IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Sandwich Bill of Materials

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Three prevailing themes

Theme Key opinion Supporting quote
SBOM handling in SAP The need for correct SBOM ingestion in SAP systems. “They better load the SBOM correctly in SAP.” – owlninja
Package‑URL (purl) & install docs Clarifying how to reference packages (e.g., Claude Code) and the importance of clear installation instructions. “What's the purl (Package URL) equivalent of surl:mystery, for stuff like Claude Code… It does have a pretty easy to read install script, but the docs don't suggest reading it before running it as an option…” – benatkin
License humor (AGPL) Using AGPL as a joke about open‑source licensing and its practical implications. “I love a good APGL joke, and this one especially tickles me because I'm currently a delivery driver instead of a dev.” – McGlockenshire

These three threads—SBOM integration, purl usage & documentation clarity, and playful license commentary—dominate the discussion.

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

SAP SBOM Sync

Summary

  • Automates importing and validating SBOMs (SPDX, CycloneDX, etc.) into SAP systems.
  • Eliminates manual errors and ensures compliance with SAP’s security policies.
  • Provides a single dashboard for SBOM status, version history, and audit trails.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience SAP administrators, security teams, DevOps engineers
Core Feature API & UI integration that pulls SBOMs from GitHub, Artifactory, or local files and maps them to SAP components
Tech Stack Node.js, Express, SAP Cloud SDK, PostgreSQL, Docker
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue‑ready: subscription tiers ($99/month for small teams, $499/month for enterprises)

Notes

  • HN commenters complain about “They better load the SBOM correctly in SAP.” This tool directly addresses that frustration.
  • Provides audit logs that satisfy compliance auditors, sparking discussion on best‑practice SBOM handling.

Script2Purl

Summary

  • Converts arbitrary install scripts (e.g., surl:mystery, Claude Code) into standardized Package URLs (purl) and CycloneDX SBOMs.
  • Detects dependencies, version constraints, and platform specifics automatically.
  • Enables downstream tooling (CI/CD, SBOM scanners) to consume the output without manual parsing.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience DevOps engineers, open‑source maintainers, security auditors
Core Feature CLI & web service that fetches a script URL, parses it, and emits a purl + SBOM
Tech Stack Python 3, Click, PyYAML, CycloneDX Python library, Docker
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby (open source) with optional paid API access ($0.01 per request)

Notes

  • Addresses the pain point: “What's the purl equivalent of surl:mystery?” by automating the conversion.
  • Encourages discussion on standardizing install scripts and the role of purl in package ecosystems.

InstallScript Guardian

Summary

  • A safety layer that fetches, statically analyzes, and presents a risk summary before executing any install script.
  • Highlights potential security issues, missing documentation, and platform incompatibilities.
  • Offers a “read‑before‑run” checklist that can be integrated into CI pipelines or local terminals.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience System administrators, developers, security teams
Core Feature Browser extension / CLI that runs scripts through a sandboxed analyzer and outputs a risk report
Tech Stack Rust (for sandbox), WebAssembly, React (extension UI), GitHub Actions integration
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue‑ready: freemium model ($5/month for advanced analytics, $20/month for enterprise)

Notes

  • Responds to the frustration: “docs don’t suggest reading it before running it as an option.” The Guardian forces a pre‑execution review.
  • Likely to spark debate on best practices for script execution and the need for automated safety checks.

Read Later