
Show HN: Kmdr – Explains the syntax of CLI commands you select in the browser - ediardo
https://kmdr.sh/
======
abendy
Very slick. Nicely done. But this service is available for free [0] with a
PopClip extension [1].

What does this have that I can't already get for free?

[0] - [https://explainshell.com/](https://explainshell.com/)

[1] - [https://github.com/pilotmoon/PopClip-
Extensions/blob/master/...](https://github.com/pilotmoon/PopClip-
Extensions/blob/master/source/ExplainShell/Config.plist)

~~~
Ianeta
Thanks abendy. Explain shell is awesome, no doubt. But we saw it's limitations
given the parser it is using and being based on manpages. With a different
parser and separate backend of descriptions that we control and can improve
upon, the differences today include being able to explain complex commands
(docker, kubectl, npm, go, apt, etc) and more complicated bash constructs
(multiline, variable assignments, command expansions, and subshells). Then
extending beyond explanations, we're moving in a direction of leveraging
accounts. We'll allow folks to have their own `cheatsheets` by being able to
save the commands they query and want to hold on to. Also we'd like to bridge
back to our CLI client through accounts, and be able to connect browser and
terminal more seemlessly.

~~~
Ianeta
We go into a bit more depth in our FAQ[0]

[0] [https://kmdr.sh/faq/](https://kmdr.sh/faq/)

------
ediardo
Maker here. kmdr works on any website where code is selectable, including on
GitHub or GitLab, in official documentation, StackOverflow, or web-based chat.
In a pop-up window, kmdr will describe each attribute of the commands:
programs, options, subcommands, operators, etc.. All feedback welcome! Thanks!

Start a free trial at
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kmdr/lbigelojleemi...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kmdr/lbigelojleemicaaaogihjnabfndkdii)

------
abeyer
I'm disappointed the cli version seems to be getting short shrift in the push
to monetize. I'd be far more likely to want to use this from the cli or from
another tool, than in a browser.

~~~
ediardo
hey abeyer, thanks for the feedback.

kmdr-cli[0] won't go away. It's definitely our base and when we launched with
it initially, we learned that people are willing to install and wanting to
have something that's running in their terminal. What prompted us to focus on
the browser, was that a huge number of our queries (55%) were coming from our
demo page on our website. We're a team of 3, so investing in the browser
extension meant a hault to progress in kmdr-cli but we fully intend to re-
invest there and bridge browser and kmdr-cli. This morning we updated the
kmdr-cli to leverage the same definitions available on the browser extension.
Next will be to leverage the same parser.

[0] [https://github.com/ediardo/kmdr-cli](https://github.com/ediardo/kmdr-cli)

~~~
abeyer
Cool, thanks! The FAQ still says that the cli uses the old
parser/definitions...you might want to update that to reflect that you're
changing that and it's not intentionally being left behind.

~~~
Ianeta
Done! Thank you!!

