Devtools must be open source (exe.dev)

This article is a comment posted on Hacker News in response to a discussion titled 'Devtools must be open source'. The author reflects on how the traditional argument for open source software—freedom to examine and modify code—has been limited by the time and effort required. They argue that large language models (LLMs) like Claude and Codex have changed this equation by making it trivial to clone, build, and understand codebases. The author shares their habit of prompting AI tools to clone repositories and explain how components work, treating compilation and setup as a near-zero-time investment. They see a path to routinely modifying software, which didn't exist a year ago. This content is relevant to IT/technology, focusing on software development practices, open source, and AI-assisted coding.