Surely it's a hobby project. You have to have very specific tastes to browse in the terminal in 2025.
> using external binaries for protocols feels like sidestepping the real engineering
You could easily move all protocols to the main binary. The reason for the current arrangement is that this way, you can e.g. replace the HTTP handler with curl-impersonate, or add custom protocols like magnet (etc.) See the bonus directory in the sources for inspiration.
> tied to niche image formats like sixel/kitty which barely anyone supports.
Sixel & Kitty are the only image formats anybody supports. The alternatives are ASCII art (fun, but too pixelated) & hacking images onto the terminal thru the display server (is that still a terminal-based app?) But I'm happy to discuss further, I find the issue fascinating :)
> mac
The macOS issue is largely a function of the only person working on this not having a mac. If you do, you can help solving it by debugging it yourself & posting the results: https://todo.sr.ht/~bptato/chawan/63
This is a Show HN! By hackers for hackers! Not everything has to be serious and ambitous and schleppy.
I can totally relate with your frustration. Here, come criticize my half-stack instead: https://akkartik.name/freewheeling-apps You're absolutely right in general.
But how can it be a problem? Working on a project just for fun is totally valid. Is this not «Hacker News»?
For the record, this is the definition of being a hacker by Stallman: «Being a programmer doesn't mean being a hacker: it means appreciating playful cleverness. Now, you can program without being playfully clever and you can be playfully clever in other fields without programming.»
> terminal browsers are hobby projects because
...those pesky GUI users want pixel-precision :P
Surely it's a hobby project. You have to have very specific tastes to browse in the terminal in 2025.
> using external binaries for protocols feels like sidestepping the real engineering
You could easily move all protocols to the main binary. The reason for the current arrangement is that this way, you can e.g. replace the HTTP handler with curl-impersonate, or add custom protocols like magnet (etc.) See the bonus directory in the sources for inspiration.
> tied to niche image formats like sixel/kitty which barely anyone supports.
Sixel & Kitty are the only image formats anybody supports. The alternatives are ASCII art (fun, but too pixelated) & hacking images onto the terminal thru the display server (is that still a terminal-based app?) But I'm happy to discuss further, I find the issue fascinating :)
> mac
The macOS issue is largely a function of the only person working on this not having a mac. If you do, you can help solving it by debugging it yourself & posting the results: https://todo.sr.ht/~bptato/chawan/63
You can get close tho: https://www.brow.sh/
Even closer https://github.com/chase/awrit
If you use a compatible terminal emulator.
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This is a Show HN! By hackers for hackers! Not everything has to be serious and ambitous and schleppy.
I can totally relate with your frustration. Here, come criticize my half-stack instead: https://akkartik.name/freewheeling-apps You're absolutely right in general.
2 replies →
But how can it be a problem? Working on a project just for fun is totally valid. Is this not «Hacker News»?
For the record, this is the definition of being a hacker by Stallman: «Being a programmer doesn't mean being a hacker: it means appreciating playful cleverness. Now, you can program without being playfully clever and you can be playfully clever in other fields without programming.»
1 reply →