Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Show HN: Look Ma, No Linux: Shell, App Installer, Vi, Cc on ESP32-S3 / BreezyBox

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Three prevailing themes in the discussion

Theme	Key points	Representative quotes
Portability across MCU families	Participants discuss how the project can be adapted to other chips (RP2350, ESP32‑C3/C6/P4, RISC‑V).	“It should be possible to get most of it compiled for C3, C6, or P4.” – ssiddharth
Hardware constraints limiting full OS‑style features	The lack of an MMU, limited RAM, and strict PSRAM alignment make traditional OS development difficult.	“What makes traditional OSs difficult on this platform, is the lack of memory protection.” – isitcontent
Community enthusiasm and practical use cases	Users express excitement about low‑cost, instant‑on devices and envision uses such as cheap KVMs, remote control, and headless deployment.	“I hate that for some reason I have to care about Wifi configuration and updates, I just want to write my application.” – solarkraft
		“The value for money is crazy on these boards… planning on using these as a cheap replacement to a KVM.” – dj0k3r

These themes capture the main concerns and hopes expressed by the participants.

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

MicroOS‑Box

Summary

A lightweight, modular OS for ESP32‑S3, RP2350, and other MCUs that bundles Wi‑Fi provisioning, OTA updates, a web UI, and a remote shell.
Eliminates the need for manual Wi‑Fi configuration and firmware flashing, letting developers focus on application logic.

Details

Key	Value
Target Audience	Hobbyists, makers, and IoT developers using ESP32‑S3, RP2350, or similar MCUs.
Core Feature	Unified headless deployment: supply Wi‑Fi credentials during flashing, auto‑update firmware, and expose a web UI for configuration and app installation.
Tech Stack	ESP-IDF, FreeRTOS, lwIP, ESP‑WebServer, WebSocket, OTA library, JSON manifest.
Difficulty	Medium
Monetization	Hobby

Notes

solarkraft says, “I hate that for some reason I have to care about Wifi configuration and updates, I just want to write my application.”
The web UI and OTA make it easy to run “remote shell access/web UI for deploying apps” as requested by solarkraft.
The project would spark discussion on how to standardize headless deployment across MCU families.

ELF‑Builder

Summary

A cross‑platform build and packaging system that compiles ELF binaries for ESP32‑S3, C3, C6, P4, and RP2350, automatically handling PSRAM alignment, manifest generation, and platform tagging.
Solves the pain of re‑compiling for each MCU and the lack of a unified manifest for app installers.

Details

Key	Value
Target Audience	Embedded developers who ship apps to multiple ESP32 variants.
Core Feature	Automated toolchain that produces platform‑specific ELF binaries, generates a JSON manifest with architecture tags, and enforces 4‑byte PSRAM alignment.
Tech Stack	CMake, PlatformIO, Docker, Python scripts, GitHub Actions.
Difficulty	High
Monetization	Revenue‑ready: subscription for enterprise CI/CD pipelines.

Notes

isitcontent notes, “ELF binaries you install with eget would need to be recompiled (with existing gcc) and published for RISC‑V.”
The tool would enable “minimal manifest support to eget” and “distinguish between ELF files for different platforms,” directly addressing the discussion.
It would be a valuable resource for projects like the “Linux port for the ESP32‑S3” and the “eBook reader OS” mentioned by nabilt.

ESP‑KVM

Summary

A low‑power, always‑on KVM solution that turns an ESP32‑S3 (or RP2350) into a Wi‑Fi‑connected remote display and keyboard controller for legacy PCs or servers.
Provides a cheap alternative to commercial KVMs, satisfying the “KVM replacement” need expressed by dj0k3r.

Details

Key	Value
Target Audience	System administrators, hobbyists, and small‑business owners needing remote access to servers.
Core Feature	USB‑to‑UART bridge for keyboard/mouse, HDMI‑to‑UART video capture, Wi‑Fi control, and a lightweight web interface for display sharing.
Tech Stack	ESP‑IDF, FreeRTOS, ESP‑WebServer, WebRTC for video, USB host stack, UART‑to‑HDMI bridge IC.
Difficulty	Medium
Monetization	Hobby

Notes

dj0k3r says, “I’m planning on using these as a cheap replacement to a KVM.”
kdmtctl’s question about “display sharing” is directly answered by the video capture feature.
The project would generate practical utility discussions on how to integrate with existing server setups and the feasibility of low‑latency remote control.