Having smart plugs that are controlled by voice is satisfying.
"Hey Siri, turn the Christmas tree lights on"
Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
51–60 of 106 posts
Re: Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
#52This might sound hyperbolic but as a .NET developer JetBrains Rider is a real joy to use IMHO. I think being paired with an M1 Mac is probably part of what makes the experience great for me.
That IDE/hardware combo beats anything I've ever developed on in my career. By a long way.
Shameless plug but I mention it and a few of my other favourite software tools here:
The other "sparks joy" software I use regularly are Sketch - which after a lifetime of using Adobe products felt like a breath of fresh air when I switched to it - and Proxyman which is hands down the best HTTP interception/proxy software I've used on the Mac (and iOS).
Re: Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
#53Ableton Live
Re: Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
#54whimsical.com is a really nice diagram builder that just works . Everything is intuitive. I've built some reasonably complex diagrams in it without every needing to refer to a help page. It's great. I'll also give Excel a shout. It's brilliant. The learning curve is steep, but once you're there it's a joy to use.
Excel was the peak of programming by end users. One of the only apps ever to create a model that gives users that much power to do things on their own.
I rarely use it since I don't generally work with that kind of arbitrary data hands-on much, and I don't tend to use a lot of math outside of code, but whenever I do it's usually great
Re: Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
#55Visual Studio Installer: The way how installer downloads and installs packages in parallel is a joy to watch. It makes me feel valued as a user. Great time savings. I know that's not unique to VS installer, but that's what I use it the most.
Re: Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
#56Dark Sky, both on my phone and on the desktop, prior to Apple's acquisition were always enjoyable to use. Transit.app was once quite simple and elegant, though, that's less true these days. Jellyfin may be a little rough around the edges but it works well with almost no intervention on my part. uBlock Origin, I can't even imagine the web without it.
Carrot Weather [0] is probably the closest I’ve come to Dark Sky. I also used WeatherNerd till it shut down.
Re: Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
#57I really enjoy writing code, especially when learning something new, or feeling mastery over what I already know. JetBrains IDEs help with that a lot and I genuinely love it. Claude or ChatGPT let me bash out my frustrations. But, honestly, when I feel like that it's often best to get away from the computer entirely. Go for a walk, read a book, spend time with friends, do some old fashioned craft - whatever floats yo…
JetBrains is definitely one of my favorite software companies.
Re: Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
#58In no particular order: Prologue [0] - iOS Audiobook player, used Plex as a media source Overcast [1] - iOS Podcast player CleanShotX [2] - macOS screenshot/video/gif capture with annotation Drafts [3] - iOS/macOS note taking tool Paprika [4] - Cross platform recipe app YNAB [5] - "You Need A Budget" - web/mobile budgeting app 1Password [6] - Cross platform password manager Carrot Weather [7] - iOS weather app Color…
Wow this is almost a list of everything on my machine.
Great list. I second these recommendations!!
Special mentions for: Alfred, Bartender, Daisy Disk and ColorSlurp
Re: Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
#59Blender (https://www.blender.org/), by a wide margin, is my favourite piece of software. It's so apparent that the team behind it is passionate regarding what they are doing and highly skilled, as well. Each release brings both large and small improvements. What's more... it's open source.
Re: Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
#60kais power goo