SOTA on internal benchmark?
going to open source it soon :)
Launch HN: Nia (YC S25) – Give better context to coding agents
61–70 of 92 posts
Re: Launch HN: Nia (YC S25) – Give better context to coding agents
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ok here is my less snarky and less aggressive take on the site and product: it doesn't leave me with confidence, it makes me feel uneasy about them as a company, it makes me not trust them, and it makes me feel like I'm being lied to. To fix this, provide proof. Otherwise, stop making the claims. Unfortunately with the frequency these kinds of products come out of YC, it seems like maybe YC coaches these companies as…
The only coaching going on with Launch HNs is from me and tomhow, and I can tell you that we're constantly urging people to tone down grand claims, provide concrete examples, accessible demos, and so on—partly because it makes the posts more interesting, and partly to reduce surface area for the snarky and rigid objections that internet forums optimize for. We don't do a perfect job of this, because (1) Launch HN coa…
I mean, you can dismiss me by calling me a cynical curmudgeon (which is not inaccurate), but from my perspective their website doesn't try to convince -- it tries to bamboozle. I don't think it's idiosyncratic at all to expect that claims made should be proven and supported, and that companies should present themselves with integrity and be genuine in their representations.
> Curmudgeons and cynics can't be convinced in the first place so it's not a good idea for a founder to put too much time into indulging them.
I'd say we're just not convinced by marketing lingo and puffery. I was convinced by the simple README containing code and transparent evidence that a fellow HNer put up in their personal capacity, so maybe you can direct the Nia team to that as an example of how to properly convince curmudgeons and cynics.
Re: Launch HN: Nia (YC S25) – Give better context to coding agents
#63This resonates. I'm building a React Native app and the biggest
friction with AI coding tools is re-explaining context every time.
How does Nia handle project-specific patterns? Like if I always use a certain folder structure or naming convention, does it learn that?
Re: Launch HN: Nia (YC S25) – Give better context to coding agents
#64This resonates. I'm building a React Native app and the biggest friction with AI coding tools is re-explaining context every time. How does Nia handle project-specific patterns? Like if I always use a certain folder structure or naming convention, does it learn that?
Nia is focused on external context rather than learning the patterns inside your own codebase. Cursor and IDE-native tools are better for local project structure today. Where Nia helps is when the agent needs ground truth from outside your repo. For example, you can index React Native docs, libraries you depend on, API references or Stack for your backend and let the agent search and validate against those sources directly instead of losing context between prompts.
Re: Launch HN: Nia (YC S25) – Give better context to coding agents
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
i am interested in knowing what would be the correct way to do it according to your checklist. For example you said testimonial from twitter can be bots, which testimonial according to you would give you confidence that product is genuine?
Okay let's dissect it. First, I will say since this is a for-profit corporate website and they are trying to get something from me, I approach it with a fully skeptical, 0 benefit of doubt perspective. What's the gif supposed to tell me? It's supposed to demo the product and give me a feel for its capabilities. But it just flits around and goes so fast, offers zero explanation for anything, it just leaves me disorien…
@dang now that he has made his point, shouldn't the thread be made undead?
Re: Launch HN: Nia (YC S25) – Give better context to coding agents
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
Okay let's dissect it. First, I will say since this is a for-profit corporate website and they are trying to get something from me, I approach it with a fully skeptical, 0 benefit of doubt perspective. What's the gif supposed to tell me? It's supposed to demo the product and give me a feel for its capabilities. But it just flits around and goes so fast, offers zero explanation for anything, it just leaves me disorien…
@dang now that he has made his point, shouldn't the thread be made undead?
[deleted]
Re: Launch HN: Nia (YC S25) – Give better context to coding agents
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
The only coaching going on with Launch HNs is from me and tomhow, and I can tell you that we're constantly urging people to tone down grand claims, provide concrete examples, accessible demos, and so on—partly because it makes the posts more interesting, and partly to reduce surface area for the snarky and rigid objections that internet forums optimize for. We don't do a perfect job of this, because (1) Launch HN coa…
I mean, you can dismiss me by calling me a cynical curmudgeon (which is not inaccurate), but from my perspective their website doesn't try to convince -- it tries to bamboozle . I don't think it's idiosyncratic at all to expect that claims made should be proven and supported, and that companies should present themselves with integrity and be genuine in their representations. > Curmudgeons and cynics can't be convince…
Kudos to you for "which is not inaccurate" and the subtle shift to "we" - that made me smile.
Personally my tastes are much the same as yours, but we're asking for too much if we want startups to stop doing normal marketing.
Re: Launch HN: Nia (YC S25) – Give better context to coding agents
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
i am interested in knowing what would be the correct way to do it according to your checklist. For example you said testimonial from twitter can be bots, which testimonial according to you would give you confidence that product is genuine?
Okay let's dissect it. First, I will say since this is a for-profit corporate website and they are trying to get something from me, I approach it with a fully skeptical, 0 benefit of doubt perspective. What's the gif supposed to tell me? It's supposed to demo the product and give me a feel for its capabilities. But it just flits around and goes so fast, offers zero explanation for anything, it just leaves me disorien…
Well put. But what you’ve identified here is pretty much the norm for ~90% startup/SAAS sites. They all just regurgitate this formula.
Re: Launch HN: Nia (YC S25) – Give better context to coding agents
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
Okay let's dissect it. First, I will say since this is a for-profit corporate website and they are trying to get something from me, I approach it with a fully skeptical, 0 benefit of doubt perspective. What's the gif supposed to tell me? It's supposed to demo the product and give me a feel for its capabilities. But it just flits around and goes so fast, offers zero explanation for anything, it just leaves me disorien…
@dang now that he has made his point, shouldn't the thread be made undead?
My snark shall never be resurrected, lest it thirst for brains.
Re: Launch HN: Nia (YC S25) – Give better context to coding agents
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
Okay let's dissect it. First, I will say since this is a for-profit corporate website and they are trying to get something from me, I approach it with a fully skeptical, 0 benefit of doubt perspective. What's the gif supposed to tell me? It's supposed to demo the product and give me a feel for its capabilities. But it just flits around and goes so fast, offers zero explanation for anything, it just leaves me disorien…
@dang now that he has made his point, shouldn't the thread be made undead?
[deleted]