Hacker News Reader

Comment by Retr0id | Hacker News Reader

I do not understand the purpose of the `zen` tool, which is a giant bash script with hardcoded install/uninstall steps for each "package": https://github.com/Zenclora/build/blob/697c20a79b5638b4447bf...

View on HN

Despite their marketing, this script does not spark joy.

Eg, they have a "zen optimize" command, which clears caches, nukes /tmp, turns swap off and on again and runs fstrim. You don't need to do any of this stuff. Clearing cache and swap will make programs run slower. Wiping /tmp can be harmful to running processes.

It all seems like a big LLM vomit.

https://github.com/Zenclora/build/blob/697c20a79b5638b4447bf...

Generally, clearing caches will make programs run slower once (on first run after the clear), but it could speed things up if there's a massive amount of other stuff cached or if the cached thing you're trying to run got corrupted somehow.

There is no situation in which having a populated page cache will slow things down, since those are the pages that linux will drop first to use for whatever else needs them.

I mean, the comments with numbered steps are pretty much a dead giveaway that its just AI slip.

If I were to guess, I would say Gemini 3/3.1, as it tends to add a lot of numbered steps comments, more so than other models from my experience

Putting money down on this being primarily LLM coded

I think it's just supposed to make installing commonly used things seem easier.

I have to admit that (assuming they both work flawlessly) it'd be easier to type "zen install steam" than it is to manually edit a file and run four commands following the directions here https://wiki.debian.org/Steam

Reply on news.ycombinator.com