Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Completely agree. There is a tradeoff between letting user do everything themselves such that they know exactly what's happening in their system vs just doing it for them and making sure they don't make a mistake.

Perhaps a better implementation would be a choice:

    You need too add  `eval "$(/bin/brew shellenv)"` to your dotfiles. Would you like us to do this for you?

    1. Yes
    2. No I will do this myself


> There is a tradeoff between letting user do everything themselves such that they know exactly what's happening in their system

That makes the (IMO false) assumption that people doing things for themselves by following instructions tend to learn what those things do, rather than simply remembering a "magic" ritual that made something work. Some people will take the time to study and learn how the various commands work and the syntax of different shell & scripting languages. Most won't.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: