This is great! Really wish that I'd known about this tool a month ago. Would have saved me a lot of headache. Thanks for sharing.
Show HN: Tach – Visualize and untangle your Python codebase
51–60 of 63 posts
Re: Show HN: Tach – Visualize and untangle your Python codebase
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
This. It's ridiculous how often people complain about the design of free software. If you don't like it, just don't use it! Use something else! Build your own! Or fork it to work in the way you described that you'd prefer - you can do that yourself if you really want since the source is available
It is totally valid to tell people not to criticize a project offered by someone who made it for their themselves or wants to offer the value to the public but doesn't have the resources to do everything perfectly. But this is not that, and I don't see a non-profit org behind it, so it appears to be something that is being offered on a quid pro quo basis. Thus we need to figure out where the value is being extracted…
Brother.
The default of the command is to generate locally. They don’t need to open source an entire web app. It’s easier to deploy themselves then deal with the burden of open sourcing and maintaining.
This isn’t some conspiracy. It’s a tiny startup trying to ship something useful.
Re: Show HN: Tach – Visualize and untangle your Python codebase
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
Co-author here, fair question! In short, we want to make the visualization UX as smooth as possible, and this is best done with a web app. The URLs use UUIDs, and the contents being sent don't include literal source code, only module names and Tach configuration. We will also delete graphs by UUID on request, and have done so in the past. That said, we do try to be up-front about this, which is why that disclaimer ex…
> we want to make the visualization UX as smooth as possible still doesn't explain why you need to ship the data to a third party > and this is best done with a web app debatable. you could always write a GUI app. it's not that hard for such a self-contained project there would be _a lot_ to gain from having this run totally locally without any network access and leaking source code to third parties.
> you could always write a GUI app. it's not that hard for such a self-contained project
beautiful HN comment. They might simply be familiar with web apps and want to focus on the part that provides the most value to users.
The external network requests are optional. It can run fully locally.
They’re a tiny startup that just launched, trying to ship something that helps people. Building a native app is not the most impactful thing they could spend their time on.
Re: Show HN: Tach – Visualize and untangle your Python codebase
#54Would this also apply to learning and exploring an unknown codebase?
Re: Show HN: Tach – Visualize and untangle your Python codebase
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is totally valid to tell people not to criticize a project offered by someone who made it for their themselves or wants to offer the value to the public but doesn't have the resources to do everything perfectly. But this is not that, and I don't see a non-profit org behind it, so it appears to be something that is being offered on a quid pro quo basis. Thus we need to figure out where the value is being extracted…
Brother. The default of the command is to generate locally. They don’t need to open source an entire web app. It’s easier to deploy themselves then deal with the burden of open sourcing and maintaining. This isn’t some conspiracy. It’s a tiny startup trying to ship something useful.
I think you misunderstand my comment. I was addressing whether or not it can be appropriate for someone to question an aspect of an open source project, and not whether this project was part of a conspiracy.
Re: Show HN: Tach – Visualize and untangle your Python codebase
#56If this tool looks like it would improve your life I think you should consider using Bazel instead of whatever build system you are using. I don’t see much value add here for a project using Bazel.
Re: Show HN: Tach – Visualize and untangle your Python codebase
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
> we want to make the visualization UX as smooth as possible still doesn't explain why you need to ship the data to a third party > and this is best done with a web app debatable. you could always write a GUI app. it's not that hard for such a self-contained project there would be _a lot_ to gain from having this run totally locally without any network access and leaking source code to third parties.
> you could always write a GUI app. it's not that hard for such a self-contained project beautiful HN comment. They might simply be familiar with web apps and want to focus on the part that provides the most value to users. The external network requests are optional. It can run fully locally. They’re a tiny startup that just launched, trying to ship something that helps people. Building a native app is not the most i…
The part that provides most value to users is not shipping data to third parties needlessly. I can write the GUI for this app in a week.
Re: Show HN: Tach – Visualize and untangle your Python codebase
#58SourceTrail did something a bit similar, though it didn't focus just on the modules, but also what methods are called where. I really liked the tool, but it didn't really work out for them and they discontinued it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sourcetrail
Re: Show HN: Tach – Visualize and untangle your Python codebase
#59I would recommend installing it with uv tool install tach rather than pip install tach that way tach is installed system-wide but in its own isolated venv
Venv or no Venv, you can use pip. Asking people to have an additional requirement on uv is unreasonable, although I do prefer using it now myself.
Re: Show HN: Tach – Visualize and untangle your Python codebase
#60Just wanted to say Caelean is such a cool name. Is it “kay-leen” or “kay-lee-an”
"kay-len" - confusing I know