IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

C++26 is done: ISO C++ standards meeting Trip Report

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Modules are stagnating / seen as a failed idea

“No. Modules are a failed idea. Really really hard for me to see them becoming mainstream at this point.” – forrestthewoods
“In JS, modules were instantly popular … In C++, support is still bad, 6 years after they were introduced.” – m‑schuetz

2. Build & package‑management pain > “It’s nice to have new features, but what is really killing C++ is Cargo.” – zrzavat

“If C++ wants to keep fighting for developer mindshare, it must make something resembling modules work and figure out package management.” – Xraider72

3. Contracts – useful but poorly executed

“Contracts feel like the right direction but the wrong execution timeline.” – sgt
“Contracts are about specifying static properties of the system, not dynamic properties.” – addaon

4. Language‑evolution fatigue & complexity worries

“C++ will never, ever be modern and comprehensible because of 1 and 1 reason alone: backward compatibility.” – Guvante
“The complexity budget is like the US government's debt ceiling.” – Maxatar

🚀 Project Ideas

C++ Module Migration Assistant

Summary

  • A tool that automatically converts header-based C++ projects to use modules, addressing the module adoption pain point.
  • Analyzes existing code structure and creates module definitions, handles dependencies, and generates build system configurations.
  • Core value proposition: Eliminates manual effort required to migrate to modules while preserving existing functionality.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience C++ developers working on large codebases that want to migrate to modules without manual refactoring
Core Feature Static code analysis to identify modules, automated conversion of header files to modules, dependency resolution, and build system integration
Tech Stack Python/Clang-based AST analysis, CMake/Makefile parsers, possibly ML for pattern recognition
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: SaaS tool with tiered pricing based on project size

Notes

  • "Modules are a failed idea. Really really hard for me to see them becoming mainstream at this point." - forrestthewoods
  • "The idea is great, the execution is terrible. In JS, modules were instantly popular because they were easy to use, added a lot of benefit, and support in browsers and the ecoysystem was fairly good after a couple of years. In C++, support is still bad, 6 years after they were introduced." - m-schuetz
  • "C++ is still waiting for its 'uv' moment, so until then modules aren't even close to solved." - evanmoran

BuildZen: Unified C++ Build System

Summary

  • A next-generation build system for C++ that abstracts away the complexity of existing tools (CMake, Meson, etc.)
  • Provides a simple, declarative syntax while maintaining compatibility with existing build configurations.
  • Core value proposition: Dramatically simplify C++ project builds with a tool that "doesn't suck ass."

Details

Key Value
Target Audience C++ developers frustrated with complex build configurations and slow iteration times
Core Feature Declarative build language, automatic dependency detection, intelligent caching, IDE integration
Tech Stack Rust for performance, possibly Bazel-compatible remote execution, custom parser for build language
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Open-source core with premium features (cloud builds, caching) as subscription

Notes

  • "C++ needs a standard build system that doesn't suck ass. Most people would agree it needs a package manager although I think that is actually debatable." - forrestthewoods
  • "uv is an existence proof that when you make something that doesn't suck ass the entire industry will very very rapidly converge." - forrestthewoods
  • "The dynamic linker can clearly tell you where it looks for files and in which order, and where it finds them if it does. You can also very easily harden this if you somehow don't want to capture libraries from outside certain paths." - mgaunard (highlighting the complexity of current solutions)

C++ Package Hub: Standardized Package Registry

Summary

  • A centralized registry and tooling for C++ packages that standardizes the fragmented package management ecosystem.
  • Supports multiple backends (conan, vcpkg, etc.) through a unified interface and standard package format.
  • Core value proposition: Enable cargo add-like simplicity for C++ dependencies.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience C++ developers who want simple dependency management like other modern languages
Core Feature Unified package registry, CLI tool for dependency management, build system integration, version resolution
Tech Stack Go/Rust for CLI, web service for registry, database for package metadata
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium model with hosting fees for private registries

Notes

  • "Cargo is I think a new generation of developers are going to be inspired to learn a language where you can't simply cargo add whatever you need and instead have to go through hell to use a dependency." - zarzavat
  • "C++ lacks the first party support cmake enjoys." - pjmlp
  • "The idea is great in the same way the idea of a perpetual motion machine is great: I'd love to have a perpetual motion machine (or C++ modules), but it's just not realistic." - creato

C++ Simplifier: Language Complexity Reduction Tool

Summary

  • A tool and methodology to identify and simplify unnecessarily complex C++ code patterns.
  • Provides static analysis to detect overuse of complex features and suggests simpler alternatives.
  • Core value proposition: Make C++ codebases more maintainable without sacrificing performance.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Teams maintaining legacy C++ codebases or those struggling with language complexity
Core Feature Static code analysis, complexity metrics, refactoring suggestions, complexity budgets per module
Tech Stack Clang-based static analysis, ML for pattern recognition, custom refactoring engine
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Enterprise license with IDE integration

Notes

  • "It feels like piling on ever more complexity to a language which has already surpassed its complexity budget" - suby
  • "C++ is so tantalizingly close to being an amazing embedded c++ language if they could JUST support first-class polymorphism." - superxpro12
  • "I frankly wish we'd stop developing C++. It's so hard to keep track of all the new unnecessary toys they're adding to it." - dheera

Modern C++ IDE Assistant

Summary

  • An AI-powered IDE extension specifically designed to improve the C++ development experience.
  • Provides intelligent code completion, documentation, and refactoring tailored to modern C++ features.
  • Core value proposition: Bring modern developer tooling to C++ without requiring language changes.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience C++ developers using VS Code, CLion, or other IDEs who want better tooling
Core Feature AI-powered code completion, feature-specific documentation, automated refactoring for modern C++ features
Tech Stack LLM fine-tuned on C++ codebases, IDE plugin SDK, static analysis integration
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium model with advanced AI features as paid tier

Notes

  • "Proper reflection is exciting." - rustyhanlock
  • "I'm doing a migration of a large codebase from local builds to remote execution and I constantly have bugs with mystery shared library dependencies implicitly pulled from the environment." - jjmarr
  • "Rust's macros work on a syntactic level, so they are more powerful in that they can work with 'normally' invalid code and perform token-to-token transformations." - aw1621107 (highlighting areas where C++ tooling could improve)

Read Later