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Ask HN: What's a software project that made people's lives better?

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Re: Ask HN: What's a software project that made people's lives better?

#11

Post by LarryMade2 »

This was a software project for me, wanted something that lets me know what things to do in the area, where are shops, what are their hours, how to contact them, etc. Not only for businesses but for public spaces (say you wanted to rent the local park for an event-contact info is there), also event information, local notices, etc.) I've used it several times checking if some store in the town I'm headed is open (go to the local info page, then click on the facebook link and see if it is actually open) as well as a place to point others local resources (like where can we hold a wedding near town X).

https://doplaces.com After ten years I've learned it's to get people to submit information (even if listings are free) also has been a challenge for this semi-introverted programmer to market it.

Another project (for my employer) we have had a printed community resource directory for decades this helps people find local government/aid resources for families and has got recognition for its handyness in emergencies. I have created a web version - the notable part on this one is putting in a facility so those on mobile can (via cookies) select favorites and write notes associated on those for later reference. https://rr.trcac.org/resdir.htm I guess the other challenge in this area is we are rural and a good portion of the population is not all that well connected or tech savvy. The paper one still currently wins out over the on-line version.

Re: Ask HN: What's a software project that made people's lives better?

#12

Post by Clubber »

I rewrote a scheduling system used in hospitals. This was when hospitals switched to centralized scheduling. It was a rule based AI engine that made sure patients would get the earliest possible appointment given x resources of y types required. There were 30 or so types of rules (it's been a few years now) and a great puzzle.

Re: Ask HN: What's a software project that made people's lives better?

#14

Post by giraffe_lady »

JSDevOps wrote: post #2

My trading algorithms have been profitable, and I enjoy the freedom that money brings. I appreciate the things it allows me to buy and the experiences it unlocks. More importantly, it positively impacts the people around me

Exact same except with my crack cocaine business.

Re: Ask HN: What's a software project that made people's lives better?

#15

Post by susiecambria »

LarryMade2 wrote: post #11

This was a software project for me, wanted something that lets me know what things to do in the area, where are shops, what are their hours, how to contact them, etc. Not only for businesses but for public spaces (say you wanted to rent the local park for an event-contact info is there), also event information, local notices, etc.) I've used it several times checking if some store in the town I'm headed is open (go t…

Re: project for your employer: Is 211 not a viable option in California or in the counties your org serves?

Don't get me wrong, I've tried working on 211 in Washington, DC and experienced the same thing, ultimately: Individual nonprofits creating their own resource and referral systems since 211 was not cutting it and would likely never cut it.

Re: Ask HN: What's a software project that made people's lives better?

#17

Post by jerezzprime »

I recently left my job at ClassDojo. It is a place that truly wants to help teachers do well and improve the education experience for kids (and their parents/guardians). We love to hear from the teachers about how much ClassDojo makes a difference for them.

The company is exploring a ton of cool stuff to help kids beyond their classroom, and really wants to make things better.

Re: Ask HN: What's a software project that made people's lives better?

#18

Post by despacito »

jerezzprime wrote: post #17

I recently left my job at ClassDojo. It is a place that truly wants to help teachers do well and improve the education experience for kids (and their parents/guardians). We love to hear from the teachers about how much ClassDojo makes a difference for them. The company is exploring a ton of cool stuff to help kids beyond their classroom, and really wants to make things better.

We used this at my kid’s summer drama program and loved the UX of the app. Really well done.

Re: Ask HN: What's a software project that made people's lives better?

#19

Post by jerezzprime »

despacito wrote: post #18
jerezzprime wrote: post #17

I recently left my job at ClassDojo. It is a place that truly wants to help teachers do well and improve the education experience for kids (and their parents/guardians). We love to hear from the teachers about how much ClassDojo makes a difference for them. The company is exploring a ton of cool stuff to help kids beyond their classroom, and really wants to make things better.

We used this at my kid’s summer drama program and loved the UX of the app. Really well done.

Appreciate that. That use case is a bit of an edge case that we want to support. Not all parents feel so positive but I swear we do our best
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