IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Make macOS consistently bad unironically

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Rounded‑corner UI fatigue

“Why is everything an oval? It’s just bizarre.” – hbn
“The corners cut off elements like the scrollbar, which looks quite janky.” – alpaca128

2. Expectations around window maximisation

“MacOS assumes you won’t expand windows to fill the whole screen.” – LtWorf
“I’m frequently fighting with the window manager as it automatically maximises windows when I drag them near an edge.” – alpaca128

3. Performance regressions

“WindowServer seems to take 100 % CPU since the upgrade.” – sunnyps
“My computer was running so slowly that I had to minimise transparency in System Settings somewhere.” – steve1977

4. Desire for better tiling / custom window management

“I use Rectangle for window management – three shortcuts cover full‑screen, left half and right half.” – freetime2
“Install i3wm, it will change your life.” – cluckindan

🚀 Project Ideas

[Corner Harmony]

Summary

  • [Automatically reconciles inconsistent window corner radii across macOS apps to eliminate visual jarring.]
  • [Enhances UI coherence, appealing to design‑conscious users and reducing visual fatigue.]

Details

Key Value
Target Audience macOS designers, developers, and power users sensitive to UI polish
Core Feature Real‑time overlay that injects uniform corner radius via Accessibility API
Tech Stack Swift + Combine, macOS Accessibility Services, SwiftUI
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium (free for basic, $4.99/yr for premium)

Notes

  • [HN commenters repeatedly lament the “bizarre” corner inconsistencies and wish for a fix.]
  • [Solves a visible pain point with immediate aesthetic benefit, likely to spark discussion.]

[WindowLayout Pro]

Summary

  • [Provides one‑click saving and restoring of complex window arrangements, including custom tiling layouts.]
  • [Eliminates the manual drag‑and‑drop workflow that frustrates power users.]

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Developers, designers, and analysts who run multiple resizable windows on large displays
Core Feature Persistent layout snapshots, hotkey‑driven restore, sync across devices via iCloud
Tech Stack Rust backend, Objective‑C Cocoa front‑end, CoreGraphics, CloudKit
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Subscription ($9.99/mo)

Notes

  • [Users expressed frustration with “drag windows to edge to tile” being slow and unintuitive.]
  • [Addresses a core workflow bottleneck, offering clear productivity gain and community sharing potential.]

[GreenButton Utility]

Summary

  • [Exposes hidden green‑button actions (fill, zoom, move to monitor) via pop‑up tooltips and customizable keyboard shortcuts.]
  • [Reduces the learning curve for new macOS users and power users who rely on these features.]

Details

Key Value
Target Audience macOS novices and seasoned users who want discoverable window controls
Core Feature System‑wide overlay that shows alternative actions on hover, configurable shortcuts
Tech Stack Swift, Combine, Xcode extensions, Accessibility API
Difficulty Low
Monetization Revenue-ready: One‑time purchase ($3.99)

Notes

  • [Multiple threads cite confusion over the green button’s behavior and the “Option‑click to fill” trick.] - [Directly taps into a hidden usability feature, promising instant empowerment and discussion fodder.]

[Tiling-as-a-Service]

Summary

  • [Cloud‑based window layout manager that lets users design, share, and apply tiling configurations across macOS and Linux.]
  • [Bridges the gap between native macOS window management and advanced tiling workflows.]

Details| Key | Value |

|-----|-------| | Target Audience | Remote teams, developers, and hybrid OS environments needing consistent window setups | | Core Feature | Web UI to design window zones, export JSON configs, auto‑apply via client agent | | Tech Stack | React front‑end, Node.js backend, Docker, Electron wrapper for desktop, WebSocket sync | | Difficulty | Medium | | Monetization | Revenue-ready: Tiered SaaS (Free, Pro $7/mo, Enterprise custom) |

Notes

  • [Comments about needing “better tiling than macOS native” and using third‑party tools like Rectangle.]
  • [Offers a collaborative solution, likely to generate cross‑platform interest and sustainable revenue.]

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