6 ms·

Ask HN: What tool would you buy to make your life easier?

Could be anything - dev tools, blogging platforms, SaaS... Mine would be some (hypothetical) way of making it so I could see what accounts I had with any given service (Trello, GitHub, etc), what signin methods they used (password, social, etc), and could merge/rename/delete accounts and signin methods without going through tedious confirmation processes or support tickets. Something about having a fragile web of interconnected user/password combos and email accounts makes me anxious whenever I think about it or create a new account somewhere. Almost every service I've used seems to make big assumptions behind the scenes about what to do when someone invites you to a team using email, for example, and you already have an account using GitHub signin - so you end up having either two different accounts or merged accounts when you don't want to.

Shadonototra 4y ago
- a solid LSP implementation for a programming language - zig (missing semamtic analysis) - D (missing semantic analysis) - a cross platform debugger (GUI) none of that exist in the market, people focus on new useless text editors (there are already plenty)
- mikewarot 4y ago
  It looks like zls[1] does everything you want for zig. In particular, [2] seems to be the zig code that does the analysis. 1 - https://github.com/zigtools/zls https://github.com/zigtools/zls 2 - https://github.com/zigtools/zls/blob/master/src/analysis.zig https://github.com/zigtools/zls/blob/master/src/analysis.zig
  - Shadonototra 4y ago
    Ohh it has improved a lot since last time i checked, that's nice to hear
markus_zhang 4y ago
An online service to deliver Costco goods to home bi-weekly. Basically any service that can take out the manual chore for me.
- cmclaughlin 4y ago
  Costco delivery is available via Instacart. They also have a rebranded version of the Instacart website here which might avoid some fees: http://sameday.costco.com http://sameday.costco.com Maybe this isn’t available in your area…
- hbcondo714 4y ago
  +Trader Joe's
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
jokab 4y ago
Linqpad Bootstrap Studio
superasn 4y ago
Github copilot everywhwre. I love the way how it completes the code and even helps write documentation. But I think it could do equally well for say when you're at the bash terminal, or even writing this comment, the app should just get the context and start auto-completing everywhere I can type, intelligently like copilot. That would be amazing!
- _frkl 4y ago
  Sidenote: McFly does something in that ballpark (for bash)
  - superasn 4y ago
    Both these suggestions are amazing. Loving mcfly and it's going to be one of thing I'll always install
- nemosaltat 4y ago
  Thefuck[0] will attempt to correct errors in your console commands (available via brew, apt, pip and others). You can even enable instant mode if you feel particularly frisky. [0] https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck
throwaway787544 4y ago
A computerized garden. Input the plant species and it gardens for you. Automatic water, light, heat, fertilizer. Uses lasers to zap pests above ground and uses whatever methods available for below ground pests. Velcro walls to turn it into a greenhouse.
- Epskampie 4y ago
  Hej guess what, this already exists, its called nature! Snarkiness aside, look into permaculture. It’s a way of gardening that takes very little time since it tries to create a garden that’s in balance so that you don’t have to work hard to keep bare patches of ground or fight “pests” for example. I’m actually quite surprised at what my SO did to our own garden using this method, it’s very lush and green with very little work. No fertilizer, watering or lasers necessary.
  - throwaway787544 4y ago
    A common quote in permaculture is "If you have too many snails, you don't have enough ducks" I like the idea of permaculture. But I don't want to have to figure out how to get my neighborhood association to let me keep ducks, much less feeding them and caring for them just to get rid of snails. I just want a robot to do everything for me.
- roeles 4y ago
  Google Farmbot :-)
stolenmerch 4y ago
A simple content management system that lets me take a photo of an object using my phone, add some quick metadata or category about it, then have it sync to the cloud where I can later add more detail from my laptop. Ideally I'd have fine-grained control of collections and share images between collections. Bonus points if it can use some sort of ML to learn about my objects and make metadata suggestions. Extra bonus points if it's not a subscription based cost.
- stevewodil 4y ago
  So, Google Photos?
  - stolenmerch 4y ago
    No, not really. Google Photos functions as a simple photo album. A CDM has extensive metadata at the file, item, and collection level.
landemva 4y ago
Discipline to be more focused. Say 'no' more, and leave aside distractions. A good practice is to start day with quiet, some reading from the book, and meditation.
roeles 4y ago
Anything that would automatically handle cookie walls, "please subscribe to our newsletter" overlays and automatically playing videos.
- Engineering-MD 4y ago
  It does feel full circle how we used to suffer from pop ups and produced popup blocks; and now we have implemented the ability to do it all via javascript instead with overlays.
- Davidbrcz 4y ago
  https://ninja-cookie.com/ https://ninja-cookie.com/
  - roeles 4y ago
    Awesome, thanks for sharing!
qolop 4y ago
A terminal based IDE that has quick startup time, vim's keybindings and plugin ecosystem, and just works out of the box without me spending hours on configuration. I'm currently using LunarVim, which is poorly documented, painful to install, update and configure, and with lots of tiny issues that I've spent hours trying to fix. But, it's still the best thing out there! I would pay a ton of money to whoever can solve this problem. Another thing I would pay money for is a terminal based python REPL that resembles a jupyter notebook. The IPython repl doesn't cut it for me and is missing a bunch of features, and projects like Euporie are missing things that I like in IPython. So something that borrows the best of both worlds would be incredible.
- Davidbrcz 4y ago
  So emacs with a distributor like doom-emacs ?
- idontwantthis 4y ago
  Why do you use LunarVim instead of NeoVim?
  - pdimitar 4y ago
    Pre-baked configuration that makes a lot of sense e.g. LSP, telescope (finding files) and many others. Not like I could not do it myself but we're likely looking at a full busy weekend project, if not several of them even.
torstenvl 4y ago
I want a first-class open-source local-first password manager. Like Enpass or legacy 1Password, without needing to trust my passwords to "the cloud." I paid for a full "lifetime" license of 1Password 4, and 6, and 7. I paid for a full lifetime license of Enpass. I'd gladly pay ~$70 for something with as good a UI as BitWarden but without a need for a server. EDIT: pass and KeyPass are not even close to the same league, please don't suggest them.
- 55873445216111 4y ago
  KeePass?
- mabil 4y ago
  https://www.passwordstore.org/ https://www.passwordstore.org/
- acranox 4y ago
  If you’re on an Apple product, Strongbox might fit your requirements. https://strongboxsafe.com/ https://strongboxsafe.com/
rapjr9 4y ago
I'd like to see a $30 pen tablet, similar to the Boogie board but better designed and with the ability to export documents. Then I could put one every place I have scraps of paper for notes or notebooks and be able to collect everything I write into a digital form (ideally automatically and wirelessly). A $500 pen tablet just does not work for this, it would cost too much to have 10 tablets around the house. Basically a Boogie board plus an ESP32 and a little storage with some well written software. Even $50 would be acceptable, $100 might be too much.
- LifeQuestioner 4y ago
  Like this? https://uk.livescribe.com/ https://uk.livescribe.com/
  - rapjr9 4y ago
    A digital pen would be great also, if it didn't need special paper and worked well. The idea is to replace pen and paper with a device which is essentially an infinite supply of pen+paper. Having to buy special paper is limiting. I'm often trying to capture fleeting ideas so a solution needs to be handy everywhere which either means many cheap tablets or an expensive digital pen that works on just about any surface. Nothing digital I've seen or tried so far works well for this purpose.
- diatone 4y ago
  Fun unrelated fact: boogie board is an Australian slang term for what you might call a body board, used for faux-surfing. I was very confused by your comment for a while.
baremetal 4y ago
A dump truck or a semi with a low boy.

Shadonototra 4y ago

- a solid LSP implementation for a programming language - zig (missing semamtic analysis) - D (missing semantic analysis) - a cross platform debugger (GUI) none of that exist in the market, people focus on new useless text editors (there are already plenty)

mikewarot 4y ago
It looks like zls[1] does everything you want for zig. In particular, [2] seems to be the zig code that does the analysis. 1 - https://github.com/zigtools/zls https://github.com/zigtools/zls 2 - https://github.com/zigtools/zls/blob/master/src/analysis.zig https://github.com/zigtools/zls/blob/master/src/analysis.zig
- Shadonototra 4y ago
  Ohh it has improved a lot since last time i checked, that's nice to hear

markus_zhang 4y ago

An online service to deliver Costco goods to home bi-weekly. Basically any service that can take out the manual chore for me.

cmclaughlin 4y ago
Costco delivery is available via Instacart. They also have a rebranded version of the Instacart website here which might avoid some fees: http://sameday.costco.com http://sameday.costco.com Maybe this isn’t available in your area…
hbcondo714 4y ago
+Trader Joe's

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

jokab 4y ago

Linqpad Bootstrap Studio

superasn 4y ago

Github copilot everywhwre. I love the way how it completes the code and even helps write documentation. But I think it could do equally well for say when you're at the bash terminal, or even writing this comment, the app should just get the context and start auto-completing everywhere I can type, intelligently like copilot. That would be amazing!

_frkl 4y ago
Sidenote: McFly does something in that ballpark (for bash)
- superasn 4y ago
  Both these suggestions are amazing. Loving mcfly and it's going to be one of thing I'll always install
nemosaltat 4y ago
Thefuck[0] will attempt to correct errors in your console commands (available via brew, apt, pip and others). You can even enable instant mode if you feel particularly frisky. [0] https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck

throwaway787544 4y ago

A computerized garden. Input the plant species and it gardens for you. Automatic water, light, heat, fertilizer. Uses lasers to zap pests above ground and uses whatever methods available for below ground pests. Velcro walls to turn it into a greenhouse.

Epskampie 4y ago
Hej guess what, this already exists, its called nature! Snarkiness aside, look into permaculture. It’s a way of gardening that takes very little time since it tries to create a garden that’s in balance so that you don’t have to work hard to keep bare patches of ground or fight “pests” for example. I’m actually quite surprised at what my SO did to our own garden using this method, it’s very lush and green with very little work. No fertilizer, watering or lasers necessary.
- throwaway787544 4y ago
  A common quote in permaculture is "If you have too many snails, you don't have enough ducks" I like the idea of permaculture. But I don't want to have to figure out how to get my neighborhood association to let me keep ducks, much less feeding them and caring for them just to get rid of snails. I just want a robot to do everything for me.
roeles 4y ago
Google Farmbot :-)

stolenmerch 4y ago

A simple content management system that lets me take a photo of an object using my phone, add some quick metadata or category about it, then have it sync to the cloud where I can later add more detail from my laptop. Ideally I'd have fine-grained control of collections and share images between collections. Bonus points if it can use some sort of ML to learn about my objects and make metadata suggestions. Extra bonus points if it's not a subscription based cost.

stevewodil 4y ago
So, Google Photos?
- stolenmerch 4y ago
  No, not really. Google Photos functions as a simple photo album. A CDM has extensive metadata at the file, item, and collection level.

landemva 4y ago

Discipline to be more focused. Say 'no' more, and leave aside distractions. A good practice is to start day with quiet, some reading from the book, and meditation.

roeles 4y ago

Anything that would automatically handle cookie walls, "please subscribe to our newsletter" overlays and automatically playing videos.

Engineering-MD 4y ago
It does feel full circle how we used to suffer from pop ups and produced popup blocks; and now we have implemented the ability to do it all via javascript instead with overlays.
Davidbrcz 4y ago
https://ninja-cookie.com/ https://ninja-cookie.com/
- roeles 4y ago
  Awesome, thanks for sharing!

qolop 4y ago

A terminal based IDE that has quick startup time, vim's keybindings and plugin ecosystem, and just works out of the box without me spending hours on configuration. I'm currently using LunarVim, which is poorly documented, painful to install, update and configure, and with lots of tiny issues that I've spent hours trying to fix. But, it's still the best thing out there! I would pay a ton of money to whoever can solve this problem. Another thing I would pay money for is a terminal based python REPL that resembles a jupyter notebook. The IPython repl doesn't cut it for me and is missing a bunch of features, and projects like Euporie are missing things that I like in IPython. So something that borrows the best of both worlds would be incredible.

Davidbrcz 4y ago
So emacs with a distributor like doom-emacs ?
idontwantthis 4y ago
Why do you use LunarVim instead of NeoVim?
- pdimitar 4y ago
  Pre-baked configuration that makes a lot of sense e.g. LSP, telescope (finding files) and many others. Not like I could not do it myself but we're likely looking at a full busy weekend project, if not several of them even.

torstenvl 4y ago

I want a first-class open-source local-first password manager. Like Enpass or legacy 1Password, without needing to trust my passwords to "the cloud." I paid for a full "lifetime" license of 1Password 4, and 6, and 7. I paid for a full lifetime license of Enpass. I'd gladly pay ~$70 for something with as good a UI as BitWarden but without a need for a server. EDIT: pass and KeyPass are not even close to the same league, please don't suggest them.

55873445216111 4y ago
KeePass?
mabil 4y ago
https://www.passwordstore.org/ https://www.passwordstore.org/
acranox 4y ago
If you’re on an Apple product, Strongbox might fit your requirements. https://strongboxsafe.com/ https://strongboxsafe.com/

rapjr9 4y ago

I'd like to see a $30 pen tablet, similar to the Boogie board but better designed and with the ability to export documents. Then I could put one every place I have scraps of paper for notes or notebooks and be able to collect everything I write into a digital form (ideally automatically and wirelessly). A $500 pen tablet just does not work for this, it would cost too much to have 10 tablets around the house. Basically a Boogie board plus an ESP32 and a little storage with some well written software. Even $50 would be acceptable, $100 might be too much.

LifeQuestioner 4y ago
Like this? https://uk.livescribe.com/ https://uk.livescribe.com/
- rapjr9 4y ago
  A digital pen would be great also, if it didn't need special paper and worked well. The idea is to replace pen and paper with a device which is essentially an infinite supply of pen+paper. Having to buy special paper is limiting. I'm often trying to capture fleeting ideas so a solution needs to be handy everywhere which either means many cheap tablets or an expensive digital pen that works on just about any surface. Nothing digital I've seen or tried so far works well for this purpose.
diatone 4y ago
Fun unrelated fact: boogie board is an Australian slang term for what you might call a body board, used for faux-surfing. I was very confused by your comment for a while.

baremetal 4y ago

A dump truck or a semi with a low boy.