IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Roam 50GB is now Roam 100GB

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Here is a summary of the 4 most prevalent themes from the Hacker News discussion:

Nostalgia and Modern Realities of Bandwidth

Many users compared the "fast" 500 kbps throttle to historical internet speeds, noting that while it was once considered high-speed, modern web pages and services make it feel significantly slower today. * "That is actually usable and used to be the fastest speed you could get at home." (bahmboo) * "This is simultaneously fast ... and slow (the google homepage is >MB, so until you have resources cached you're waiting tens of seconds)." (mlyle)

The Utility of Throttled "Unlimited" Plans

There was broad agreement that a slow, unlimited falloff is preferable to a hard cap or unexpected overage charges. Users argued that 500 kbps is sufficient for essential tasks like email, messaging, and low-quality video, provided the software isn't too bloated. * "I'm actually a huge fan of 'unlimited slow speeds' as a falloff, instead of a cliff." (Someone1234) * "It's best to pause a video at the start but it buffers and plays just fine. Blocky but certainly watchable." (bahmboo)

The Ethics of Supporting Elon Musk

A significant portion of the discussion centered on whether the utility of Starlink is outweighed by the desire to boycott Elon Musk due to his political views and controversial statements. Some argued that the technology is too useful to ignore, while others refused to support him financially. * "I do not want my technology tied to some person I consider of despicable character." (talkingtab) * "Musk on the other hand, is mentally ill." (ActorNightly)

Data Plan Comparisons and Market Competition

Users shared data regarding their mobile plan costs and caps, contrasting US prices with cheaper, higher-capacity plans available in other countries (e.g., Romania, Chile). There was also discussion regarding the lack of immediate competition for Starlink, with Amazon’s Kuiper mentioned as a future alternative. * "Cheapest plan here in Romania is 75 GB for 2 euro/month, then the speed is limited to 1 Mbps." (M95D) * "That's the magic of the free market. Even with no direct rival yet, Starlink innovates like crazy because the threat of competition is always there..." (dayyan)

🚀 Project Ideas

[Lite Web Browsing Service]

Summary

  • [A service that converts modern, bloated web pages into lightweight, fast-loading versions suitable for low-bandwidth connections (500kbps or less).]
  • [Core value: Makes the modern web usable again on throttled or slow connections without requiring technical expertise.]

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Users on throttled mobile plans, satellite internet (like Starlink's 500kbps mode), slow rural DSL, or anyone frustrated with web page bloat.
Core Feature A proxy or browser extension that strips ads, heavy JavaScript, resizes images, and serves a text-first or simplified HTML version of web pages.
Tech Stack Go/Python backend (for proxy), Browser Extension API (Manifest V3), Image compression libraries (libvips), Headless browser (for JS rendering if needed).
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium model (free tier with limited daily conversions, paid tier for unlimited usage or a VPN-style subscription).

Notes

  • [Directly addresses comments like danpalmer's: "loading images and resources on webpages within timeout limits is hard" and Salgat's desire for a "web renaissance." Users like anthk and mlyle explicitly value efficient, low-data browsing.]
  • [High practical utility for travelers, rural users, and those on metered connections. A "lite mode" for the entire web is a recurring request in tech circles.]
  • [Potential for integration with mobile carriers as a value-add for low-data plans.]

[Data Cap Cost Calculator]

Summary

  • [A tool that visualizes the true cost of data overages by comparing advertised speeds against plan caps.]
  • [Core value: Translates abstract gigabyte caps into tangible time-to-exhaustion and effective cost-per-minute of high-speed usage.]

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Mobile and satellite internet users frustrated with opaque data limits and throttling policies.
Core Feature Input your plan's speed (e.g., 200Mbps) and monthly cap (e.g., 2GB). The tool calculates: "You can max out your connection for X seconds per month before hitting the cap."
Tech Stack Static frontend (Vanilla JS/React) for the calculator, simple math logic. No backend needed.
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby (Open source) or Ad-supported (minimal, non-intrusive ads).

Notes

  • [Solves the pain point described by eterm: ISPs advertising "up to" speeds that become meaningless with tiny caps. Users want to understand the real value of their plan.]
  • [Practical utility: Helps users choose the right plan based on actual usage patterns (bursty vs. continuous).]
  • [Could spark discussion on HN about ISP transparency and net neutrality.]

[Background Data Throttle Scheduler]

Summary

  • [A lightweight mobile app/service that automatically enables "Metered Network" mode or restricts background data on specific Wi-Fi SSIDs or during certain times.]
  • [Core value: Stops OS and app background chatter from consuming limited high-speed data buckets, preserving them for active usage.]

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Users on limited data plans (Starlink Roam, metered mobile hotspots) who suffer from background updates eating their quota.
Core Feature Schedule or trigger background data restrictions based on time of day, specific Wi-Fi networks, or battery level.
Tech Stack Android (Kotlin/Java) for mobile, Swift for iOS (limitations apply), or a system-level daemon for rooted/jailbroken devices.
Difficulty Medium (OS restrictions can make this tricky on iOS/Android without root).
Monetization Hobby (Open source) or a one-time purchase app ($1.99).

Notes

  • [Directly addresses the frustration voiced by rootusrootus and olyjohn: "As soon as your device is on WiFi it thinks it's a free for all and starts updating and downloading shit in the background."]
  • [Solves the "chatter" problem on Starlink's 500kbps mode where IoT devices and workstations trigger throttling.]
  • [A utility that power users have wanted for years; Android's native "Metered Network" toggle is often insufficient or buried.]

[Legacy Protocol Bridge (Web-to-Gemini/Gopher)]

Summary

  • [A service or tool that converts modern web URLs (news sites, blogs) into their "lite" or legacy protocol equivalents (Gemini, Gopher, or Text-only HTML) on the fly.]
  • [Core value: Delivers a content-first browsing experience similar to the 90s internet but with modern content, ideal for sub-500kbps connections.]

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Retro-computing enthusiasts, users in extreme bandwidth constraints, or those seeking a distraction-free web.
Core Feature A URL converter or proxy that fetches a page, extracts main text, and serves it via a lightweight protocol or a stripped-down HTML view.
Tech Stack Python (Requests/BeautifulSoup for parsing), Rust (for high-performance proxying), Lagrange or similar Gemini client integration.
Difficulty High (Requires robust parsing logic to handle diverse site structures).
Monetization Hobby (Community-driven project).

Notes

  • [Inspired by anthk's comment: "In the infamous blackout... I was the only one in the bus that could fetch the news reliably over Gemini due to the low bandwidth."]
  • [Addresses the unmet need for "nice degradation" of the web mentioned by danpalmer and digiown (LLM agents).]
  • [Niche but passionate community (HN users, retro-tech) ensures high engagement and discussion potential.]

[Pro-Rata Data Overage Insurance]

Summary

  • [A service that acts as an "insurance" layer for data usage, allowing users to pay a small monthly fee to top up data at a fair rate only when they exceed their cap, avoiding the cliff-edge cost of buying a whole new plan.]
  • [Core value: Eliminates the fear of overages by offering granular, per-GB billing at the same rate as the base plan, just like the old Starlink "pay-as-you-go" model users preferred.]
Key Value
Target Audience Users on capped plans (Starlink Roam, satellite, cellular) who occasionally exceed limits but don't want to pay for unlimited year-round.
Core Feature An API or app that monitors usage and automatically purchases incremental data blocks (e.g., 5GB chunks) at base-plan rates when the cap is reached.
Tech Stack Mobile App (React Native/Flutter), API integration with carrier billing (if available) or a digital wallet system.
Difficulty Medium (Highly dependent on carrier API availability; if not available, requires manual input of usage stats).
Monetization Revenue-ready: Take a small percentage fee on top of the data purchased, or a flat monthly subscription for the automation service.

Notes

  • [Solves the specific grievance of mikestew: "I want the old plan back... pay a little extra for the few times we go over."] |
  • [Capitalizes on the dislike for the new "upgrade to unlimited or suffer slow speeds" binary choice.]
  • [Practical utility for anyone on a metered connection who values flexibility over unlimited flat rates.]

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