Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

#1

Post by KolmogorovComp » Mon, Aug 03, 2026, 8:29 AM UTC

Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library
github.com

Re: Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

#2

Post by xvilka » Mon, Aug 03, 2026, 9:04 AM UTC

Looks like it's Web-only, no mention of the native UI support (terminal UI excluded).

Re: Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

#3

Post by hahahaa » Mon, Aug 03, 2026, 9:19 AM UTC

Oh it needs a userland trampoline!

> JSOO does not have tail call optimization

Re: Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

#4

Post by Traster » Mon, Aug 03, 2026, 9:21 AM UTC

The "Why Bonsai?" I found really funny.

Let me re-write that section for you:

Why Bonsai?

At Jane Street we're super excited by Functional programming and by CAML in particular, so when we need low latency software, we use OCAML, when we need hardware, we write out own langauge - HardCAML, and when we need a Web UI, we build a Web UI framework in CAML. Because we fucking love CAML.

Re: Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

#5

Post by kubb » Mon, Aug 03, 2026, 9:53 AM UTC

I wish there were more OCaml shops out there

Re: Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

#6

Post by bobjansen » Mon, Aug 03, 2026, 9:55 AM UTC

This would of been cool back in 2014.

Re: Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

#7

Post by avsm » Mon, Aug 03, 2026, 9:56 AM UTC

xvilka wrote: post #2

Looks like it's Web-only, no mention of the native UI support (terminal UI excluded).

There's a full terminal implementation of Bonsai as well. I actually use it in my personal workflow these days to manage my contacts database! https://anil.recoil.org/notes/aoah-2025-9

Re: Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

#8

Post by bofeiw » Mon, Aug 03, 2026, 9:57 AM UTC

Traster wrote: post #4

The "Why Bonsai?" I found really funny. Let me re-write that section for you: Why Bonsai? At Jane Street we're super excited by Functional programming and by CAML in particular, so when we need low latency software, we use OCAML, when we need hardware, we write out own langauge - HardCAML, and when we need a Web UI, we build a Web UI framework in CAML. Because we fucking love CAML.

Agreed, looks like it's reinventing the wheels. Frameworks does not really matter today, AI agents write the code anyway.

Re: Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

#9

Post by ForHackernews » Mon, Aug 03, 2026, 9:59 AM UTC

bofeiw wrote: post #8

Traster wrote: post #4

The "Why Bonsai?" I found really funny. Let me re-write that section for you: Why Bonsai? At Jane Street we're super excited by Functional programming and by CAML in particular, so when we need low latency software, we use OCAML, when we need hardware, we write out own langauge - HardCAML, and when we need a Web UI, we build a Web UI framework in CAML. Because we fucking love CAML.

Agreed, looks like it's reinventing the wheels. Frameworks does not really matter today, AI agents write the code anyway.

Better frameworks will still help AIs avoid silly mistakes. A smarter framework means you can be productive with a dumber/cheaper AI.

Re: Bonsai: Janestreet's UI Library

#10

Post by KolmogorovComp » Mon, Aug 03, 2026, 9:59 AM UTC

bofeiw wrote: post #8

Traster wrote: post #4

The "Why Bonsai?" I found really funny. Let me re-write that section for you: Why Bonsai? At Jane Street we're super excited by Functional programming and by CAML in particular, so when we need low latency software, we use OCAML, when we need hardware, we write out own langauge - HardCAML, and when we need a Web UI, we build a Web UI framework in CAML. Because we fucking love CAML.

Agreed, looks like it's reinventing the wheels. Frameworks does not really matter today, AI agents write the code anyway.

But AI do benefit a lot from a strict compiler, and having a simple language improve a lot on type-safety, so I don't think it is to throw, even today.