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You shouldn't need to write a scraper just to list the available electives
9 months ago
- The author attends a top engineering school in Canada but finds the course selection and enrollment system cumbersome and unintuitive.
- The school provides a list of potential electives for first-year students but only includes course codes, requiring students to manually search each one for details.
- The 'Schedule of Classes' tool is difficult to navigate, prompting the school to publish a lengthy guide on how to use it.
- The author initially attempted to create a web app to parse and present course information in a more readable format.
- Discovered 'UW Flow,' an existing unofficial service that offers a better interface for course information but still lacks ease in browsing first-year electives.
- Developed a tool to scrape course data from UW Flow and present it in a sortable table with ratings, names, and codes, including a random elective selector.
- The tool was created in under half an hour and aims to simplify the elective selection process for students.
- The author reflects on the inefficiency of the current system and the lack of user-friendly interfaces for students.
Show HN: Textrix – Open-source Medium.com-style editor for publishing platforms
9 months ago
- Textrix is a rich-text publishing editor inspired by Medium, built for the modern web.
- It allows writing, editing, and publishing in one place with WYSIWYG functionality.
- Generates static HTML for faster load times, better SEO, and higher search rankings.
- Built with ProseMirror library, it's fast, lightweight, and customizable.
- Features include AI Autocomplete (coming soon), rich media support, and Markdown shortcuts.
- Supports live collaboration, multi-language, tree-shakeable bundles, and is framework-agnostic.
- 100% open-source and free, with options to support the project via donations or starring the repo.
- Contributions are welcome, with details in CONTRIBUTING.md.
My website is one binary (2022)
9 months ago
- The author struggled to find a website framework that met their high standards for simplicity, maintainability, and reliability.
- They experimented with various static site generators like Hugo, Jekyll, and Ghost but found them too dependent on external factors and complex.
- The author values systems that are easy to understand, maintain, and modify, with fast feedback loops and minimal dependencies.
- They initially tried hand-coding HTML but found the workflow tedious and limiting.
- The author then developed a dynamic website using Go, which they compiled into a single binary, offering simplicity, reliability, and maintainability.
- This approach allows for dynamic content generation, easy deployment, and minimal dependencies, aligning with their core values.
- The author encourages others to create personal websites that reflect their individuality and values, suggesting starting small and avoiding complex frameworks.
- They emphasize the fun and creativity in building a dynamic website tailored to personal preferences and needs.
- The web needs more unique and personal websites, and the author strongly advocates for dynamic, self-built solutions.
Show HN: Auto Favicon MCP Server
9 months ago
- MCP server for generating complete favicon sets from PNGs or URLs
- Features: multiple sizes, Apple touch icons, manifest.json, ICO format
- Supports both local PNG files and image URLs
- Includes commands: generate_favicon_from_png and generate_favicon_from_url
- Requires Python 3.12+ and uv package manager
- Easy setup with git clone and uv sync for dependencies
- MCP client configuration example provided
Breaking the WASM/JS communication performance barrier
9 months ago
- Sledgehammer bindgen provides faster Rust batched bindings for JS code.
- wasm-bindgen is more general, allowing returning values and handling various types; better for most users.
- Sledgehammer is designed for web frameworks needing low-level, fast DOM access.
- Sledgehammer can be used alongside wasm-bindgen.
- String decoding is expensive; wasm-bindgen calls TextDecoder.decode per string, while Sledgehammer calls it once per batch.
- For small strings, decoding in JavaScript is faster to avoid TextDecoder.decode overhead.
- Benchmark link provided for performance comparison.
- Caching strings in JavaScript avoids repeated decoding.
- Static strings in Sledgehammer are hashed by pointer, not value.
- Operations in Sledgehammer are encoded as byte sequences, packed into arrays.
- Operations are batched in fours as u32, optimizing read costs.
- Benchmark link provided for operation encoding efficiency.
Requesting Funding for 90s.dev
9 months ago
- The author initially introduced 90s.dev as a video game maker but later clarified it was a retro OS web environment intended to evolve into a game maker.
- Due to financial constraints and lack of spare time, the author had to pause development after burning through savings, highlighting the challenge of monetizing front-end open-source projects.
- Proposes a GitHub Sponsors model where sponsors can pay hourly ($25/hour) to fund development time on 90s.dev, treating it as employment.
- Shares progress on 90s.dev, including learning web worker features and dedicating extensive hours (14 hours/day, 6-7 days/week) over three months.
- Provides links to the project's app and documentation sources on GitHub and directs potential sponsors to a GitHub Sponsors page for funding.
Htmx and URL State Management
9 months ago
- URL-driven state in HTMX allows for bookmarkable and shareable application states without complex state management libraries.
- The pattern involves three steps: server reads URL parameters, client preserves state in HTMX requests, and browser URL updates without reload.
- Server-side rendering ensures the page works before JavaScript loads, with state flowing from URL → Server → DOM.
- A `createPayload` function coordinates state across interactions, handling sort toggling, filter preservation, and URL updates.
- The browser's URL is updated using `pushState`, enabling back and forward navigation through filter and sort history.
- LocalStorage is used to preserve state across navigation, with expiration to prevent stale data.
- Production considerations include URL length limits, parameter validation, state expiration, and testing strategies.
- Benefits include shareable views, working back button, built-in SEO, and transparent debugging with state visible in the address bar.
- The URL as a state store works with the web platform, scaling from simple to complex interfaces while maintaining HTMX simplicity.
GenosDB (GDB) – Decentralized P2P Graph Database
9 months ago
- GenosDB is a lightweight, decentralized graph database for modern web applications.
- Features include real-time peer-to-peer synchronization, WebAuthn-based authentication, and role-based access control (RBAC).
- Utilizes efficient local storage with OPFS and serialization via MessagePack and Pako compression.
- Supports external modules for extending capabilities like reverse or Radix Tree indexing.
- Currently in beta phase; not recommended for production use until stable.
- Completed features include basic and advanced queries, AI query modules, distributed storage, and conflict resolution (LWW).
- Pending features focus on improving incremental synchronization and security enhancements like biometric authentication.
- Built with dependencies like @msgpack/msgpack, pako, trystero (using Nostr protocol), and BroadcastChannel.
- Includes interactive documentation, examples, and a repository visualization for contributors.
- Open for community contributions via GitHub Discussions and Gitter chat.
- Licensed under MIT; minified builds are available, with source code not publicly released yet.
- Created by Esteban Fuster Pozzi, a Full Stack JavaScript Developer.
Make any website load faster with 6 lines of HTML
9 months ago
- The Chrome Speculation Rules API enables near-instant page loading by preloading and prerendering pages.
- Prefetch downloads only the top-level HTML, while prerender fully renders the page in the background.
- Eagerness 'moderate' starts preloading 200ms after a user hovers over a link.
- Docuseal.com replaced Hotwired Turbo with speculation rules for faster page loads.
- Speculation Rules API is supported only in Chrome 121+.
- A fallback script preloads pages on hover for Firefox and Safari users.
- Cache-Control headers with max-age are required for the fallback script to work.
Show HN: The easiest accessibility (a11y) checker for VSCode
9 months ago
- Visual Studio Code extension for accessibility audits using be-a11y.
- Analyze local projects or remote websites for accessibility issues.
- View results directly in VSCode and save reports for review.
- Run audits via Activity Bar panel or Command Palette.
- Installation involves cloning the repo, npm install, and compiling.
- Access the extension via the be-a11y icon in the Activity Bar.
- Set target (URL or Local project) before running an audit.
- Audit results open in a new editor tab.
- Save reports using the 'Save last accessibility report' option.
- Commands available via Command Palette: beA11y: Set target, Run audit, Save report.
- Source code located in src/ directory with extension.ts as entry point.
- Build and package extension using npm run build and npx vsce package.
- Troubleshooting tips for missing library or panel issues.
- Licensed under MIT.
Show HN: Publican – an HTML-first static site generator for Node.js
9 months ago
- Publican uses ECMAScript for creating static sites with minimal configuration.
- It offers fast build times, capable of building a 100-page site in under half a second.
- Publican focuses on server-rendered, HTML-first static sites with optional JavaScript.
- Features clean URL routing with static directories and index.html files.
- Utilizes JavaScript template literals for simpler templates without special syntax.
- Includes syntax highlighting for Markdown code blocks with customizable CSS.
- Extendible with custom values, functions, replacers, and event hooks.
- Provides a static search engine that doesn't require server-side processing or databases.
- Comes with comprehensive documentation including guides, API references, and example themes.
SimpleW – Web Server Library .NET Core
9 months ago
- Routing
- API REST with Controller/Method and automatic json serialization/deserialization
- Json Web Token support
- Websocket functionality
- Server Sent Events
- Static Files handling
- OpenTelemetry integration
- Documentation available at stratdev3.github.io
- Detailed changes in CHANGELOG
- MIT License
Show HN: HMPL – Small Template Language for Rendering UI from Server to Client
9 months ago
- HMPL is a small template language for displaying UI from server to client.
- It uses customizable requests sent via fetch and processes them into HTML.
- Syntactically block-based and integrates with JSON5 and DOMPurify.
- Reduces JavaScript file sizes while displaying modern framework-like UI.
- Example provided shows dynamic UI updates via server requests.
- Can be used with or without JavaScript, supporting DOM mounting.
- Features include customizable requests, memory efficiency, and XSS protection.
- Installation options include npm, CDN, and starter projects like Vite.
- Documentation and community support available via GitHub, Discord, and Twitter.
- Open for contributions under MIT license.
HTML Traits
9 months ago
- HTML Traits is an experimental JavaScript library for adding multiple interactive behaviors to HTML elements via a simple 'traits' attribute.
- It offers clean, composable functionality without wrapper elements, unlike traditional web components.
- Advantages include composition over inheritance, multiple traits per element, ordered traits, and progressive enhancement.
- The library avoids unnecessary container elements, keeps HTML clean, and leverages native element behavior.
- Example use case: enhancing a textarea with auto-expanding and character limit traits without nested elements.
- HTML Traits is not a full web component implementation and doesn't support Shadow DOM.
- A sample implementation shows defining a 'character-limit' trait using native HTML attributes like 'maxlength'.
Linear sent me down a local-first rabbit hole
9 months ago
- Linear is a fast project management tool with instant updates and no loading states.
- Local-first applications prioritize keeping data local and syncing across devices, improving user experience by eliminating network latency.
- Key challenges in local-first development include handling offline/online transitions, conflict resolution, and security.
- Jazz is a local-first tool that simplifies building collaborative apps with automatic syncing and end-to-end encryption.
- Electric SQL and Zero offer alternative approaches to local-first development, integrating with existing databases.
- Local-first is ideal for creative tools, collaborative apps, and mobile apps needing offline support but may not suit heavy server-side logic or large-scale analytics.
Traps to Developers
9 months ago
- HTML and CSS traps include `min-width: auto` overriding other CSS attributes and differences in horizontal vs. vertical behavior.
- Block formatting context (BFC) can prevent margin collapse and parent height collapse when containing floating children.
- Stacking contexts affect `z-index`, positioning, and clipping behaviors, created by properties like `transform` and `position: fixed`.
- Mobile viewport height (`100vh`) issues can be resolved with `100dvh` to account for browser UI bars.
- Floating-point pitfalls include NaN behavior, negative zero, and hardware-dependent computation differences.
- Time-related traps involve leap seconds, time zones, and DST, recommending UTC for server configurations.
- Java and Golang have specific concurrency and equality comparison traps, like `==` vs. `.equals()` in Java.
- C/C++ undefined behaviors include uninitialized memory access, strict aliasing, and iterator invalidation.
- Python's default argument mutability and numpy/pytorch differences are common pitfalls.
- SQL database traps include NULL handling, implicit conversions, and locking behaviors affecting performance.
- Concurrency issues like TOCTOU and atomic reference counting inefficiencies are highlighted.
- Linux/bash pitfalls involve unset variables, file name case sensitivity, and command path caching.
- React hooks misuse and state management errors can lead to bugs and unnecessary re-renders.
- Git rebase and force push nuances, along with secret leakage risks in public repositories.
- Networking issues include silent TCP connection drops, CORS, and HTTP method body misconceptions.
- YAML and Excel data handling pitfalls, like space sensitivity and automatic data conversion errors.
Web apps in a single, portable, self-updating, vanilla HTML file
9 months ago
- Hyperclay simplifies web development by using a single HTML file that includes UI, logic, and data.
- It allows live editing and instant sharing, functioning like Google Docs for interactive code.
- Hyperclay eliminates the need for complex infrastructure like servers, databases, and APIs.
- The platform enables persistent changes to HTML files, making digital objects behave more like physical ones.
- Hyperclay is ideal for creating malleable, shareable, and cloneable web apps with minimal setup.
- Examples include a personal dev log or a tool to track extra work hours, all in a single HTML file.
- The approach reduces the cognitive load of web development, focusing on the user experience rather than infrastructure.
Show HN: Using Common Lisp from Inside the Browser
8 months ago
- Web Embeddable Common Lisp (WECL) enables Common Lisp to run in web browsers.
- WECL allows scripting websites with Common Lisp via script tags with type 'text/common-lisp'.
- The project includes a JS-FFI for low-level interaction between Common Lisp and JavaScript.
- LIME/SLUG provides Emacs integration, allowing interaction with WECL via a websocket connection.
- WECL can inject a Common Lisp runtime into arbitrary websites, enabling REPL access.
- Current limitations include lack of threading support and performance issues due to unoptimized bytecode.
- Future plans include porting to WASI for better threading and GC support.
- The project is funded by NGI0 Commons Fund, supported by the European Commission.
What about using rel="share-url" to expose sharing intents?
8 months ago
- Proposal for using `rel="share-url"` to standardize sharing intents across different platforms.
- Different social networks have varied sharing URL structures (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, BlueSky).
- ShareOpenly can handle most major and decentralized platforms but allows custom share intents via meta tags.
- Example meta tags for platforms like Facebook, Lemmy, LinkedIn, Mastodon, and BlueSky provided.
- Challenges with platforms that only accept text (e.g., Mastodon, BlueSky) and proposed solutions.
- Process for adding new link types to the HTML specification involves writing a formal specification.
- Questions posed about the viability and potential adoption of the `rel="share-url"` standard.
- Reference to a past poll on the usage of share buttons for additional context.
Faircamp — A static site generator for audio producers
8 months ago
- Faircamp is a static site generator designed for audio producers.
- It builds a complete website from a folder hierarchy of audio files, requiring no database or programming.
- Features include streaming via web player, podcast RSS, and M3U playlists.
- Download options include unlock codes, soft paycurtain, and external download links.
- Suitable for musicians, journalists, sound designers, and labels with multiple projects.
- Audience-friendly features: responsive, accessible, JavaScript optional, and optimized for speed.
- Themeable with options for dark/light, monochrome/colored, background images, and interactive theming.
- Multilingual support and additional features like browse/search, embeds, RSS feeds, and procedural covers.
- Free and non-profit, with community resources including chat groups, guides, and tutorials.
- Example sites using Faircamp are listed, showcasing its versatility.

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#web-development

You shouldn't need to write a scraper just to list the available electives

Show HN: Textrix – Open-source Medium.com-style editor for publishing platforms

My website is one binary (2022)

Show HN: Auto Favicon MCP Server

Breaking the WASM/JS communication performance barrier

Requesting Funding for 90s.dev

Htmx and URL State Management

GenosDB (GDB) – Decentralized P2P Graph Database

Make any website load faster with 6 lines of HTML

Show HN: The easiest accessibility (a11y) checker for VSCode

Show HN: Publican – an HTML-first static site generator for Node.js

SimpleW – Web Server Library .NET Core

Show HN: HMPL – Small Template Language for Rendering UI from Server to Client

HTML Traits

Linear sent me down a local-first rabbit hole

Traps to Developers

Web apps in a single, portable, self-updating, vanilla HTML file

Show HN: Using Common Lisp from Inside the Browser

What about using rel="share-url" to expose sharing intents?

Faircamp — A static site generator for audio producers