Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Windows Notepad App Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Feature‑bloat turns a simple tool into a security liability
Many commenters see the new Markdown/AI features as unnecessary “bloat” that opens a new attack surface.

“Fiveplus: We have officially reached the logical conclusion of the feature‑bloat‑to‑vulnerability pipeline.
“consp: So what this means is every Windows program is now a CVE nightmare.”

2. Nostalgia for the old, lean Notepad
Users lament the loss of the original, minimal editor and often revert to older binaries or alternative tools.

“voidUpdate: I found a copy of the win98 notepad.exe a while back, and it works perfectly on Windows 11.”
“tosti: Notepad had one job…

3. Frustration with Microsoft/Windows and a shift toward Linux or third‑party editors
The discussion frequently turns to the perceived fragility of Windows, the need to move away from it, and the appeal of open‑source alternatives.

“dgxyz: I had that problem about 20 years ago. I changed the job.
“direwolf20: Install Linux.”
“repelsteeltje: I’m frankly amazed that the majority of new laptops still come with Microsoft Windows.


🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

SafeNotepad

Summary

  • A lightweight, sandboxed replacement for Windows Notepad that removes network‑aware features (clickable links, markdown rendering, AI integration) to eliminate CVE surface area.
  • Provides essential plain‑text editing (LF/CRLF support, UTF‑8, large file handling) with optional legacy mode to run the original Windows 7/10 Notepad.exe.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Windows users who need a secure, minimal text editor (developers, sysadmins, privacy‑conscious users).
Core Feature Secure sandboxed editor with no network stack, optional legacy mode, configurable keybindings.
Tech Stack Rust (for safety), Win32 API, optional WebView2 for legacy mode, GitHub Actions CI.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • HN commenters lament “Notepad had one job… show a text file, plain and simple.” and fear “every Windows program is now a CVE nightmare.” SafeNotepad directly addresses that pain.
  • Practical utility: can be pinned to taskbar, used as default editor for .txt, .md (view only), and can be distributed via Chocolatey or winget.

Clipboard Sanitizer

Summary

  • A tiny Windows utility that strips all formatting from the clipboard with a single hotkey (e.g., Ctrl‑Shift‑V) and optionally copies the sanitized text back to the clipboard.
  • Solves the frustration of “I find notepad useful for sanitising clipboard content” and the need for plain‑text copy/paste.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Anyone who pastes from rich‑text sources (web, Office) into plain‑text contexts.
Core Feature Hotkey‑driven clipboard sanitization, optional context‑menu integration.
Tech Stack C# (.NET 6), Windows API (OpenClipboard, EmptyClipboard), AutoHotkey for hotkey binding.
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Users like “I find notepad useful for sanitising clipboard content” will appreciate a dedicated tool.
  • Discussion potential: compare with built‑in “Paste as plain text” features in editors, debate on hotkey ergonomics.

MarkdownSafeViewer

Summary

  • A standalone markdown viewer that renders Markdown files but blocks execution of non‑http(s) links, prompting the user before opening any custom URL scheme.
  • Addresses the CVE “clicking a malicious link inside a Markdown file opened in Notepad” and the broader concern about “link clicking shouldn’t result in compromise.”

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Developers, writers, sysadmins who open Markdown files locally.
Core Feature Markdown rendering with safe link handling, optional “open in browser” for http/https only.
Tech Stack Electron (Node.js), markdown-it, custom link handler, Windows registry tweak to set as default Markdown viewer.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue‑ready: one‑time license or freemium with optional premium features (theme packs).

Notes

  • HN users expressed “clicking unknown links is always a bad idea, but a CVE for that?” and “link clicking shouldn’t result in compromise.” MarkdownSafeViewer gives a clear, user‑friendly safety net.
  • Practical utility: can be set as the default Markdown viewer, reducing risk when opening local docs or GitHub README files.

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