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OpenClaw surpasses React to become the most-starred software project on GitHub

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Re: OpenClaw surpasses React to become the most-starred software project on GitHub

#321
post #289

I keep reading folks saying OpenClaw has completely changed their life while posting a picture of 58 mac minis on their desk. But every single use case I've read so far could be done with a pretty affordable SaaS product, Zapier, Automator (app on a mac that's existed for over a decade), or something simple you could make yourself. It also feels like people are automating things that don't really need to be automated…

Ok, I'll bite and run the HN skepticism guantlet. I have an OpenClaw setup with a Claude API token and Qwen local model, running on an M4 Mac Mini with 32GB RAM. 1. At 7AM and periodically throughout the day it checks my calendars (work, parenting schedule, personal), a hyper local weather station, and some specific news topics — and sends me a summary and throughout the day updates if anything significant happens. 1…

> It disappoints me that technologists are so skeptical of this technology rather than exploring what it is and why it might be different to what exists today. It's fun! thats the takeaway: it's FUN.

It's most likely fun for you because it's novel, and for a lot of skeptics, AI novelty has long worn off.

Re: OpenClaw surpasses React to become the most-starred software project on GitHub

#322
post #81

Gives me mongodb vibes. This whole Ai coding thing too. On one side, religious loud following, on the other side the nay sayers. We'll probably end up in the middle.

Fwiw, Claude and Codex are very very good at SQL and have actually taught me some new tricks. No reason to use mongodb or firebase in 2026: https://postgresisenough.dev

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Re: OpenClaw surpasses React to become the most-starred software project on GitHub

#323
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It also feels like people are automating things that don't really need to be automated at all (do you really need to be reminded to make coffee?) I've posted about this before, I call it the Jarvis effect. > For years we had people trying to make voice agents, like Iron Man's Jarvis, a thing. You had people super bought into the idea that if you could talk to your computer and say "Jarvis, book me a flight from New…

> (yes, HN included) to seem like a real member of a community, then start advertising something Ah, so that is indeed the endgame of what I've been seeing, hmm?

They seem to call it "escaping the permanent underclass" on Xitter.

Re: OpenClaw surpasses React to become the most-starred software project on GitHub

#324
post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interestingly, your example is an actual thing we used to have. In 1996, I picked up the phone on my desk, dialed a 3 digit code, said “I need to fly to Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, returning Wednesday evening”. A couple hours later, an envelope appeared in my inbox with plane tickets, rental car reservation and hotel reservation. Then every company in the world fired all the secretaries over the course of the nex…

Your example is a great example because the secretaries are clearly filling in the gaps, such as 1. How much can you spend on this trip? 2. Is first/business class necessary? 3. Is a layover acceptable if it's cheaper? 3a. Is it better to have a 4am flight nonstop or a 7am flight with a layover? 4. Are there preferred airlines? 5. Are there preferred hotel chains? What's the hotel budget? Do you want to pay extra for…

This is interesting to see from multiple sides. The method (voice/chat/whatever) is one piece but the other is:

You already show many questions on one issue (a ticket).

Would you need to think about those? With the secretary the task is split: you decide you need the ticket, the secretary handles the rest while you focus on what you do.

Presenting all options, getting all callbacks, confirm e-mails etc does not change that. It puts all load on you.

Re: OpenClaw surpasses React to become the most-starred software project on GitHub

#325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I didn't bother mentioning how long this problem had been solved. The ironic thing here is that the person could go to ChatGPT (or whatever), describe the problem they're looking to solve, and ask it to find them the various ways it has been solved reliably (with links to the sources to confirm the information). And even provide some details on when each solution works best and why. Because THAT is a great use for…

They could do that, but then they'd have to then do the actual legwork after, whether that means finding the proposed solution or whatever (after maybe glancing at a few of those pesky links), installing and configuring it. What OpenClaw represents is the ability to, in natural language, state what you want and then take off with the assurance your will will be done. Just as you'd expect when tasking a human assistan…

>Take off with the assurance your will will be done

* Whatever the ai things is your will, will be done in a way the ai things is correct...

Re: OpenClaw surpasses React to become the most-starred software project on GitHub

#327
post #73

I keep reading folks saying OpenClaw has completely changed their life while posting a picture of 58 mac minis on their desk. But every single use case I've read so far could be done with a pretty affordable SaaS product, Zapier, Automator (app on a mac that's existed for over a decade), or something simple you could make yourself. It also feels like people are automating things that don't really need to be automated…

Patterns i keep seeing: Once you get the dopamine hit of having an ai assistant do something in the real world it becomes an hammer you want to use on everything Instead of being a problem solver you start to become a problem hunter, and you invent them in order to solve them

I think despite how much tech keeps getting hyped, the average person didn't have a 'technology' watershed moment in the past decade or more, so they're taking what they can get.

Re: OpenClaw surpasses React to become the most-starred software project on GitHub

#328

I keep reading folks saying OpenClaw has completely changed their life while posting a picture of 58 mac minis on their desk. But every single use case I've read so far could be done with a pretty affordable SaaS product, Zapier, Automator (app on a mac that's existed for over a decade), or something simple you could make yourself. It also feels like people are automating things that don't really need to be automated…

when the internet started you were sending "funny" messages on ICQ, sharing mp3s with your friends, browsing weird websites on geocities, maybe ordered a book on amazon that you could have gotten down the street much faster.

all the things I do with openclaw are in that ballpark of usefulness/importance.

Re: OpenClaw surpasses React to become the most-starred software project on GitHub

#329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many breakthrough technologies appear initially like toys. And this certainly qualifies. I've never been able to code anything more complicated than a memory game in javascript but I have worked with engineering teams for my entire professional career. But prompting my agent to write python scripts to pull down data from various tools via API without having to read docs, do trial and error for hours / days / indefini…

> There's a reason it has so many stars and most of the people getting something out of it are not posting on X. That reason is buying stars, agent swarms, and astroturing. No project gathers 200K stars genuinely in 3 months. There are far more useful and popular projects that need 10 years to get 200K stars. When you see a project like this get 200K stars in just 3 months, you know something is very fishy.

Most of those stars were on the first weekend. It's impossible to get that many stars that quickly in any remotely organic way.
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