IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Manual: •.,:;…!?·

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Pedantic typographic obsession

“I’m not a typographic nut … but one of the worst trends I’ve seen is to use the square‑root character (√) as a checkmark ()” – jonhohle

2. Frustrating Mac UI for symbols

“On a Mac, the facility you’re given to pick emoji … is horrifyingly bad – it’s slow and hard to use, and has been getting worse.” – floppyd

3. Cultural view on language formality

“When I moved from Russia … I remember feeling upset … by the state of the real‑world English language, particularly when it came to punctuation.” – firstbabylonian

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

[Unicode QuickInsert]

Summary

  • Provides custom hotkeys to insert typographic symbols (checkmark, interrobang, em‑dash, etc.) with instant preview and fallback.
  • Solves the frustration of slow system pickers and lack of convenient Mac shortcuts for Unicode punctuation.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Mac and Windows power users, developers, writers
Core Feature Assignable keyboard shortcuts + searchable palette for Unicode punctuation
Tech Stack Swift + SwiftUI on macOS; Electron for Windows cross‑platform
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: $3.99 one‑time

Notes

  • “On a Mac, the facility you’re given to pick emoji (which is also the same palette you’d need to pick a fancy checkmark Unicode) is horrifyingly bad.” – HN comment about picker slowness.
  • Enables quick typing of correct symbols, reducing typographic errors in code comments and documentation.

[PunctuaLens]

Summary

  • Real‑time linting for typographic correctness (checkmarks, dash, interrobang) inside text editors.
  • Helps non‑native speakers and detail‑oriented writers avoid common Unicode mistakes.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Developers, technical writers, non‑native English/Russian speakers
Core Feature VS Code extension that underlines incorrect punctuation and offers one‑click fixes
Tech Stack TypeScript + VS Code API
Difficulty Low
Monetization Revenue-ready: $5 per‑seat license

Notes

  • “I’ve long had it in my macOS/iOS text replacement config, but nearly every font renders it so poorly that I usually manually retype the characters.” – comment on interrobang rendering issues.
  • Integrates directly into writing workflows, turning pedantic concerns into actionable suggestions.

[SetMark Lookup]

Summary

  • Fast‑access Unicode symbol picker for macOS/iOS that replaces the default emoji UI.
  • Lets users assign aliases and hotkeys to any punctuation or rare character.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience macOS/iOS power users, researchers, programmers
Core Feature Customizable symbol library with alias assignment and clipboard history
Tech Stack SwiftUI + Combine
Difficulty Low
Monetization Revenue-ready: $1.99 one‑time

Notes

  • “The reason is simple: they don’t give you a way to type a ‘real’ check.” – comment about lacking a proper check character.
  • Provides a reliable, fast way to insert symbols like checkmark, interrobang, em dash without leaving the app.

Read Later