I built lnav (https://lnav.org) to help dig through the log files of the product I was working on at the time. I grew tired of having to manually interleave log messages from multiple files, so I created lnav to do the work for me. I started it over a decade ago and have used it at every job I've worked at since then.
Ask HN: What apps did you build for yourself and why?
11–20 of 44 posts
Re: Ask HN: What apps did you build for yourself and why?
#12I wrote a simple web-based RSS client: https://github.com/travisred/bottomfeeder
I got tired of looking for a lightweight option that would run on pretty much any VPS or webhost. And I can modify it any time I want without learning a large codebase.
Re: Ask HN: What apps did you build for yourself and why?
#13I agree, being able to build things that scratch your own itch can be amazing.
Some of mine:
- a simple real time location sharing app[1] -- all the alternatives at that time were either clunky, with time limits, designed just for driving or with horrible privacy issues
- an SMS app for when the Nexus 7 2013 tablet was still relevant[2] -- google blocked all SMS clients on that device for some reason until Android 6.0, but I managed to find a workaround
- a way to find out the real network operator of any mobile phone in Romania[3] -- when you switch operators, you have the possibility of taking your phone number with you, so you can't rely just on number prefixes for lookup
[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emilburzo....
[2] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emilburzo....
[3] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emilburzo....
Re: Ask HN: What apps did you build for yourself and why?
#14I built a web app called Bucket for tracking todos, inspired by the technique described in this video[1] whereby you put tasks into buckets based on the time horizon for completion.
Your tasks are stored entirely in your browser, so there's no back-end, no risk of losing access, works offline, you can export any time, and you can share your tasks between devices using the Sync URL. You can use it here (for now, looks best on mobile): https://lusmo.re/bucket/
I built it because it was easy, it does exactly what I want, and I don't need to rely on some 3rd party to profitably monetise todo apps so that I can use it indefinitely.
Re: Ask HN: What apps did you build for yourself and why?
#15My app Baajet was also created extensively for travelling purpose, which I created to help me keep track of my travelling budgets with simple UI, no reports or charts and graphs.
Just keep tracking daily budget. Plain and simple.
Re: Ask HN: What apps did you build for yourself and why?
#16Here's a link to the app mentioned in the OP: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/billy-currency-converter/id1...
@timojaask developed it and I designed it
Re: Ask HN: What apps did you build for yourself and why?
#17I agree, being able to build things that scratch your own itch can be amazing. Some of mine: - a simple real time location sharing app[1] -- all the alternatives at that time were either clunky, with time limits, designed just for driving or with horrible privacy issues - an SMS app for when the Nexus 7 2013 tablet was still relevant[2] -- google blocked all SMS clients on that device for some reason until Android 6.…
Cool! That last one is interesting. If not a secret, does it use some third-party service to get the operator for a given number?
Re: Ask HN: What apps did you build for yourself and why?
#18I built a web app called Bucket for tracking todos, inspired by the technique described in this video[1] whereby you put tasks into buckets based on the time horizon for completion. Your tasks are stored entirely in your browser, so there's no back-end, no risk of losing access, works offline, you can export any time, and you can share your tasks between devices using the Sync URL. You can use it here (for now, looks…
That's very interesting. I like this approach. I've been using a sort of simplified Kanban for my own tasks, but I find this time-based sorting interesting.
Technically the only downside for me in this tool would be having to sync manually betwen devices, as I'm constantly jumping between managing the list on my phone and on my laptop.
I found that Trello works pretty well for my own needs, having automatic sync and offline functionality.
Re: Ask HN: What apps did you build for yourself and why?
#19I agree, being able to build things that scratch your own itch can be amazing. Some of mine: - a simple real time location sharing app[1] -- all the alternatives at that time were either clunky, with time limits, designed just for driving or with horrible privacy issues - an SMS app for when the Nexus 7 2013 tablet was still relevant[2] -- google blocked all SMS clients on that device for some reason until Android 6.…
Cool! That last one is interesting. If not a secret, does it use some third-party service to get the operator for a given number?
Not a secret, just less known I would say :-)
The national communications regulations body provides the information on http://portabilitate.ro
Re: Ask HN: What apps did you build for yourself and why?
#20My app Baajet was also created extensively for travelling purpose, which I created to help me keep track of my travelling budgets with simple UI, no reports or charts and graphs. Just keep tracking daily budget. Plain and simple. https://baajetapp.com
That's cool! I can totally see this being useful. I like the logo and the sheep :-)
I love how simple it is, but I have one wish -- when you enter an expense, by tapping the red (+) button, it would be nice if the text field was already selected, so I don't have to tap on it -- would save one extra step. Then, once you select the text field and enter an amount, the next problem is that the continue button (>) is hidden below the keyboard, so I need to somehow dismiss the keyboard in order to proceed. Would be cool if you could tap the keyboard "return", or "OK" button to proceed.
Otherwise really nice. I like the simplicity of it very much! Good job!