Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

LinkedIn uses 2.4 GB RAM across two tabs

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

4 Prevalent Themes in the Discussion

Theme Summary Supporting Quote
1. UI/UX & performance problems Users call out the site’s heavy RAM footprint, “scroll hijacking”, and overall sluggishness. “2.4GB of RAM!” – BlueMage
“The fact that they hijack scrolling to artificially limit scroll speed is insane to me.” – noitpmeder
2. Primary utility is recruiting / job‑search Despite the grime, many rely on LinkedIn as the main channel for recruiter contact and job leads. “Recruiters keep reaching out. I didn’t have to seek a new job in perhaps last 15 years, all I had to do was to flip “looking for opportunities” on and start sorting out the messages and emails. This works.” – subscribed
3. Dark‑pattern manipulation The design deliberately slows users, limits scroll speed, and uses addictive infinite‑scroll tactics that feel exploitative. “Users aren’t all‑knowing, with endless time, carefully balancing their attention to try to provide markets with the optimal signal to wisely guide the misbehaving actors.” – kalaksi
4. Inertia & network‑effect lock‑in Familiar, entrenched platforms persist even when better alternatives exist because users and organisations stick with what’s already in place. “The answer is unfortunately jira.” – maccard

🚀 Project Ideas

ScrollGuard for LinkedIn

Summary

  • Eliminates LinkedIn’s artificial scroll‑slowdown and prevents scroll‑jacking.
  • Restores natural scrolling speed while preserving all other LinkedIn functionality.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience LinkedIn users who experience scroll hijacking and related dark‑pattern frustration
Core Feature Detects and neutralizes scroll‑speed manipulation scripts; restores default scroll behavior
Tech Stack Chrome/Firefox extension (Manifest V3, JavaScript, CSS overrides)
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium (free core, $2 /mo premium for advanced filters)

Notes

  • Directly addresses the exact complaint in the HN thread about “molasses” scrolling.
  • Adds a user‑controlled toggle, giving power back to the community and reducing reliance on ad‑blockers.

LeanConnect

Summary

  • Provides a stripped‑down professional networking experience that separates communication/job alerts from the noisy feed.
  • Runs in a fraction of the RAM used by LinkedIn’s full app.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Professionals who want clean networking without social‑media clutter
Core Feature Dedicated feed‑free interface for messages, job listings, and connection requests
Tech Stack React + Tailwind, Node.js (Express) backend, GraphQL, hosted on Vercel
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Subscription $5 /mo for premium features

Notes

  • Mirrors the desire expressed for a “separate app” for networking, as discussed in the thread.
  • Low‑resource design will appeal to users frustrated by LinkedIn’s RAM consumption.

PageVital Monitor

Summary

  • Shows real‑time memory and CPU breakdown for any webpage, letting users spot and suspend resource‑heavy scripts.
  • Includes a one‑click “Kill‑Heavy” button for sites like LinkedIn.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Developers, power users, and anyone concerned about web‑app bloat and memory waste
Core Feature Overlay UI displaying per‑component RAM/CPU usage; actionable kill‑switch for offending scripts
Tech Stack Chrome extension using Chrome DevTools Protocol, React popup UI
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Directly solves the “2.4 GB RAM for a simple feed” pain point highlighted in the discussion.
  • Provides immediate utility and could spark conversation about browser performance on HN.

RecruiterPulse

Summary

  • Aggregates and filters LinkedIn recruiter messages, surfacing high‑quality opportunities and summarizing fit.
  • Reduces noise and saves time for job seekers.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Job seekers overwhelmed by LinkedIn recruiter spam
Core Feature AI‑driven inbox sorting, priority scoring, auto‑generated summary of each outreach
Tech Stack Backend Python (FastAPI) + LLM API, React front‑end
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Tiered subscription $3 /mo basic, $10 /mo pro

Notes

  • Addresses the inefficiency of manually sifting through recruiter messages mentioned in several HN posts.
  • Offers a clear productivity boost, likely to be well‑received by the community.

AntiTrap

Summary

-Blocks LinkedIn’s dark‑pattern scripts, disables feed‑based scroll hijacking, and hides tracking elements. - Gives users a clean, fast experience without needing full ad‑blockers.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience LinkedIn users who want to avoid manipulation and data‑scraping tactics
Core Feature Content‑script filter that removes scroll‑slowing code and hides recommended feed items
Tech Stack Browser extension (Manifest V3, CSS/JS filters)
Difficulty Low
Monetization Revenue-ready: One‑time purchase $4.99

Notes- Directly tackles the “scroll jacking” frustration voiced repeatedly in the thread.

  • Simple pricing makes it accessible while still generating revenue.

LinkedInLite PWA

Summary

-Provides a minimalist Progressive Web App that only shows job alerts, messages, and connection requests. -Optimized for low RAM and fast load times.

Details

Key Value
Target Aud
Monetization Hobby

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