November 26, 2025
Screenshots or it didn’t compile
bonsai_term: A library for building dynamic terminal apps by Jane Street
Jane Street drops a terminal app builder; no screenshots, and comments go feral
TLDR: Jane Street released Bonsai_term, a toolkit for building terminal apps in OCaml. The thread erupted over a barebones launch—no screenshots, thin docs—while a few pointed to [ghostty-web](https://github.com/coder/ghostty-web) as inspiration; everyone agrees: show a demo if you want devs to care.
Jane Street quietly dropped Bonsai_term, a toolkit to build text-based apps inside the terminal using OCaml (a niche, brainy programming language). But the community didn’t toast the code; they roasted the launch. The top vibe? “GUI library with no screenshots” and a chorus of “pix or it didn’t happen.” koterpillar asked, “No screenshots or videos?” and malux85 declared it “classic.” Meanwhile, ranger_danger kicked off with a nitpick: *“An OCaml library”**—a grammar fight breaking out before the demo even loads.
Fans tried to steer the thread toward possibilities: jauntywundrkind pointed to a browser-friendly terminal demo, ghostty-web, and an earlier discussion on HN, hinting this could go wasm—code that runs in your browser—if someone connects the dots. But most folks were stuck on the vibes: a spartan README, no images, and homework-grade docs. some_guy_nobel sighed: “why put all the effort into a tool just to market it so poorly.”
For context: Bonsai_term mirrors Jane Street’s Bonsai_web style—think “build interactive stuff with state and effects” for the terminal. It leans on OCaml’s package manager opam, and the OxCaml toolchain. The code might be solid; the launch wasn’t. Verdict: smart tech, invisible show. The crowd wants proof, demos, and literally any screenshot.
Key Points
- •bonsai_term is an OCaml library for building terminal user interfaces using the Bonsai programming model.
- •Installation requires opam and OxCaml, followed by ‘opam install bonsai_term’.
- •Developers can learn usage from src/bonsai_term.mli and the bonsai_term_examples repository.
- •Documentation from bonsai_web applies conceptually, except for VDOM-specific parts.
- •Additional OCaml learning resources include Learn OCaml docs, CS 3110, and Real World OCaml.