Hi All,
Please find this week’s development call livestream recording followed by an AI powered summary of the discussion below.
Questions, comments, concerns and ideas welcome as alays. Just hit the reply button.
Thanks,
Dave W.
Call Recording:
AI Powered Summary:
One-Year Mark & Using the Installer “as a User”
- First anniversary since initial holiday prototype.
- Dev tested the Windows installer like a non-technical user: setup in ~5 minutes, mostly seamless.
- Value: testing via installer exposed real UX hiccups and priorities.
OpenAI Restrictions vs BrainDrive Freedom
- Tried OpenAI for reverse engineering task; blocked by policy.
- Switched to BrainDrive + OpenRouter (Mistral “dev” via Distil): generated a working Python script on first try.
- Philosophy restated: if it’s your machine, you control it—within the law.
Immediate UX/Dev Improvements Identified
- Enable secure HTTPS (likely via Caddy) so browser copy/paste works.
- Auto-continue long responses (no manual “continue”).
- Streamline error handling + “send logs” flow for users (e.g., “share RAG logs” button).
Installer Findings
- Windows installer:
- Two small issues: ignores custom dir name (uses default); copies too much on rebuild (slow, e.g., tried copying large download folder).
- Both slated for quick fixes.
- Ubuntu installs are fast; Windows installs slower (hardware/library differences suspected).
- Mac installer: had undesired behavior earlier; needs dedicated testing; decision pending for launch.
RAG (Retrieve-Augment-Generate) Status
- Ubuntu: works; chunks Markdown quickly (~15–20s).
- Windows: works but with caveats:
- Longer install times (8 min first service, 6 min second).
- PDF ingestion failed (missing Hugging Face lib in Windows environment).
- Restart script caused failures (needs fix).
- Logs are good enough to diagnose; fixes planned.
- Performance deltas (Windows slower to chunk, ~1+ min vs Ubuntu ~15–20s) may be hardware/OS; to investigate.
Models & Background Tasks
- Early auto-download: installer fetches default embedding model; aim to auto-fetch all lean default models.
- Background task manager validated: queues multiple model downloads correctly.
“Foundation” Assessment & Scope
- 2025 focus achieved: foundational pieces exist—
- Installers (CLI across Linux/Win/Mac; GUI installer Windows working; Mac TBD).
- Local + API chat.
- Personas & chat history.
- Plugin manager (1-click from GitHub); offline upload supported.
- Page builder for custom UIs.
- RAG system (local/private chat with docs).
- Ongoing philosophy: foundation polishing is continuous; don’t delay launch for infinite polish.
Launch/MVP Framing & Priorities
- MVP definition: “It works,” even if slower (e.g., RAG install taking 20–30 minutes is acceptable if reliable).
- Windows GUI installer should be part of launch; Mac installer is desirable but shouldn’t block Windows launch.
- RAG on Mac: important question—can users get RAG on Mac? Currently not via installer; CLI setup is technical and not turnkey.
- Avoid shipping visible features that don’t work; either make them work or hide them.
User Onboarding Flow (Proposed)
- Install BrainDrive
- Windows: GUI installer (fix two issues).
- Linux/Mac: CLI; Mac GUI installer TBD for launch.
- “Tell me a joke” (Local chat offline) — already works.
- Create a Persona — works; gives tailored behavior.
- Chat with Your Documents
- CAG (single-document chat): upload and chat — works.
- RAG (indexed multi-doc): Windows has 2–3 issues to fix; Ubuntu works; Mac RAG status depends on installer/CLI path.
- Pages / Separation of Workspaces
- Page builder works; can create a dedicated RAG page vs general AI chat page.
- Full per-page defaults (models, RAG collections) and tagged chats are future polish.
- API Models (OpenRouter)
- Optional step for users who want remote models; keep privacy page separate from API usage.
Known Gaps / Future Polish
- Per-page defaults: model selection, default RAG collection, etc.
- Tagging chats for better organization.
- HTTPS by default, copy/paste reliability.
- Auto-continue answers.
- Better “send logs” flow for support.
Near-Term Task List
- Fix Windows installer (dir name bug, over-copying).
- Fix RAG Windows issues (PDF dependency, restart script).
- Investigate Windows performance (install & chunking).
- Decide Mac launch stance:
- Option A: launch Windows GUI now; Mac via CLI for devs; Mac GUI later.
- Option B: hold for Mac GUI + RAG parity (longer timeline).
- Prep demo: run Windows install + RAG live next stream while discussing high-level topics.