Show HN: Ytree v3.0.0-alpha, an AI-assisted rewrite towards feature completeness

1 point

25 days ago

Ytree is a terminal file manager in the XTree style. It can log multiple volumes, collect selected files into a single list, filter that list for operations, and operate on one file at a time or on multiple files. It can also be used to preview, view, and edit files, read and write archives, and compare files and directories.

When I first used Linux in the 1990s, Werner Bregulla’s Ytree looked promising. Tinkering with Linux again recently, I found that Ytree was still not fully developed, so I set out to push it towards feature completeness.

Writing C at any non-trivial scale is beyond my abilities, so I am experimenting with AI-generated code, guided by Unix and FOSS conventions and what I understand to be best practice. The workflow has evolved from browser chat plus an editor and a diff tool to an agentic IDE, including many checks and QA passes before each commit.

In this workflow, the human steers the design and maintains quality control, while the AI does the heavy lifting. Working this way has enabled me to build the program I have long missed having.

It has taken months of coaxing and verification to get this far, and beta is still months away, but I am releasing v3.0.0-alpha now in the hope that it will be useful to others. It is usable, but expect rough edges, occasional UX/workflow bugs, and some features may still change or be removed.