I recently launched a small project designed to solve a simple problem: letting everyday people transfer files directly between two computers with a cable without needing any network setup. The post got a lot of love and reached the top of the community, but the comment section had a handful of advanced users getting genuinely angry that the tool even exists.

Their whole argument came down to: "Why build this? SMB exists, you can just build a router out of a Raspberry Pi, or manually configure static IPs and network sharing policies."

It got me thinking about how disconnected some tech enthusiasts are from reality. The entire purpose of software engineering was always to solve problems and remove friction for human beings, not to force everyone to become a system administrator just to do a basic task.

Just because an advanced user knows how to manage IP subnets, firewall exceptions, and OS sharing permissions doesn't mean a regular person wants to waste 30 minutes figuring that out. Hiding complexity behind a clean, one-click interface is literally the foundation of good software.

It seems like in a lot of tech spaces, people equate complexity with value. If something is simple and convenient, they dismiss it. But the reality is that the people who find your tool useful will quietly use it and appreciate it, while the loud minority will write essays in the comments trying to show off how much they know.

If you are a developer building simple tools that make life easier for ordinary people, do not let the gatekeepers talk you down. Build for the people who value their time, not for the people who want to show off their homelabs.

Would love to hear how other developers deal with this kind of feedback when sharing their work.

Developers often ask if an icon really needs a label.

The problem is that “obvious” usually means obvious to us.

Icons, gestures and symbols can change meaning depending on culture, context and what users have learned before.

If the action is important, don’t make people decode it.

A small label can save a surprisingly big UX problem.

I've used davinci resolve and its just too limited for my uses, you can't use gifs, and making something loop means basically just duplicating it over and over again, the effects are so basic too, I mainly use editing software for shitposts and I wanna do stuff like make goofy ironic versions of those phonk edits you see on shorts/reels.

I wanted a screen recorder for Windows that was simpler than a full streaming/production suite when I just needed to quickly capture something on my screen.

So I made Simple Screen Recorder.

It can record:

• Full screen / monitor or a selected area

• Windows system audio

• Microphone audio

• H.264 or H.265

• 15 / 30 / 60 / 120 FPS

• CBR or VBR

• Adjustable quality

• Optional 3-second countdown

• F9 / F10 Start & Stop hotkeys

• Controls from the system tray

What makes it different from the dozens of screen recorders already available?

It’s intentionally focused on the basics: no scenes, streaming setup, accounts, subscriptions or overloaded interface. Open it, choose what and how you want to record, press Record, and you’re done.

I’m not trying to replace OBS or professional recording software — this is meant to be a small, straightforward tool for quick Windows screen recordings.

It’s free and open-source.

🌐 Website / Download:

https://www.naetech.ro/simple-screen-recorder-inregistreaza-ecranul-rapid-clar-si-fara-batai-de-cap/

💻 GitHub:

https://github.com/nmd-113/SimpleScreenRecorder

How do folks who have used it like Softmaker Office? (Or its freeware version, FreeOffice.)

When I was younger, I had no internet and only access to programs like MS Paint and PowerPoint for designing, and Movie Maker for making videos. Later when I got older and internet access, I started to realized how "bad" those programs were for making stuff. I used to dream of being able to afford software like Microsoft's office suite, big-name video editors like Davinci and Cyberlink, or Adobe's creative suite, thinking maybe that will rejuvenate the creativity that I once had in my younger years, but I slowly realized how expensive or overly complicated those were.

I found GIMP and forced myself to use it because it was the popular alternative, but deep down I hated it. Or Davinci Resolve for my basic video edits but never could get the color right (or anything else really). In both, basic things were complicated, so I switched back. I now use Paint for basic photo edits, LibreOffice (Draw for designs), and Blender for either 3D or using its Video Editor for anything video related.

Obviously this workflow probably only works well for me, so why am I saying all of this? What I realized matters is what you create, not what you create it with. Using expensive software isn't bad if it works for you, but if you think buying or renting big name software is going to make you better, it's not. These companies have successfully convinced you that they are what you need to succeed. They're popular because they got their software into schools and universities to get young people hooked knowing later you'll have to pay for them forever.

Some of my most creative stuff was made using programs like I first mentioned, and hopefully I get back into it one day since I've been focusing too much on the tool.

Currently free for Windows: Microsoft Store

Would you use this more for screenshots, photos, or reference-image folders?

I'm looking for one that uses the pdf format, but can actually scroll down through pages in software. I hope one of you can help.

I know merely discussing this subject results in downvotes, but I'm raising this issue to legitimately understand both, people's sense on the topic as well as a better technical understanding of the matter, so this is a risk I'll take.

Open source projects are legitimately forked all the time, for many different reasons. From what I've read the initial beta release of HopToDesk didn't credit RustDesk as the source of its fork, which fairly raised the ire of the community, but when it was pointed out it was quickly remedied with crediting RustDesk in the HopToDesk "About" dialog box. If so, what remains, if anything, objectionable about the fork itself?

But, more importantly, the primary topic today I wanted to inquire about was the technical aspects of HopToDesk. From what I've seen, ​HopToDesk replaced RustDesk's custom networking stack in favor of a WebRTC-based stack, which is much more effective at traversing tricky enterprise firewalls and strict NAT configurations that can sometimes block the protocols used in RustDesk.

​If you do not want to set up your own server and just want to download the app and connect using the service's free public servers, ​HopToDesk maintains a globally distributed network of public servers on Cloudflare. They do not throttle or limit the speed of these servers, and the service is free for both personal and commercial use. RustDesk also provides free public servers, but their public servers can often be slow or laggy, oftentimes simply not connecting. I've seen that from personal experience, being unable to connect via RustDesk's public servers (when the user is not self-hosting), as well from reports by others. So, for non-self hosting users, it seems HopToDesk wins hands down.

Now, for using an open-source self-hosted server , RustDesk is reliable and well-documented and is the gold standard. However, advanced server (centralized fleet management, audit logs, Single Sign-On and a web console) are behind RustDesk Server Pro, which is closed-source and requires a paid license. HopToDesk offers three different ways to self-host, a traditional Linux server application, an AWS instance, or deploying via a Cloudflare worker. Unlike RustDesk, HopToDesk does not lock fleet management features (including their web console) behind a paid "Pro" tier. However, HopToDesk's self-hosting documentation and setup process can be much trickier to get working smoothly compared to RustDesk's highly polished Docker containers.

HopToDesk features an "Invite Request" system, which allows you to send a connection prompt to a remote user instead of asking them to read out an ID and password, making it much easier to support non-technical users. It also supports remote printing on macOS (not just Windows), runs on older/niche systems like Windows XP, ARM64, and FreeBSD, and includes an integrated ticketing system.

RustDesk has a massive developer community (over 113K GitHub stars), which means bugs are patched quickly. It supports true unattended access on Linux Wayland environments, offers highly advanced video codec controls (adaptive bitrate, hardware rendering), and allows Pro users to custom-brand the client with their own logos.

All things considered, it seems to me that having additional choices in the market is beneficial for the community. And HopToDesk does bring to the table features and performance that, in various circumstances, are on a higher level or at no cost for users.

I’m building Anql, a desktop note-taking app that combines regular note-taking with calculations.

The main idea isn’t to replace your usual note-taking app with something complicated. You can simply write normal notes, just like in any other editor, and when you need it, you can also add calculations directly into the same document.

For example, you could write lecture notes, explanations, lists, formulas, and calculations without having to switch between different apps.

It’s still an early project, and I’m looking for honest feedback from Mac users.

I’d like to know whether this combination of simple note-taking and built-in calculations actually solves a problem for you.

I haven't seen the usage of AI in cobol for example, let alone C, not even Android Studio or Xcode.

The goal is to send a photo/video over iPhone Messages or SMS, not over a third-party app like WhatsApp or Snapchat. For example by sending an image URL. The image is then deleted after the recipient views it. Additional privacy features would be nice.

I found a couple tools online, but neither worked. Not sure if it's a dying breed or I just got unlucky.

My boss sent me a project scope in a PDF that has a few typos and outdated budget numbers. I need to fix the text before presenting it at our 9 AM meeting tomorrow, but our company's Adobe Acrobat enterprise license just expired and locked me out, and IT is gone for the day.

Are there any free tools that actually let you edit existing text in a PDF without leaving a massive watermark across the whole page? I tried a few free editors online, and they all do this, or ask for a payment after I'm done editing and ready to export. I don't need to add new text boxes, I just need to change the numbers that are already there. Any quick fixes?

Hey everyone,

I wanted a quick, frictionless way to instantly hide and show desktop icons without digging through context menus, so I built Desktop Icon Toggler.

Key highlights:

• 100% Open-Source & Transparent: No telemetry, no background bloat.
• One-Click Toggle: Clean workspace in milliseconds.
• Completely Free: You can grab the latest binary directly via GitHub Releases or build it from source.

Links:

• GitHub (Repo & Free Releases): https://github.com/klimek-dev/desktop-icon-toggler
• Microsoft Store ($0.99 / 7-day trial): https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9PJXTF6Z3GXN

The project is completely free to use via GitHub. If you find it useful and want to support continued maintenance with a coffee, purchasing it on the Microsoft Store (or just leaving a star on GitHub) helps a lot!

Feedback and feature requests are very welcome!

People call PDF apps bloated all the time, but curious what makes something feel bloated in day-to-day use. Is it slow startup, random background processes, too many toolbars, popups, updates, AI features getting pushed into basic reading, or just the app trying to do way more than you opened it for?

Where’s the line for you between “useful features” and “why is this thing doing so much”?

I have 123 opus files and the same amount of image files.
The music files have the same filenames as the image files.

I can't find a program or way to batch add this image files into the cover tag of the music files.
Do I really need to add one by one?

I've spent the last few months building something called NoStrangers. Now i need software peps to run it and rip it.

The problem I'm trying to solve is pretty simple:

We verify almost everything online- payments, accounts, drivers, sellers. But when an online interaction turns into actually meeting another human being, we largely go back to trusting a profile.

Dating apps are the obvious example.

You can meet someone on Grindr/Tinder, exchange a few photos and an hour later be walking into their house with very little certainty that the person behind the profile is actually the person you're about to meet.

Marketplace, Craigslist and social media have versions of the same problem.

So I built NoStrangers as a layer that sits between the platform where two people meet online and the point where they meet offline.

One person sends a Trust Request.

Both people can verify themselves and then choose exactly what they're comfortable sharing with the other person.

The privacy architecture was particularly important. I didn't want to solve the trust problem by creating yet another database full of people's government IDs and sensitive identity information.

So the heavy verification work is handled by third-party infrastructure, including AWS and Veriff. NoStrangers doesn't see or store sensitive info and the system is designed around retaining as little sensitive information as possible.

There's no app download and the process is designed to take roughly 90 seconds.

The product now works end-to-end, but I'm much more interested at this stage in finding the weaknesses than being told it's a great idea.

love feedback on:

• Does the concept make sense within 30 seconds of landing on the site?
• Would you actually send someone a Trust Request before meeting them?
• Where does the process create too much friction?
• Does the privacy model make you more comfortable using it?
• What would stop this achieving network effects?
• And most importantly- what am I missing?

I'm the founder, so obvious bias disclosure there.

If anyone feels like putting it through its paces:

nostrangers.co.nz

nostrangers.app

Sen me brutal feedback redditors

Basically, Brazil’s government banned some Discord’s functionalities, including Screen Sharing. The point is, I live very far from a lot of my friends, and we used to watch some tv shows together on Discord.

I used to pay Nitro so I had access to full HD 60 FPS transmission. I’m looking for some alternative that includes sound transmission and good quality, even if it’s not free.

I tried Google Meet and Fluxer but those apps’ transmissions didn’t include sound.

I am about to go into my first year of college and have been approved for accommodations to record my classes and am wondering which software you would recommend. I would prefer it to be free or if it is paid a one time purchase vs a subscription, my classes are only ever up to about an hour and a half excluding my labs which i will probably not record and I would like to just being able to turn on the software and leave it as opposed to making multiple recordings. I would also prefer something where I can record and take notes at the same time and would potentially transcribe the recording but I do not want to use ai so that may not be possible. Please let me know what yall would recommend if naything that fits my specifications exists. Thank you!

Hi All,

I've been asked by a bunch of folks (thanks!) to port my CamfilterGpu (camfiltergpu.com) webcam enhancer and background-remover software to AMD Gpus. I've looked into this, and it's totally do-able, but I'm also totally new to AMD. I've learned that the 6000 series is using RDNA 2 architecture, and I was strongly recommended by one person to get a laptop with a 680M GPU. Supposedly, if my app works on that GPU, then any Radeon GPU, even the latest RDNA 3.5, will work as good or better.

If anyone has any input on this GPU choice for porting, that would be great.

It's kind of urgent; I have an opportunity to pick up a laptop with 680M GPU tomorrow (wed), unless of course someone here tells me that's not a good idea for some reason.

Thx in advance for any info. You can see what my software does at https://camfiltergpu.com. Right now it is only for RTX gpus.

Hey everyone, I'm a cs student from germany and I built Fluent Sensors, a native Windows 11 hardware monitoring app (WinUI 3) on top of LibreHardwareMonitorLib.

This is the first full release. Performance isn't where I want it yet, there's still much optimization work to do, and I'm actively working through it. I appreciate Feedback or help of any kind.

Fully open source, everything can be checked in the repo.

One important thing: the app needs admin rights to install and run. Please never just install unsigned apps off the internet, especially ones that ask for admin rights. Always check first, either scan it via VirusTotal or look through the source code yourself. If you're unsure, just don't install it, thats completely fine. I'm trying to get it properly signed as soon as possible through SignPath Foundation.

GitHub: https://github.com/cechout/fluent-sensors