9 ms·

Show HN: Ishim – find available one-word domain names

101 points by docuru 5y ago

docuru 5y ago
Hi guys, I developed a tool to check and find domain names and have been using it for some time. Now, I put them into an application (for MacOS at the moment). This Domain Tool can help you: - Find one-word names (support English, Spanish, Dutch, and French) - Bulk check those names with the flexible option with extensions Available for MacOS, Windows and Linux Why a desktop app? I used some name suggestion web app and someday, they just went offline or disappear. Hope you find it useful. Feedback and question are welcome
lerela 5y ago
Unimportant but it is a bit misleading coming from a Linux browser to only see Download for Windows & Mac call-to-actions. I thought it was incompatible before I saw the top right penguin. You might wanna use the User-Agent to show a more relevant CTA.
- docuru 5y ago
  Thanks, using User-Agent is a good idea. I'm using a site builder and don't think it's available yet. I'll add a proper link to linux
pwdisswordfish8 5y ago
"TLDs", not "extensions". I wince when I see the latter, similar (but not the same) as when people say "backslash" when referring to ordinary solidus. The great domainsfortherestofus.com used to exist, but seems to have gone offline in the last couple of months.
- windock 5y ago
  I had to double check it. Backslash is called “reverse solidus” in unicode https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backslash https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backslash
- docuru 5y ago
  Thanks, I didn't notice the different between "extensions" vs "LTDs". I'll update it I used namemesh.com sometimes, it's gone offline for some time as well
  - s3graham 5y ago
    ("TLD", not "LTD"; there's a few instances on your front page.)
    - docuru 5y ago
      Thanks heaps. Pushed the fix
- huhtenberg 5y ago
  > solidus Ooooh, very nice. A welcome addition to my anti-personnel vocabularly. Let me put it right next to the tittle and somewhat more pedestrian compartmentalization.
  - pwdisswordfish8 5y ago
    The point is not that "backslash" sounds unrefined. "Backslash" is fine when you're referring to a backslash (reverse solidus). What's not fine is saying backslash when you are in fact referring to a plain ol' slash (solidus), as in URLs. People who refer to domain "extensions" share something in common with people who misapply the term "backslash". Nerdy enough to have heard of (file name) "extensions" and "backslashes", not nerdy enough to care whether the term is actually appropriate for what they're trying to refer to in the present. TLDs are not "extensions". The occasional domain registrar that refers to them this way in marketing copy make me wince the hardest. They don't have the excuse of co-opting technically incorrect but extremely popular misnomers. It's more like, if anything, they're most likely to be the cause of people using the wrong term, if ever it were to become a trend.
    - Y_Y 5y ago
      I share your sentiments entirely. I would like to unhelpfully add that some TLDs, like .com, .org, and even .rs are also file extensions (at least when considered as strings).
junon 5y ago
Is this another electron app? Why? This is 100% doable in the browser and has been done before with other sites. Why do I need to spend 300MiB of ram to search for domain names? Sorry to sound negative, it's just... the electron fad is getting really old.
- zombieprocess 5y ago
  I agree. Why would I download an app for something that can be done in a browser?
  - mritchie712 5y ago
    also, something you will do a couple times at most a year.
    - whymauri 5y ago
      There are actually power users in this space who might need the tool on a weekly basis. It's niche, but they exist.
      - docuru 5y ago
        Right on. This is who the tool was built for
- docuru 5y ago
  Why not browser? As mention in the other comment, I've been using some web-based tools. Somehow, they don't last (ie. namemesh, or domainsfortherestofus that @pwdisswordfish8 mention went offline for sometimes). Then I thought having a desktop app would be great. For long term, you don't have to worry the site is down.
  - junon 5y ago
    How would you meaningfully use this tool in offline mode?
ERD0L 5y ago
So why not a website with an opened-sourced git so it can't "go offline" ? Was there any other motivations to go electron, maybe to learn idk
- wizzwizz4 5y ago
  Not everyone is aware of things like https://www.w3.org/TR/offline-webapps/ https://www.w3.org/TR/offline-webapps/. Also, if you haven't downloaded the source, some hosted git server somewhere else doesn't help.
lerela 5y ago
After a few tests it looks good but it reports some domains as registered when they are not (for instance kostikaable.com or kostikaition.io are marked registered but do not seem to exist when I manually run a Whois). Maybe the tool is running onto some rate limiting thresholds? Also when there are a lot of domains to check you could check them in parallel, otherwise it gets quite slow to wait for the results (but that might be an inherent limitation of the Whois servers).
- docuru 5y ago
  I'll look into it. Seems like need a little update for the kostikaable.com. Not sure why kostikaition.io showed registered on your end. In general, each LTD can have around 300-1000 queries per day (the numbers is not officially listed, just from discussion on some forums) Great advice to check them in parallel. Thanks!
dirtybirdnj 5y ago
Hate to dogpile on this but why the app? Not trying to hate on you, genuinely curious why you chose this route. Sometimes using the tools you are most comfortable with at the time is the path to the highest short term productivity.
- docuru 5y ago
  If you mean why I choose ElectronJS: I wanted it be cross-platform, and ElectronJS was the easiest (partly because I already built and been using the main feature). If you mean why a desktop app: I've been using some web-based tools. Somehow, they don't last (ie. namemesh, or domainsfortherestofus that @pwdisswordfish8 mention went offline for sometimes). Then I thought having a desktop app would be great. For long term, you don't have to worry the site is down.
  - dkersten 5y ago
    If it’s javascript-only, then surely it could run in the client and be hosted for free on github pages as a static site and not have to worry about going down.
    - indigodaddy 5y ago
      What if the site goes down before you visit/load the site?
      - zamadatix 5y ago
        For a static site you can still download a local copy from GitHub if you wish. It'll be delivered as a .zip if you do it from the browser.
        indigodaddy 5y ago
        You mean if the site is hosted on GH Pages or something? And in this scenario, the site hosted by GitHub goes down, so then I go to GitHub (which is down remember) and download the site, and use it locally, is that what you’re saying? Cmon man, let’s try to be realistic.
dewey 5y ago
To the people complaining about this being an app instead of a tool in a browser: This is a Show HN and someone made something for free and shared it. Maybe they just wanted to play around with Electron, they don't owe you anything.
- huhtenberg 5y ago
  I don't see it's as complaining. OP's project is literally the reverse of taking a traditional desktop software, e.g. a graphic editor, and making it into a web app. Here, it's something that naturally belongs to a web site, but instead packed up into an installable desktop app. I'd be really curious to see the rationale behind this.
  - docuru 5y ago
    As I mentioned in other comments: I've been using some web-based tools. Somehow, they don't last (ie. namemesh, or domainsfortherestofus that @pwdisswordfish8 mention went offline for sometimes). Then I thought having a desktop app would be great. For the long term, I don't have to worry the site is down.
    - jaywalk 5y ago
      This still 100% relies on their servers being up, which is no different than a website. So you absolutely still have to worry about their servers being down, which makes it pointless.
      - docuru 5y ago
        The whois servers down? It doesn't make sense
        indigodaddy 5y ago
        Exactly. The author appears to be telling you (you being jaywalk) that the application only requires talking out to Whois servers, and does not rely on any application/webserver… You concern as stated does not apply.
slig 5y ago
Congrats on shipping and thanks for sharing with us! I'm going to try it, as recently the good old "impossibility dot org" (don't try that, it's NSFW now) went offline.
- docuru 5y ago
  Thank you. I used it a few times, like it a lot. No wonder, I tried to find it but couldn't. Thought I remember the name wrong
sillystuff 5y ago
An alternative for researching domain names is to apply for TLD zone file access. "Trying to find a one word domain name," is unlikely to be an acceptable reason for access, though. I applied (and received access on my second attempt) about a decade ago for .com access. Among other things, I ran a check for any words in my spellcheck dictionary that were not already taken as .com domains. There is a reason for all the silly spellings in domain names today; I don't recall the first words that were available, but they were not short nor desirable for a domain name. There were also no 3 alphanumeric ascii character domain names left, at the time. I applied through Verisign. But, they are currently directing folks to apply via ICAN directly. https://www.verisign.com/en_US/channel-resources/domain-registry-products/zone-file/index.xhtml https://www.verisign.com/en_US/channel-resources/domain-regi... https://czds.icann.org/home https://czds.icann.org/home
- donmcronald 5y ago
  Does it include WHOIS info? If so I bet it's impossible to get access. Can you tell me if the info has registration dates? I have a use case where I'd love to do some bulk analysis related to domain squatting, but I've never been able to find a decent way I can make bulk queries against all the services I'd want to check.
  - sillystuff 5y ago
    It is just a zone file, for the TLD, like Bind would use. No other information.
- nikkwong 5y ago
  That’s interesting. What type of reasons are typically accepted for getting access? I’m assuming if you are attempting to commercialize a domain website or project they may give you access?
  - sillystuff 5y ago
    I do not know what their criteria for acceptance are. My first, rejected, request discussed looking into distribution of available domains. My second, accepted, request was more carefully worded to indicate it was for general research. The purpose of my request was for a personal research project to satisfy curiosity. My initial motivation was that there were things that seemed to be true about the distribution of available .com domains, and I wanted to see what the reality was. And, using NS queries would not scale. I looked for the shortest English dictionary words available, percentage of various length domain names still available (alpha only and alphanumeric; with single numeral, two numeral digits, etc.), for non-words I looked at the distance from the closest English dictionary word, collected the patterns of common permutations of dictionary words into domain names, I monitored change rate, etc. I've never "used" the information learned except to be able to speak with a little more authority in a single conversation where the subject matter came up. But, it was interesting to me :)
ahnick 5y ago
This is cool. Never seen the local application take before. I'd be interested to know how people respond to having a dedicated app and if they enjoy that UX more than a website. In a similar vein, but more focused around finding similar sounding names or creating a mashup of two words is Mashword (https://mashword.com https://mashword.com). We're working on improving performance and reducing noise in the result set, but if you are patient, then even in its current incarnation, it produces some novel results.
- docuru 5y ago
  Nice one
masterof0 5y ago
I like the idea, and would use the service, as the domain is short and memorable. But, this is a low hanging fruit for HN critics, the argument of: "is an app so I dont have to worry about a website being down" is pretty poor, you can host your website assets on Netlify/aws amplify/firebase/.... many more.... , with close to 99.99 % availability. And also provide an electron app for those who prefer to use an app. I wish you luck, and I hope we get a site, I like your service.
- docuru 5y ago
  Have you use impossibly, domainsfortherestofus, or namemesh? They're great tools, but all went offline for sometime now. And that's why I build a desktop app
  - masterof0 5y ago
    Yeah, the server hosting their assets went down (probably), the same problem you could (I hope not) face serving requests from your client, right?
    - indigodaddy 5y ago
      Not if his requests just go directly to Whois servers though, right?
    - docuru 5y ago
      It can't run only with client assets/JS, it needs a backend as well. With ElectronJs, you can use Nodejs as the backend There is no official limit number of requests, but discussion from some forums, each TLD has a limit of 300-1000 queries each day. In any case, you hit the limit, it will open up again. Unlike online services, they haven't been back since
- phgn 5y ago
  This may be more of a power user tool, you also wouldn't pay $49 for the app right? What interests you about the app compared to searching directly at Namecheap etc?
coretx 5y ago
- How do we know the search results are not hijacked/registered ? - How do we know the queries are not sold as a database ? - How do we know if and/or what third parties are involved ? - Which jurisdiction are we talking about? ( Does GDPR apply? )
- docuru 5y ago
  That's a valid concern. I (the desktop app) don't track, collect your data or activities when using the desktop app. When using the desktop app, there are 3 situations the app communicate with online servers: 1. For WHOIS queries, the app communicates directly to the WHOIS servers, no middleman 2. For payment using Paypal's smart button. They might collect some data for fraud detection. 3. When checking for updates or form submissions. The app will send the only necessary information to our server. For updates, we need "platform" (i.e win32, darwin, etc.) and "version" (the current Domain Tool version, i.e "0.0.21"). For contact form submissions, we need "email", "message", and the "type" of form submission Note that when submit a contact form, the server don't collect your IP. But as the nature of request, the server can read your IP. P/s: This remind me to add the privacy section
  - docuru 5y ago
    *addition for #3 in the list above. When activate your application, we need "email", "paidDate" (optional)
indigodaddy 5y ago
Before anyone makes another comment about how and why this should be a webapp…. The author has answered and stated multiple time here that the reason he made this a local app is because if the website that the tool is hosted on is down or gone, then you are dead out of water. That’s why he made a local tool. And no, the tool does not still rely on some application/webserver. He has stated that it only requires reaching out to the Whois servers. note I used “he” but probably should have used “they” as I have no idea on the gender identification of the author. What is the proper way to just use “the author” in place of he/she/they?
- zamadatix 5y ago
  No need to make a separate comment thread about other the results of other threads. If the other threads have been truly resolved then there are already comment chains to read. On the other hand if they were not actually resolved then all of the discussion is now split and duplicated. Regarding availability what exactly about making a web app restricts you from offering a downloadable copy? Regardless it looks like a web version is now on the roadmap according to the site.
  - indigodaddy 5y ago
    Sure, nothing is stopping the author from making a web app, and that would actually be fine and most people would use that, and it would probably be the best path and focus. I’m not discounting that. I was just attempting to summarize the author’s reasoning for making a nonweb/local application. And in all honesty the author can and should do what the author wants and what they feel is best. There just seemed to be unwarranted and frankly odd “outrage” about it in a lot of comments.
    - zamadatix 5y ago
      Creator can certainly create whatever they want but clearly target audience feedback on a paid product is valuable in steering the future direction of a product as is seen with the future goals so no need to discount it as unwarranted or paint it as unhelpful.
lbj 5y ago
As an aside. How do you get design-chops like that? Can it be learned, or are these people just born with a flair for picking styles that work well universally?
- omarfarooq 5y ago
  If your eye can discern what is good, then let the hand follow.
- docuru 5y ago
  If you mean the website: I've been doing web development for sometimes and comfortable working with it. But most of the time, I find the inspiration from somewhere (by the way, I published the template here https://inverr.com/app-store/E1Yh4VtOL https://inverr.com/app-store/E1Yh4VtOL) If you mean about the app: I use BlueprintJS, blueprintjs.com (similar to Bootstrap, pretty simple to use)
AA-BA-94-2A-56 5y ago
This website design is baffling on mobile. It is so difficult to see what is going on.
- docuru 5y ago
  Thanks for the feedback. What seems to be the problem? What phone/screensize are you on?
  - AA-BA-94-2A-56 5y ago
    I’m on iPhone 12 Mini using Safari. The left and right of the three buttons are chopped off. And it just lets me scroll right into a white oblivion.
    - docuru 5y ago
      Alright, I'll check it out. Thanks for letting me know
j1elo 5y ago
Mental note (after reading tons of Show HN), if I ever release an Electron app, the submission title must be preemptive and include the phrase "I don't care about your whines, if you want a native app you're free to start writing it right now, meanwhile this exists at all thanks to Electron, not despite of it" suffix!
sevensunsets 5y ago
Nice idea. But no, I don't want a bunch of unnecessarily, rarely used apps on my device. I don't download apps to do a single, simple action. That's what web sites and web apps are for.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
Genego 5y ago
It looks interesting and I really do like this. But in a world of ransomware, I am not going to install any software on my machine just because it looks interesting. I know I am echoing half of the other comments here, but this does really need to be a webapp.

101 points by docuru 5y ago

Hi guys, I developed a tool to check and find domain names and have been using it for some time. Now, I put them into an application (for MacOS at the moment). This Domain Tool can help you: - Find one-word names (support English, Spanish, Dutch, and French) - Bulk check those names with the flexible option with extensions Available for MacOS, Windows and Linux Why a desktop app? I used some name suggestion web app and someday, they just went offline or disappear. Hope you find it useful. Feedback and question are welcome

lerela 5y ago

Unimportant but it is a bit misleading coming from a Linux browser to only see Download for Windows & Mac call-to-actions. I thought it was incompatible before I saw the top right penguin. You might wanna use the User-Agent to show a more relevant CTA.

docuru 5y ago
Thanks, using User-Agent is a good idea. I'm using a site builder and don't think it's available yet. I'll add a proper link to linux

pwdisswordfish8 5y ago

"TLDs", not "extensions". I wince when I see the latter, similar (but not the same) as when people say "backslash" when referring to ordinary solidus. The great domainsfortherestofus.com used to exist, but seems to have gone offline in the last couple of months.

windock 5y ago
I had to double check it. Backslash is called “reverse solidus” in unicode https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backslash https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backslash
docuru 5y ago
Thanks, I didn't notice the different between "extensions" vs "LTDs". I'll update it I used namemesh.com sometimes, it's gone offline for some time as well
- s3graham 5y ago
  ("TLD", not "LTD"; there's a few instances on your front page.)
  - docuru 5y ago
    Thanks heaps. Pushed the fix
huhtenberg 5y ago
> solidus Ooooh, very nice. A welcome addition to my anti-personnel vocabularly. Let me put it right next to the tittle and somewhat more pedestrian compartmentalization.
- pwdisswordfish8 5y ago
  The point is not that "backslash" sounds unrefined. "Backslash" is fine when you're referring to a backslash (reverse solidus). What's not fine is saying backslash when you are in fact referring to a plain ol' slash (solidus), as in URLs. People who refer to domain "extensions" share something in common with people who misapply the term "backslash". Nerdy enough to have heard of (file name) "extensions" and "backslashes", not nerdy enough to care whether the term is actually appropriate for what they're trying to refer to in the present. TLDs are not "extensions". The occasional domain registrar that refers to them this way in marketing copy make me wince the hardest. They don't have the excuse of co-opting technically incorrect but extremely popular misnomers. It's more like, if anything, they're most likely to be the cause of people using the wrong term, if ever it were to become a trend.
  - Y_Y 5y ago
    I share your sentiments entirely. I would like to unhelpfully add that some TLDs, like .com, .org, and even .rs are also file extensions (at least when considered as strings).

junon 5y ago

Is this another electron app? Why? This is 100% doable in the browser and has been done before with other sites. Why do I need to spend 300MiB of ram to search for domain names? Sorry to sound negative, it's just... the electron fad is getting really old.

zombieprocess 5y ago
I agree. Why would I download an app for something that can be done in a browser?
- mritchie712 5y ago
  also, something you will do a couple times at most a year.
  - whymauri 5y ago
    There are actually power users in this space who might need the tool on a weekly basis. It's niche, but they exist.
    - docuru 5y ago
      Right on. This is who the tool was built for
docuru 5y ago
Why not browser? As mention in the other comment, I've been using some web-based tools. Somehow, they don't last (ie. namemesh, or domainsfortherestofus that @pwdisswordfish8 mention went offline for sometimes). Then I thought having a desktop app would be great. For long term, you don't have to worry the site is down.
- junon 5y ago
  How would you meaningfully use this tool in offline mode?

ERD0L 5y ago

So why not a website with an opened-sourced git so it can't "go offline" ? Was there any other motivations to go electron, maybe to learn idk

wizzwizz4 5y ago
Not everyone is aware of things like https://www.w3.org/TR/offline-webapps/ https://www.w3.org/TR/offline-webapps/. Also, if you haven't downloaded the source, some hosted git server somewhere else doesn't help.

lerela 5y ago

After a few tests it looks good but it reports some domains as registered when they are not (for instance kostikaable.com or kostikaition.io are marked registered but do not seem to exist when I manually run a Whois). Maybe the tool is running onto some rate limiting thresholds? Also when there are a lot of domains to check you could check them in parallel, otherwise it gets quite slow to wait for the results (but that might be an inherent limitation of the Whois servers).

docuru 5y ago
I'll look into it. Seems like need a little update for the kostikaable.com. Not sure why kostikaition.io showed registered on your end. In general, each LTD can have around 300-1000 queries per day (the numbers is not officially listed, just from discussion on some forums) Great advice to check them in parallel. Thanks!

dirtybirdnj 5y ago

Hate to dogpile on this but why the app? Not trying to hate on you, genuinely curious why you chose this route. Sometimes using the tools you are most comfortable with at the time is the path to the highest short term productivity.

docuru 5y ago
If you mean why I choose ElectronJS: I wanted it be cross-platform, and ElectronJS was the easiest (partly because I already built and been using the main feature). If you mean why a desktop app: I've been using some web-based tools. Somehow, they don't last (ie. namemesh, or domainsfortherestofus that @pwdisswordfish8 mention went offline for sometimes). Then I thought having a desktop app would be great. For long term, you don't have to worry the site is down.
- dkersten 5y ago
  If it’s javascript-only, then surely it could run in the client and be hosted for free on github pages as a static site and not have to worry about going down.
  - indigodaddy 5y ago
    What if the site goes down before you visit/load the site?
    - zamadatix 5y ago
      For a static site you can still download a local copy from GitHub if you wish. It'll be delivered as a .zip if you do it from the browser.
      - indigodaddy 5y ago
        You mean if the site is hosted on GH Pages or something? And in this scenario, the site hosted by GitHub goes down, so then I go to GitHub (which is down remember) and download the site, and use it locally, is that what you’re saying? Cmon man, let’s try to be realistic.

dewey 5y ago

To the people complaining about this being an app instead of a tool in a browser: This is a Show HN and someone made something for free and shared it. Maybe they just wanted to play around with Electron, they don't owe you anything.

huhtenberg 5y ago
I don't see it's as complaining. OP's project is literally the reverse of taking a traditional desktop software, e.g. a graphic editor, and making it into a web app. Here, it's something that naturally belongs to a web site, but instead packed up into an installable desktop app. I'd be really curious to see the rationale behind this.
- docuru 5y ago
  As I mentioned in other comments: I've been using some web-based tools. Somehow, they don't last (ie. namemesh, or domainsfortherestofus that @pwdisswordfish8 mention went offline for sometimes). Then I thought having a desktop app would be great. For the long term, I don't have to worry the site is down.
  - jaywalk 5y ago
    This still 100% relies on their servers being up, which is no different than a website. So you absolutely still have to worry about their servers being down, which makes it pointless.
    - docuru 5y ago
      The whois servers down? It doesn't make sense
      - indigodaddy 5y ago
        Exactly. The author appears to be telling you (you being jaywalk) that the application only requires talking out to Whois servers, and does not rely on any application/webserver… You concern as stated does not apply.

slig 5y ago

Congrats on shipping and thanks for sharing with us! I'm going to try it, as recently the good old "impossibility dot org" (don't try that, it's NSFW now) went offline.

docuru 5y ago
Thank you. I used it a few times, like it a lot. No wonder, I tried to find it but couldn't. Thought I remember the name wrong

sillystuff 5y ago

An alternative for researching domain names is to apply for TLD zone file access. "Trying to find a one word domain name," is unlikely to be an acceptable reason for access, though. I applied (and received access on my second attempt) about a decade ago for .com access. Among other things, I ran a check for any words in my spellcheck dictionary that were not already taken as .com domains. There is a reason for all the silly spellings in domain names today; I don't recall the first words that were available, but they were not short nor desirable for a domain name. There were also no 3 alphanumeric ascii character domain names left, at the time. I applied through Verisign. But, they are currently directing folks to apply via ICAN directly. https://www.verisign.com/en_US/channel-resources/domain-registry-products/zone-file/index.xhtml https://www.verisign.com/en_US/channel-resources/domain-regi... https://czds.icann.org/home https://czds.icann.org/home

donmcronald 5y ago
Does it include WHOIS info? If so I bet it's impossible to get access. Can you tell me if the info has registration dates? I have a use case where I'd love to do some bulk analysis related to domain squatting, but I've never been able to find a decent way I can make bulk queries against all the services I'd want to check.
- sillystuff 5y ago
  It is just a zone file, for the TLD, like Bind would use. No other information.
nikkwong 5y ago
That’s interesting. What type of reasons are typically accepted for getting access? I’m assuming if you are attempting to commercialize a domain website or project they may give you access?
- sillystuff 5y ago
  I do not know what their criteria for acceptance are. My first, rejected, request discussed looking into distribution of available domains. My second, accepted, request was more carefully worded to indicate it was for general research. The purpose of my request was for a personal research project to satisfy curiosity. My initial motivation was that there were things that seemed to be true about the distribution of available .com domains, and I wanted to see what the reality was. And, using NS queries would not scale. I looked for the shortest English dictionary words available, percentage of various length domain names still available (alpha only and alphanumeric; with single numeral, two numeral digits, etc.), for non-words I looked at the distance from the closest English dictionary word, collected the patterns of common permutations of dictionary words into domain names, I monitored change rate, etc. I've never "used" the information learned except to be able to speak with a little more authority in a single conversation where the subject matter came up. But, it was interesting to me :)

ahnick 5y ago

This is cool. Never seen the local application take before. I'd be interested to know how people respond to having a dedicated app and if they enjoy that UX more than a website. In a similar vein, but more focused around finding similar sounding names or creating a mashup of two words is Mashword (https://mashword.com https://mashword.com). We're working on improving performance and reducing noise in the result set, but if you are patient, then even in its current incarnation, it produces some novel results.

docuru 5y ago
Nice one

masterof0 5y ago

I like the idea, and would use the service, as the domain is short and memorable. But, this is a low hanging fruit for HN critics, the argument of: "is an app so I dont have to worry about a website being down" is pretty poor, you can host your website assets on Netlify/aws amplify/firebase/.... many more.... , with close to 99.99 % availability. And also provide an electron app for those who prefer to use an app. I wish you luck, and I hope we get a site, I like your service.

docuru 5y ago
Have you use impossibly, domainsfortherestofus, or namemesh? They're great tools, but all went offline for sometime now. And that's why I build a desktop app
- masterof0 5y ago
  Yeah, the server hosting their assets went down (probably), the same problem you could (I hope not) face serving requests from your client, right?
  - indigodaddy 5y ago
    Not if his requests just go directly to Whois servers though, right?
  - docuru 5y ago
    It can't run only with client assets/JS, it needs a backend as well. With ElectronJs, you can use Nodejs as the backend There is no official limit number of requests, but discussion from some forums, each TLD has a limit of 300-1000 queries each day. In any case, you hit the limit, it will open up again. Unlike online services, they haven't been back since
phgn 5y ago
This may be more of a power user tool, you also wouldn't pay $49 for the app right? What interests you about the app compared to searching directly at Namecheap etc?

coretx 5y ago

- How do we know the search results are not hijacked/registered ? - How do we know the queries are not sold as a database ? - How do we know if and/or what third parties are involved ? - Which jurisdiction are we talking about? ( Does GDPR apply? )

docuru 5y ago
That's a valid concern. I (the desktop app) don't track, collect your data or activities when using the desktop app. When using the desktop app, there are 3 situations the app communicate with online servers: 1. For WHOIS queries, the app communicates directly to the WHOIS servers, no middleman 2. For payment using Paypal's smart button. They might collect some data for fraud detection. 3. When checking for updates or form submissions. The app will send the only necessary information to our server. For updates, we need "platform" (i.e win32, darwin, etc.) and "version" (the current Domain Tool version, i.e "0.0.21"). For contact form submissions, we need "email", "message", and the "type" of form submission Note that when submit a contact form, the server don't collect your IP. But as the nature of request, the server can read your IP. P/s: This remind me to add the privacy section
- docuru 5y ago
  *addition for #3 in the list above. When activate your application, we need "email", "paidDate" (optional)

indigodaddy 5y ago

Before anyone makes another comment about how and why this should be a webapp…. The author has answered and stated multiple time here that the reason he made this a local app is because if the website that the tool is hosted on is down or gone, then you are dead out of water. That’s why he made a local tool. And no, the tool does not still rely on some application/webserver. He has stated that it only requires reaching out to the Whois servers. note I used “he” but probably should have used “they” as I have no idea on the gender identification of the author. What is the proper way to just use “the author” in place of he/she/they?

zamadatix 5y ago
No need to make a separate comment thread about other the results of other threads. If the other threads have been truly resolved then there are already comment chains to read. On the other hand if they were not actually resolved then all of the discussion is now split and duplicated. Regarding availability what exactly about making a web app restricts you from offering a downloadable copy? Regardless it looks like a web version is now on the roadmap according to the site.
- indigodaddy 5y ago
  Sure, nothing is stopping the author from making a web app, and that would actually be fine and most people would use that, and it would probably be the best path and focus. I’m not discounting that. I was just attempting to summarize the author’s reasoning for making a nonweb/local application. And in all honesty the author can and should do what the author wants and what they feel is best. There just seemed to be unwarranted and frankly odd “outrage” about it in a lot of comments.
  - zamadatix 5y ago
    Creator can certainly create whatever they want but clearly target audience feedback on a paid product is valuable in steering the future direction of a product as is seen with the future goals so no need to discount it as unwarranted or paint it as unhelpful.

lbj 5y ago

As an aside. How do you get design-chops like that? Can it be learned, or are these people just born with a flair for picking styles that work well universally?

omarfarooq 5y ago
If your eye can discern what is good, then let the hand follow.
docuru 5y ago
If you mean the website: I've been doing web development for sometimes and comfortable working with it. But most of the time, I find the inspiration from somewhere (by the way, I published the template here https://inverr.com/app-store/E1Yh4VtOL https://inverr.com/app-store/E1Yh4VtOL) If you mean about the app: I use BlueprintJS, blueprintjs.com (similar to Bootstrap, pretty simple to use)

AA-BA-94-2A-56 5y ago

This website design is baffling on mobile. It is so difficult to see what is going on.

docuru 5y ago
Thanks for the feedback. What seems to be the problem? What phone/screensize are you on?
- AA-BA-94-2A-56 5y ago
  I’m on iPhone 12 Mini using Safari. The left and right of the three buttons are chopped off. And it just lets me scroll right into a white oblivion.
  - docuru 5y ago
    Alright, I'll check it out. Thanks for letting me know

j1elo 5y ago

Mental note (after reading tons of Show HN), if I ever release an Electron app, the submission title must be preemptive and include the phrase "I don't care about your whines, if you want a native app you're free to start writing it right now, meanwhile this exists at all thanks to Electron, not despite of it" suffix!

sevensunsets 5y ago

Nice idea. But no, I don't want a bunch of unnecessarily, rarely used apps on my device. I don't download apps to do a single, simple action. That's what web sites and web apps are for.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

Genego 5y ago

It looks interesting and I really do like this. But in a world of ransomware, I am not going to install any software on my machine just because it looks interesting. I know I am echoing half of the other comments here, but this does really need to be a webapp.