Ask HN: What are you working on (August 2024)?

I have been working on porting concepts of the Windows 10/11 taskbar, tray, and window management, to macos. With emphasis on simplicity, speed, and function inspired by Linux Mint MATE.

It has been a wild ride. Often frustrating but rewarding. Some days I may spend 10 hours solving an API for which app is frontmost at a given second. Sure, there's a system API for that, but it doesn't even remotely cover edge cases that exist. And many times with no answers out there on how to do something, it feels like I'm the first, so finally solving it is a great endorphin rush.

Part of the complexity is I wanted the app to be completely pluggable, kind of like Obsidian. The app communicates events to a local socket server in full duplex, which enables cross-plugin communication (but also cross-app!). Plugins access the app's JavaScript system bridge API for pubsub and system calls through a Webkit interface. Edits are hot reloaded and instant, no compile time necessary. The first time I could change my "Start" menu in real time through JavaScript/CSS was quite a feeling.

Sadly, I couldn't leverage existing tools like Tauri or Electron. They don't have adequate system bridge APIs available, and would be more work to leverage instead of less. They are too general, whereas this project only builds to macos. Therefore it can be much more complicated (and useful) by design.

I originally set out to be more productive in macos. But I've also spent time making prototypes for fun. A desktop widget system, real-time system color theme set from Spotify album art, live video desktop backgrounds from Twitch/YT, a Destiny 2 macos system theme, etc.

I plan to open source it and build a community around it one day.

A database that basically acts like a modern day “virus scanner” for deep fakes. I believe that virus, malware and such that trick people into handing out information- making false decisions as we have seen with companies would be better suited if they had something like a heuristic threat score assigned to them. Yes we have websites that can tell us but it’s not the same as a virus or malware scanner. I think we need to add it to a database. Block those sites to protect consumers, companies so they don’t make bad choices. Just like in malware we see if a signature , deep fakes from bad actors also have signatures. It’s so many things. From signal- coding- so I was working on that. Maybe foolish or a waste of time. But I am going with to. Was playing with app development for cars to protect data. But might be a push against Nissan- Ford- Chevrolet-Kia- etc who like to steal data to make money off it. They control the interface. No VPN are allowed and no encryption allowed on infotainment system. So you have to do work around to keep your data out of their hands. That’s all.

I like this idea. Peaceful, wholesome, meditative, and even somewhat educational. You should make it available.

Though I am not actually _working_ on anything concrete(facing analysis paralysis. Also, as a coder, I have no idea how to deal with the sales site) this should turn to a monthly post

+1 on monthly post.

--

Also, Should be a messier version of this as a monthly post where people like you and me post "hey I dont have a project in mind per se, but wanna throw some things out there and maybe hit on a collaboration? Or at minimum idea path validation?