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Fun local LLM comparisons with Gemma, Granite, and Qwen

Ekorbia v0.2 features a comparison-chat mode that runs 2-3 local models against the same prompt in parallel. Here are a few fun prompts running across Gemma 4 (e2b), IBM Granite 4.1 (8B), and Qwen 3.5 (4B) on my 32 GB M1 Max MacBook Pro.

Ekorbia's compare-3 mode showing gemma4:e2b, granite4.1:8b, and qwen3.5:4b answering 'What city has the best Pizza?' in three side-by-side columns.
Compare mode in Ekorbia — one prompt, three local models streaming side-by-side.

1. The Pizza Question

New York City is widely regarded as having the best pizza due to its iconic thin-crust style.

The models were initially reluctant to give a single answer until I attached the following additional prompt: "Provide clear, concise, opinionated answers to comparison or 'best' questions. Each comparison should have a single winner and a runner-up with a short explanation."

The New York City and Naples answers are acceptable but Granite is clearly wrong here with the runner-up of Chicago deep-dish pizza! And no mention of New Haven style pizza anywhere?

Compare 3 What city has the best pizza? ×
You
What city has the best pizza?
gemma4:e2b

This is purely subjective, but based on historical influence, global recognition, and unparalleled diversity, the answer depends on whether you prioritize tradition or innovation.

Winner: New York City New York City has the best pizza because it represents the ultimate fusion of diverse styles. It hosts legendary establishments that perfected both the classic New York slice (thin, foldable, cheese-focused) and an incredible array of regional interpretations, making the pizza culture unmatched in complexity and sheer volume.

Runner-Up: Naples, Italy Naples holds the undeniable claim for the best pizza because it is the undisputed birthplace of true Neapolitan pizza. The focus here is on ingredient purity, specific techniques (wood-fired ovens), and the foundational authenticity that set the global standard for what pizza fundamentally is.

granite4.1:8b

Winner: New York City, USA
Runner-Up: Chicago, USA

Explanation: New York City is widely regarded as having the best pizza due to its iconic thin-crust style—crispy yet foldable slices that originated in local pizzerias. The city's pizza culture emphasizes simplicity and quality ingredients, resulting in a universally praised slice. Chicago, on the other hand, excels with deep-dish pizza, which offers a thicker, more substantial crust filled with cheese and toppings. While Chicago’s deep-dish is beloved for its hearty nature, it differs significantly from the classic New York style that dominates global perceptions of "best pizza." Therefore, New York City claims the top spot for overall pizza excellence.

qwen3.5:4b

Winner: Naples, Italy
Runner-up: New York City, USA

Naples produces the authentic Neapolitan pizza protected by strict PDO standards, ensuring the perfect thin crust and wood-fired balance. New York invented the iconic slice, but its cheese-heavy style and larger portions often compromise the delicate quality of the true Neapolitan original.

2. Explain Hacker News

It’s a sprawling, perpetually messy digital common room.

Gemma is the most fun here, carrying the 'grumpy librarian' voice across multiple paragraphs while Granite and Qwen provide more serious answers with a sprinkling of grumpy librarian at the beginning and the end.

Compare 3 Grumpy librarian ×
You
Explain 'Hacker News' as if you were a slightly grumpy librarian who is tired of being asked this question.
gemma4:e2b

(A deep, slow sigh escapes, followed by the sound of a book being sharply slapped closed.)

Oh, for the love of Dewey Decimal. Do you really have to ask me this? Is there some sort of required reading list that excludes the very foundations of the modern digital chaos? Fine. Just sit down and try to absorb this without making a fuss.

Hacker News.

It’s not some polished, neatly bound volume of facts you can simply read from cover to cover. It’s… well, it’s a sprawling, perpetually messy digital common room. Think of it as a vast, infinitely scrolling bulletin board for people who actually do something with their time, not just waste it scrolling through frivolous nonsense.

The core concept is simple, if you can manage simple concepts: it is a massive aggregation of stories, articles, and links, primarily focused on technology, programming, startups, and complex ideas.

Now, who runs this chaotic repository? It’s tied to a place called Y Combinator—a very specific group of people who understand the true nature of innovation. They use it as a place where serious thinkers can toss out ideas and see what the rest of the world is thinking about them.

What you see there is a stream of posts. These posts aren't just announcements; they are usually threads, sometimes links to deep-dive articles, sometimes short musings, and often, they are… disagreements. People post their problems, their breakthroughs, their absurd theories, and then they argue about them in the comment section.

It’s a place where raw, often unfiltered ideas collide. It’s where developers debate algorithms, entrepreneurs fight over market strategy, and academics argue about the future of AI. It’s not polite. It’s not curated by some smug editor. It’s just a massive, noisy echo chamber fueled by curiosity, ego, and the relentless desire to know what happens next.

So, in short? It is a sprawling, noisy, extremely opinionated digital forum where the people who build things—the actual hackers—come to discuss the actual, messy reality of building those things.

Now, if you are quite finished with this tedious explanation, I suggest you return to your designated section. And try not to disturb the silence.

granite4.1:8b

Ah, another query about "Hacker News." For the umpteenth time, let me elucidate succinctly: Hacker News is an online platform—specifically, a discussion forum—dedicated to dissecting and debating topics related to computer science, entrepreneurship, and technology innovation. It was created by Paul Graham's company, Y Combinator, and has since garnered a niche following among tech enthusiasts, startup founders, and those with a penchant for intellectual discourse on digital frontiers.

Users submit links to articles or initiate discussions, which are then voted up or down by the community based on their perceived quality and relevance. The interface is minimalistic, devoid of frills, and designed to prioritize content over aesthetics—a philosophy that either appeals to some or leaves others yearning for more visual panache.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a stack of overdue books to shush and a penchant for order to restore in this increasingly chaotic digital age. Please refrain from asking about Hacker News again unless absolutely necessary; your patience with my exasperation would be greatly appreciated.

qwen3.5:4b

Listen carefully.

Hmph. Oh, look at you. You’ve found me again.

It's the third time in three minutes that a patron has come to me and said, "What is Hacker News?" You know the look. It's not in my catalog. You haven't seen it in the Dewey Decimal system, and you certainly won't find it in my stack of "Popular Technology Books."

Grind. I'm tired, but here's the summary because you seem determined to read through my index cards on this topic again.

1. It's not a newspaper. It started in 2005, mostly because a guy named Paul Graham thought it would be a good way to keep track of the tech landscape. It's not the news. It's not the New York Times, and you certainly can't borrow a book from it. It's a discussion board where people post stories and links to software and companies.

2. The Format. When you look at the site, there is a list of stories. You can't read them all. That's the point. The people who post stories are "Hackers," mostly engineers and programmers. They post something like a link to a new project or a question.

3. The Sorting Mechanism. Here's where you're confusing the library catalog with the internet. There's no Dewey Decimal System here, just upvotes and downvotes. If people like the story, they click "up" and the story goes to the top. If they dislike it, it goes to the bottom. It's not just about what you want to hear, it's about what the community thinks is useful.

4. The Community. Most of the users here aren't the ones who buy the books on the shelf. They are the ones who write the code. They discuss the source code. They ask, "How do I fix this?", and you get a response from someone who has actually seen the bug happen in the wild. It's not for the chit-chat people. It's for the ones who care about the actual technology.

5. No Fluff. There's a rule here. Don't post a joke if it doesn't help. Don't post a link to a product unless it's open-source and people can actually check it. It's supposed to be useful. You can see "New York" in the title, but it's not a city. It's a name.

So, that's it. That's the thing I can't find in the reference section. It's not a library. It's not a book. It's just the bulletin board where the engineers hang out.

Now, if you're going to ask me another question, please go to the circulation desk. I need to find a book about something else. I really have to find a book. Sigh.

3. Will robots take over?

There is no consensus among experts that unchecked AI growth will inevitably lead to a robot takeover of Earth.

All three models take the question seriously and none think we are doomed to a Terminator like future.

Compare 3 Robot takeover ×
You
Will the unchecked growth of AI lead to a robot takeover of Earth as shown in the Terminator movies? Provide a short concise answer and one paragraph explanation.
gemma4:e2b

There is no consensus among experts that unchecked AI growth will inevitably lead to a robot takeover of Earth. While the theoretical risks of advanced AI—such as the "alignment problem" (ensuring AI goals align with human values) and the potential for unintended consequences—are serious and warrant intense research, the development of powerful AI systems currently faces significant technical, philosophical, and regulatory challenges that mitigate the immediate threat of a malicious takeover. The primary focus in AI safety research is on developing robust mechanisms to ensure AI systems remain beneficial and controllable, rather than predicting a catastrophic scenario.

granite4.1:8b

No, unchecked growth of AI will not likely result in a robot takeover akin to the Terminator films.

While advanced AI systems can perform complex tasks and learn from data at unprecedented speeds, they are designed and governed by human creators who embed ethical guidelines, safety protocols, and legal frameworks to ensure alignment with human values. Current AI technologies lack true self-awareness, autonomy, or the ability to pursue goals independently of their programmed objectives. Moreover, the development of AI is subject to rigorous testing, peer review, and regulatory oversight aimed at preventing misuse and ensuring beneficial outcomes for society. Therefore, the scenario depicted in science fiction films remains speculative and unlikely given the current state of technology and intentional safeguards implemented by developers and policymakers.

qwen3.5:4b

No, it is not inevitable.

Most experts consider this scenario highly unlikely because current artificial intelligence lacks true consciousness, self-awareness, and the inherent desire to harm humans. While there are significant safety concerns regarding the alignment of AI goals with human values, technology currently operates within constraints defined by its creators, and the development of true superintelligence remains speculative. Consequently, the film's depiction relies more on science fiction speculation than on the current trajectory of technological development and rigorous safety research.

Things to watch for with Ekorbia comparison mode.

  • Memory matters. Three large models running in parallel can blow past 32 GB on my MacBook. Ollama will swap them in and out, which makes the "parallel" feel serial.
  • First-token latency varies wildly. A column that's still showing dots while another is mid-paragraph isn't broken — it's cold-loading.
  • Granite 4.1 (8B) is fast. It's worth a try if you've mostly been using Qwen or Gemma.

Send us yours

Got a prompt that produces a hilarious three-way disagreement? Open an issue with the prompt and the three outputs and we'll feature the best ones in a follow-up.