| Great question — and I completely agree with your experience. Most flow-based tools like Node-RED or n8n are great for simple, event-driven tasks — but once you try to model anything non-trivial, like search algorithms or puzzle solving, they tend to fall short. OOMOL takes a different approach. Each node is a fully programmable unit — you write full Python or Node.js code, import pip/npm libraries, manage state, and do whatever logic you want. The flow just connects these pieces in a modular way. So when it comes to problems like solving Sokoban or the 15 puzzle, it’s not about drawing a visual BFS graph — instead, you might structure it like: - One node to define the state structure
- One node to generate next states
- One node to manage a queue (e.g. in memory or Redis)
- One node to evaluate whether the goal is reached
- And inside the node code: your BFS or A* logic In this sense, OOMOL doesn’t force you to express logic visually — the *code is the logic*, and the *flow is how you organize and compose that logic across tasks*. Think of it as “wiring together programmable building blocks” rather than trying to drag-and-drop logic trees. That said, you raise an important point: *for many simple tasks — like batch processing images using ImageMagick — scripts or shell commands are 100% the right tool.* OOMOL isn't trying to replace that. Where OOMOL helps is when:
- You have multiple steps to coordinate (e.g. conditionally processing based on metadata)
- You need to integrate with APIs, databases, or cloud storage
- You want to track, retry, or debug failed tasks
- You’re composing reusable automation pipelines that grow in complexity over time In short:
> *Not every task needs a workflow engine — but once you start composing real logic across systems, code + flow gives you both power and structure.* We’re still early and figuring out how to best serve developers like you — really appreciate you pushing on this distinction. Would love to hear what types of things you’ve tried to automate, and where tools like Node-RED started to fall short. |