IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Show HN: A native macOS client for Hacker News, built with SwiftUI

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Usability & feature‑driven feedback
Users are actively shaping the app’s experience. Requests for font size, keyboard navigation, follow/block, content filtering, and notes dominate the conversation.

“I would love keyboard‑driven navigation!” – numbers
“I need a way to adjust text size.” – IronsideXXVI (reply)
“One feature I'd love to see is to follow/block users.” – putlake

2. Security, privacy and trust in open‑source
Because the app is built from the ground up, many commenters probe its safety and licensing. They ask about ad‑blocking lists, permission scopes, and whether the code can be audited.

“I sympathize with the desire to release programs/code anonymously or semi‑anonymously on the internet.” – big_toast
“I want to know how to trust oj‑hn as a vendor.” – big_toast
“I want to run it in a separate profile.” – latchkey

3. Platform support and the native‑app vs web‑app debate
The discussion frequently turns to which operating systems the app should run on, memory footprints, and why a dedicated app is preferable to a browser tab.

“I don’t have/want a Mac so I can’t really use it.” – ranger_danger
“It uses 85 MB of working memory… not some Electron thing.” – taude
“Why would I want to browse the web in this app as opposed to a web browser?” – luma

These three themes—feature requests, security/trust, and platform/UX debate—capture the bulk of the conversation.

🚀 Project Ideas

HNFontScale Reader

Summary

  • A native macOS/iOS client that adds full‑screen typography controls (font size, weight, line height) to Hacker News, solving the inability to zoom text beyond CMD+ and providing a comfortable reading experience on high‑resolution displays. - Core value: customizable UI that lets power users keep HN open all day without eye strain.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience HN power readers on macOS/iOS who need larger text
Core Feature Dynamic font scaling, theme overrides, persistent preferences
Tech Stack SwiftUI, Combine, Swift, CoreData, macOS 13+, iOS 15+
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • HN commenters have repeatedly asked for font scaling (“I can’t even do the default CMD + + to zoom in”) – this directly answers that request.
  • Offers a low‑friction way to boost engagement by reducing visual fatigue, encouraging longer session times.

HN Filter & Block Suite

Summary

  • A browser‑extension‑plus‑standalone‑app that gives users fine‑grained control over HN content visibility, letting them block domains, filter posts by keywords, and ignore specific users, addressing the frustration of unwanted noise in feeds. - Core value: customizable content curation that lets users focus on what matters without leaving HN.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience HN users who experience information overload and want precise control over what appears in their feed
Core Feature User‑blocking, keyword filtering, domain exclusion, import/export of filter rules
Tech Stack Chrome Extension (Manifest V3), React, TypeScript, uBlock‑list parsing, Electron wrapper for desktop
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Subscription $4.99/month or $49/year

Notes

  • Community requests like “follow/block users” and “content filter I can control” have been echoed multiple times (e.g., “One feature I'd love to see is to follow/block users”).
  • Potential for integration with existing ad‑blocking ecosystems, creating a unified privacy‑first experience.

HN Smart Digest Agent

Summary

  • A background AI service that watches a user’s HN activity, automatically tags topics of interest, and sends daily or weekly summary emails or push notifications, solving the need to stay informed without constant manual checking.
  • Core value: intelligent curation that filters the signal from the noise, enabling users to catch important posts without endless scrolling.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Busy HN readers, researchers, and professionals who want curated insights without manual browsing
Core Feature AI‑driven topic tagging, keyword alerts, saved‑link archive, notification via email or desktop
Tech Stack Python backend (FastAPI), HuggingFace transformer, PostgreSQL, Firebase Cloud Messaging, Docker
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium – free basic alerts, $5/month for premium archive & advanced filters

Notes

  • A user mentioned building “an agent that sends me daily summaries” and “Plan to extend this beyond HN”, indicating demand for automated curation.
  • Could spark discussion on data privacy and the value of AI‑assisted news consumption, a hot topic on HN.

HN Thread Navigator#Summary

  • A native HN client that replaces the web view with native SwiftUI comment lists, supports keyboard‑driven navigation (j/k, arrow keys), expand/collapse inline, and multi‑tab article handling, answering multiple requests for smoother comment interaction.
  • Core value: a fluid, app‑like experience that lets power users skim, expand, and bookmark comments without leaving the app.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience HN power browsers who rely on keyboard shortcuts and want seamless comment threading
Core Feature Keyboard navigation, expandable comment trees, multi‑tab article view, export bookmarks/tags
Tech Stack SwiftUI, Combine, macOS 14+, iOS 15+, CoreData for persistence
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Multiple commenters asked for “keyboard‑driven navigation” and “Mark as Un/Read” features, showing clear pain points.
  • Offers practical utility for users who currently rely on extensions like NetNewsWire or external browsers, potentially increasing adoption of native HN clients.

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