Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use?

#221

Post by kazinator » Wed, Apr 13, 2022, 10:42 PM UTC

I created an accounting system for self-employment activities that does everything: invoicing, tracking expenses and assets, capital cost allowance depreciation of assets.

I have a web app called Tamarind (acronym for throwaway mail alias randomization is not defeatable). I can create randomized e-mail aliases there which instantly go live. Likewise, delete them. Each entry is associated with a memo field that can contain URL's (these get rendered into links). Also a date of creation. The UI lets you edit the order: selecgt entries by checkbox and move them up and down, or to the top or bottom. There is a regex search box. It can authenticate the user using SASL or IMAP4. It works by editing a mail aliases file; your mail server has to know to include that one. It can work with the main /etc/aliases; Tamarind will avoid modifying any parts of the file it doesn't know about, confining itself to the area between its markers.

Re: Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use?

#222

Post by julianz » Wed, Apr 13, 2022, 10:43 PM UTC

Lots. - A script and small sqlite DB to download all of a large Youtube channel I wanted to keep. It meant I could just run "get-next-video" whenever I had a spare moment and it would go and grab another one. - A generator of sheets of math puzzles that looked like the ones my kid was struggling with at school, so he could practice (it worked!). - Currently working on something to track homebrew fridge fermentation temps.

Re: Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use?

#223

Post by ahmedalsudani » Wed, Apr 13, 2022, 10:45 PM UTC

LeoPanthera wrote: post #87

Hundreds! Doesn't everyone? Most of them are just bash scripts, many of which have now reached a complexity so high that I wish I'd started writing them in a different language but it's too late now. The majority of the rest are Python. Off the top of my head, the most used ones are: * A replacement front-end for "tar" and various compressors * A script to synchronize my music library to a compressed version for play…

> Hundreds! Doesn't everyone?

Raising my hand in agreement!

A couple highlights:

- Video syncing library before those became cool (2014). Originally built on top of firebase; now rewriting with my own backend. Very slow going :)

- Twilio server + interface. I'm my own service provider (thanks to Twilio)

Re: Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use?

#224

Post by Bilal_io » Wed, Apr 13, 2022, 10:47 PM UTC

I use Tutanota as my email provider. They're horrible with spam management, and that's because they encrypt data and can't see what I am sending/receiving. So I am almost done with a chrome extension that helps me manage those spam emails, it lets me bulk report to Tutanota, add spam rules for the email and domain, and delete. I'll be open sourcing it and sharing it on HN once done.

Re: Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use?

#225

Post by luisbarrera » Wed, Apr 13, 2022, 10:48 PM UTC

valcron1000 wrote: post #220

A PWA for splitting bills among friends. When we get a receipt we usually split the cost based on what each of us actually consumed (ex. Bob got 2 beers, Alice 3, etc.). I couldn't find a simple app that could do that, so I wrote my own: https://github.com/emlautarom1/Billy

I built one on iOS and web. There’s no manual input either. https://www.producthunt.com/posts/splyt-pay

Re: Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use?

#226

Post by ricardonunez » Wed, Apr 13, 2022, 10:50 PM UTC

Several over the years. Most recent one csv reader to work on geojson files. A pomodoro time tracking, I want to make this one a product. Local real estate Data visualizer, stats, charts, also want to make it a product.

Re: Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use?

#227

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Apr 13, 2022, 10:52 PM UTC

LeoPanthera wrote: post #87

Hundreds! Doesn't everyone? Most of them are just bash scripts, many of which have now reached a complexity so high that I wish I'd started writing them in a different language but it's too late now. The majority of the rest are Python. Off the top of my head, the most used ones are: * A replacement front-end for "tar" and various compressors * A script to synchronize my music library to a compressed version for play…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use?

#228

Post by heyoni » Wed, Apr 13, 2022, 10:53 PM UTC

stirfish wrote: post #216

edpenz wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A secure-but-readable password generator I love pronounceable passwords, but there's research indicating that such generators typically produce lower than expected entropy. Do you mind sharing what algorithm you use?

Something like cat /usr/share/dict | shuf -n 4 | tr '\n' '-' (inb4 unnecessary use of `cat`)

https://porkmail.org/era/unix/award

(Sorry I had to)

Re: Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use?

#229

Post by luisbarrera » Wed, Apr 13, 2022, 10:54 PM UTC

I made a bill splitting app for my friends and I. Decided to make it into a company. https://www.producthunt.com/posts/splyt-pay

Re: Ask HN: Have you created programs for only your personal use?

#230

Post by heyoni » Wed, Apr 13, 2022, 10:54 PM UTC

omaranto wrote: post #174

edpenz wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A secure-but-readable password generator I love pronounceable passwords, but there's research indicating that such generators typically produce lower than expected entropy. Do you mind sharing what algorithm you use?

I think the generator from xkcd sounds pretty good. https://xkcd.com/936/

Problem is so many websites have these arbitrarily low password lengths that usually max out at 20 characters.