IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Fixing a 20-year-old bug in Enlightenment E16

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

PrevalentThemes

  1. Nostalgic affection for Enlightenment’s lightweight, hackable design – “It’s themable, hackable, lightweight” — mrweasel
  2. User‑centric configurability – “the user is the one who chooses what their computer does.” — antisol
  3. Innovative terminal features like Terminology – “The most important component of it to me is Terminology.” — shevy‑java

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

LumenWM#Summary

  • A modular, ultra‑lightweight window manager inspired by Enlightenment that lets users enable only the UI components they want, solving configurability fatigue on low‑spec hardware.
  • Core value proposition: “Maximum visual customization with a <10 MB footprint”.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Retro Linux enthusiasts, power users, low‑spec hardware users
Core Feature Runtime‑switchable UI modules (themes, window decorations, virtual‑desktop layouts) via a plugin system
Tech Stack C core with Enlightenment Foundation Libraries (EFL), Wayland via libwlc, optional X11 fallback
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Subscription: $5/mo for premium theme store

Notes

  • HN commenters repeatedly praised Enlightenment’s configurability and nostalgia; this project would directly address that demand.
  • Potential for a vibrant plugin marketplace and community‑driven theming, sparking lively discussion.

MediTERM

Summary

  • A terminal emulator with built‑in video, image, and audio preview that eliminates the need to launch separate media players, solving workflow fragmentation for power users.
  • Core value proposition: Seamless multimedia preview without leaving the terminal.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Developers, sysadmins, power users who heavily script file navigation
Core Feature Integrated media playback and a Python‑based plugin API for deep configuration
Tech Stack Rust core, EFL‑style media backend, Qt for UI, Python 3 scripting
Difficulty High
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Directly echoes HN discussions about “tycat” and video in terminal, promising a production‑ready implementation.
  • Could be extended with split‑screen previews, making it a unique selling point for terminal‑centric workflows.

RetroDesktop Hub

Summary

  • A curated web marketplace and installer for classic Enlightenment (E16/E17) themes and configuration packs, letting users revive nostalgic desktops on modern Wayland with one click. - Core value proposition: One‑click restoration of retro UI aesthetics without manual compilation.

Details| Key | Value |

|-----|-------| | Target Audience | Nostalgic Linux users, retro‑computing hobbyists, educators | | Core Feature | One‑click theme installation and compatibility layer for E16/E17 on Wayland | | Tech Stack | Node.js backend, Docker containerized theme runner, EFL‑compatible rendering engine | | Difficulty | Low | | Monetization | Revenue-ready: Marketplace fee 15% per paid theme |

Notes

  • Aligns with multiple HN posts expressing fondness for E16/E17 and longing for easy setup.
  • Offers a sustainable revenue stream via theme sales while preserving open‑source core.

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