IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Orion 1.0

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

The three most prevalent themes in the Hacker News discussion regarding the Orion browser are:

  1. Demand for Open Source Transparency and Trust: A significant portion of the discussion centers on the closed-source nature of Orion. Users express that open-sourcing the code is crucial for building trust, ensuring the absence of "spyware," and guaranteeing the ability to maintain or fork the project should the company's direction change (the "enshittification" risk).

    • Supporting Quote: "Nah I have the same error." (This actually precedes the main trust debate, but the core argument is captured by a user's reasoning for this stance): "Closed-source prevents even the opportunity... luma said: "Single word answer: trust."\ barnabee said: "Orion remains closed source there's no chance of it ever being more than a curiosity for me."\ warkdarrior said: "open source allows the community to check for spyware inserted to exfil data to the company and its partners."

  2. Performance, Stability, and Bugginess Issues: Despite initial marketing claims about speed, many users report significant stability and performance problems, particularly concerning bugs and high resource usage, which prevent them from adopting it as a daily driver. Specific mention is made of issues right after the 1.0 launch and problems with widely used extensions like 1Password.

    • Supporting Quote: "I'll keep updating this comment as and when I can explore the browser itself a bit more." (MrAlex94 documenting issues after launch)\ jorl17 stated: "Most recently, I tried to use it again about 2 months ago, but it still had loads of bugs and, most of all, was painfully slow."\ rdg1991 noted: "1Password extension enabled: 10 (and the test takes much longer)... as a pretty heavy 1Password user this is absolutely a dealbreaker."

  3. Cross-Platform Availability Concerns: Users frequently questioned or welcomed the announcement that Orion is expanding beyond its initial macOS/iOS base, viewing multi-platform support (especially Linux and Windows) as necessary for wider adoption and legitimizing the decision to use WebKit instead of forking Chromium.

    • Supporting Quote: "jadbox stated: "I know speed to market is important, but it's always a huge turn off to see new desktop apps be non multi-platform."\ freehorse remarked: "They use webkit, so macos/ios was the natural place to start, but they have started working on a linux version."

🚀 Project Ideas

Cross-Platform Browser Extension Compatibility Inspector

Summary

  • A developer tool or web service that lets users test if popular Chrome/Firefox extensions will function correctly within WebKit-based browsers (like Orion) or other target environments (e.g., specific mobile OS versions).
  • The core value proposition is providing proactive compatibility assurance for users migrating to or considering non-Chromium browsers, addressing anxiety over broken/partial extension functionality.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Users considering switching browsers (like Orion), developers building or maintaining browser extensions, and QA teams testing cross-platform support.
Core Feature Upload/link specific extension manifest (or search an existing store) to receive a compatibility report based on simulated API calls and manifest feature access differences between WebKit and Chromium/Firefox engines.
Tech Stack Backend: Node.js/Python using extension parsing libraries, potentially leveraging a headless WebKit instance for runtime testing. Frontend: React/Vue for a dashboard UI.
Difficulty High
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Why HN commenters would love it: Directly addresses concerns raised about extension compatibility, especially the effort Orion puts into supporting them ("The only true reason why I wanted Orion to work was because I wanted a browser that would be good for my battery life... Orion's support for Chrome extensions is a pretty compelling feature.").
  • Potential for discussion or practical utility: Could spawn discussions about the fragmentation of WebExtension APIs between rendering engines (Chrome, Firefox, WebKit) and become a valuable independent resource proving or disproving extension viability on alternative platforms.

Trust & Auditability Dashboard for Closed-Source Software

Summary

  • A service designed to counteract user distrust in closed-source applications like Orion by centralizing transparency efforts, audit results, and developer communication surrounding trust issues.
  • The core value proposition is providing a structured, third-party-verified trust profile for proprietary software, reducing the reliance on "trust me" assurances.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Security-conscious users, developers, and users skeptical of vendor claims regarding privacy and telemetry (e.g., those arguing "trust comes from the code being open source").
Core Feature Integration point for security audits (e.g., Cure53, TrailOfBits findings), transparent communication trees mapping user complaints (like update failures or bug reports) to developer fixes/commit status, and a public roadmap detailing future transparency initiatives (like reproducible builds status).
Tech Stack Backend: Database (Postgres) to track audit findings/timeline events. Frontend: Static reporting portal built with a framework like Next.js, using visualization libraries to display status timelines (replacing the need for GitHub Insights visualization for bug tracking).
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Why HN commenters would love it: Directly addresses repeated themes of trust and vendor accountability ("My reason is simpler - a browser is not like an email service... I don't want to bother spending even 10 mins to support another browser that is not FOSS," and "I think Kagi / Orion should go down the independent auditor route like TrailOfBits, Cure53 and others.").
  • Potential for discussion or practical utility: It formalizes the back-and-forth seen in the comments (update errors, bug fixes) into a searchable, auditable history, showcasing proactive trust-building rather than reactive defense.

Minimalist Web App Mode (Portrait Utility)

Summary

  • A feature enhancement for existing browsers (or a standalone tool targeting WebKit environments) that provides specialized "Utility Modes" for web applications, focusing on resource efficiency and reduced cognitive load. This addresses user desires for features often found in dedicated browsers that aren't standard browser features.
  • The core value proposition is providing streamlined, low-overhead environments for specific, heavy web tasks, bridging the gap between general browsing and specialized native apps feel.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Power users who frequently use specific web apps (like documentation viewers, development dashboards, or complex account managers) who are annoyed by general browser overhead or missing features.
Core Feature A "Portrait Mode" or "Utility View" toggle which strips all unnecessary UI elements (tabs, address bar, bookmarks), maximizes resource handling for a single domain (e.g., advanced tab hibernation/isolation), and could potentially integrate OS-specific features like Apple's ASCredentialProviderViewController for autofill integration.
Tech Stack Browser Extension (Chrome/Firefox/Safari) initially, potentially leveraging WebKit APIs if targeting Orion/Safari specifically. Native macOS utility wrapper using Swift/Electron for advanced windowing/focus control.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Why HN commenters would love it: Addresses the desire for specialized functionality missing from standard browsers ("The one thing I'm gonna miss is Arc's Portrait Mode," and requests for modal Vi-like browsing or dedicated editor features). It provides a lightweight alternative to leaving a heavy app open ("I found myself routinely quitting and re-opening it every hour or two to get normal speed back, or my RAM for that matter.").
  • Potential for discussion or practical utility: Could lead to a productive conversation on which specific web apps benefit most from dedicated, resource-optimized containers, moving beyond just "speed" to resource discipline.