did click on it and got nothing. It appeared to 'pick up' and then immediately 'put down' the notebook. Guess I wasn't holding my mouth right..

If you look at it as if it were an everyday object, where would you start opening it?

I also appreciated the subtle hints of the VHS logo on the tape and the display.

There's no notebook for me. There's a black square for some reason.

However if you double click and it zooms in there is no way to zoom out to actually see both sides of the notebook.

if I have to sit and think about what to do on your website without reading a manual, then it has already failed the user experience department

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