Show HN: Experience iPhone's "Blob Keyboard" prototype from 2005 https://ift.tt/kUnvPlC

Show HN: Experience iPhone's "Blob Keyboard" prototype from 2005 Hi HN, I teach tech design history, and one of the key stories I cover is the development of the original iPhone keyboard by Ken Kocienda. Reading about it in his book "Creative Selection" is great, but I wanted my students (and now you!) to actually feel this step in the process. So, I built a web simulator of the "Blob Keyboard", Kocienda's very first attempt at a touchscreen keyboard that actually works, from September 2005: Try the Blob Keyboard: https://ift.tt/5Cxh7bw... - Tap for the middle letter - Swipe left or right for the side letters More on the github repo: https://ift.tt/bDjJ3EU The Blob Keyboard prototype emerged during a UX crisis for iPhone team (their software keyboard just didn't work at all, fingers being too big, and the Newton failure loomed over them), highlighting how innovation is rarely a straight path. It was developed on a tethered touchscreen display codenamed "Wallaby". To make this simulator as authentic as possible, I referenced images from Kocienda's book and even got direct feedback and guidance from Ken Kocienda himself on Bluesky. What to expect (or… what not to expect): This is a reconstruction of a very early prototype with limitations reflecting that specific moment. The goal was to test first if typing with accuracy was even possible, as all the rest was moot if it failed! It's NOT QWERTY: They were still hoping to get us out of QWERTY, but then familiarity won. No Backspace: You can't delete. No Cursor Movement: The text field is just a simple display. No Caps or Numbers: Only lowercase letters. No Smooth Animations: Keys just "pop" instantly when pressed. Kocienda noted that your eye fills in the gaps, giving a sense of movement. Best Experience: While it works with a mouse/trackpad on desktop, it's designed for touchscreens to better replicate the original Wallaby hardware interaction. Use it on your phone! This project aims to provide a tangible glimpse into a turning point moment in iPhone development and the iterative nature of design. It's like stepping back in time and trying out that early demo on Kocienda's desk. I would love to hear your reactions and thoughts on experiencing this piece of UI history! What other significant prototype do you wish you could experience? April 5, 2025 at 11:50PM

Show HN: Clawtype v2.1 – a one-hand chorded USB keyboard and mouse [video] https://ift.tt/bsdXwzi

Show HN: Clawtype v2.1 – a one-hand chorded USB keyboard and mouse [video] Written in Rust (embassy), running on a SparkFun ProMicro RP2040 board, with an MPU6050 gyroscope. Based on the Chordite idea from John W. McKown ( https://ift.tt/SbukKwW... ). Intended for use with XR glasses I recently bought. Currently my typing speed is still rather slow, but my skill is graduably improving and at a noticeable pace, and I can and do some vim coding in my hobby time. I plan to try and do a wireless (BLE) version next, hopefully running off a single AA NiMH battery. The code is at: https://ift.tt/ZisCQxJ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2PSiOl-auM April 5, 2025 at 04:02AM

Show HN: SwiftHive – A Swift Package Registry for Faster Builds https://ift.tt/kCswTQd

Show HN: SwiftHive – A Swift Package Registry for Faster Builds Hi HN! I've built SwiftHive, a private Swift package registry that solves several pain points with Swift's dependency management. We drastically reduce build times, ensure reproducibility, and I'm actively looking for beta testers from the community. https://ift.tt/repKP3o April 5, 2025 at 03:00AM

Show HN: DuckDB Powered SQL Editor https://ift.tt/C139UDO

Show HN: DuckDB Powered SQL Editor Hi guys, I made an SQL editor that utilizes the duckDB engine to process your queries. As a result, the speed gains are +25% when compared to using any standard editor that connects through JDBC. I built this because I work on a small data team and we can't justify an OLAP database. Postgres is amazing but, if I try to run any extremely complex queries I get stuck waiting for several minutes to see the result. This makes it hard to iterate and get through any sort of analysis. That's when I got the idea to use duckDB's processing engine rather than the small compute available on my Postgres instance. I didn't enjoy writing SQL in a Python notebook and wanted something like dBeaver that just worked, so I created soarSQL. Try it out and let me know if it has a place in your toolkit! https://soarsql.com April 5, 2025 at 01:40AM

Show HN: I made an online free tool site https://ift.tt/kiaLjJA

Show HN: I made an online free tool site Hi HN! I've created [UFreeTools]( https://ift.tt/mwQeqSv ), a collection of developer utilities (60+ tools and growing) that's completely free, ad-free, and runs entirely in the browser. No data leaves your device - everything is processed locally. ## Background As a developer, I found myself constantly searching for simple utilities like JSON formatters, UUID generators, and color pickers. Most existing options were cluttered with ads, required sign-ups, or sent data to servers. I wanted clean, fast tools that respected privacy. So I built UFreeTools as a modern SPA using Vue 3 and Vite with: - 100% client-side processing for all tools - Progressive loading with dynamic imports (only load what you use) - Dark/light theme support - Offline capability for most tools - Responsive design that works well on mobile ## Technical Details Some of the more technically interesting implementations: - *JWT Debugger*: Uses WebCrypto API for verification of all common algorithms - *Symmetric Encryption*: Implements AES-GCM/CBC/CTR with PBKDF2 key derivation - *Image Processing*: Uses Web Workers for non-blocking operations on large images ## Lessons Learned The biggest challenges were: 1. *Performance optimization*: Some tools (like image processors) needed careful optimization to handle large files without freezing the UI 2. *Browser API limitations*: Working around browser restrictions for certain crypto operations 3. *Bundle size management*: Keeping the initial load small while supporting 60+ tools ## Future Plans I'm planning to add: - Tool configurations sync via local storage - More specialized tools for developers based on feedback I built it because I needed these tools myself, and I hope others find it useful. I'd love your feedback, especially on UX, tool suggestions, or if you find any bugs! [Try UFreeTools]( https://ift.tt/mwQeqSv ) https://ift.tt/mwQeqSv April 4, 2025 at 11:26PM

Show HN: Monkeys.zip – 3000 Monkeys on Typewriters https://ift.tt/OyISzju

Show HN: Monkeys.zip – 3000 Monkeys on Typewriters Hey HN! I posted this on April 1st when it launched, and though it didn't get traction here, it was a minor hit on reddit! Now that we've got a few thousand monkeys under our belt, wanted to give it another shot here! Happy to talk about the technical details of running the site - using supabase/postgres and constantly putting out fires from the traffic. https://monkeys.zip/ April 3, 2025 at 11:36PM

Show HN: Exponent, a collaborative AI programming agent https://ift.tt/ahe9BDM

Show HN: Exponent, a collaborative AI programming agent https://ift.tt/tO4NMpy April 3, 2025 at 12:23AM

Show HN: Bookmarklet to Add TOC to ChatGPT's Chats https://ift.tt/CP6iH58

Show HN: Bookmarklet to Add TOC to ChatGPT's Chats https://ift.tt/SxUMzN1 April 2, 2025 at 11:36PM

Show HN: Envkit (Not YC) – Painless developer onboarding into codebase https://ift.tt/QdvxEIN

Show HN: Envkit (Not YC) – Painless developer onboarding into codebase https://envkit.co/ April 2, 2025 at 01:32AM

Show HN: Calculation Hub: Every Calculation Tool You'll Ever Need https://ift.tt/x7qEYoV

Show HN: Calculation Hub: Every Calculation Tool You'll Ever Need Every Calculation Tool You'll Ever Need. Growing list of calculators, in a clean, simple design. https://ift.tt/cFqepwN April 1, 2025 at 08:48PM

Show HN: I built a CLI for one-command fullstack TypeScript projects https://ift.tt/ymFeDI5

Show HN: I built a CLI for one-command fullstack TypeScript projects I built a CLI for scaffolding TypeScript projects with Turborepo, React, and tRPC. It includes TanStack Router/Query, Tailwind, Hono/Elysia backends, Drizzle/Prisma ORMs, and more. npx create-better-t-stack@latest https://ift.tt/I1RsT4x April 1, 2025 at 11:49PM

Show HN: FancyLock v0.0.5 – Now with Hyprland (Wayland) Support https://ift.tt/lcAsY9h

Show HN: FancyLock v0.0.5 – Now with Hyprland (Wayland) Support I've been working on a fancy screen locker for Linux, and I'm excited to share that FancyLock now supports Hyprland in version v0.0.5! What is FancyLock? FancyLock is a feature-rich screen locker for Linux, built to replace boring, static lock screens with something more dynamic and customizable. Key Features Dynamic media playback during lock screen (e.g., videos, ambient visuals) Multi-monitor support PAM-based authentication Intelligent idle timeout Highly configurable (via JSON) Now supports Hyprland (Wayland) alongside X11 Technical Highlights Written in Go Uses X11 extensions and Wayland protocols for input/window management Integrates with mpv for flexible media playback Designed to be clean, minimal, and extensible Current Version: v0.0.5 Full support for X11 New: Hyprland Wayland support Actively developed with more compositors and features planned GitHub: https://ift.tt/dCSfau6 Would love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or feature requests. Give it a try and let me know what you think! https://ift.tt/dCSfau6 April 1, 2025 at 03:31AM

Show HN: NoteUX – Fast and minimalist note-taking app https://ift.tt/ksxa1g3

Show HN: NoteUX – Fast and minimalist note-taking app https://www.noteux.com/ March 27, 2025 at 04:49PM

Show HN: Million Dollar Homepage is back, but there's a twist https://ift.tt/QsMdO5G

Show HN: Million Dollar Homepage is back, but there's a twist Check out yourself. https://ift.tt/L14qtJm April 1, 2025 at 12:21AM

Show HN: I automate YT Shorts using this https://ift.tt/YXItnjM

Show HN: I automate YT Shorts using this https://instavidai.app March 31, 2025 at 05:39AM

Show HN: PipZap – Zapping the mess out of the Python dependencies https://ift.tt/FavnMpd

Show HN: PipZap – Zapping the mess out of the Python dependencies https://ift.tt/YlA3pVg March 31, 2025 at 04:35AM

Show HN: Chip-8 emulator written in JavaScript https://ift.tt/7RCcSAk

Show HN: Chip-8 emulator written in JavaScript https://ift.tt/jHYPp3J March 31, 2025 at 01:14AM

Show HN: Non Interactive ZKP with Fiat-Shamir Heuristic and ECC in Go https://ift.tt/sQ6ZaEy

Show HN: Non Interactive ZKP with Fiat-Shamir Heuristic and ECC in Go Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge Proof implementation using Fiat-Shamir Heuristic and Elliptic Curve Cryptography https://ift.tt/6hpWGrd March 30, 2025 at 01:19AM

Show HN: I implemented Snake in a tmux config file https://ift.tt/xMTBo1r

Show HN: I implemented Snake in a tmux config file https://ift.tt/DHeld2o March 26, 2025 at 01:37PM

Show HN: zxc – terminal TLS intercepting proxy in Rust with tmux and Vim as UI https://ift.tt/XbTjyWE

Show HN: zxc – terminal TLS intercepting proxy in Rust with tmux and Vim as UI - Disk based storage. - Custom http/1.1 parser to send malformed requests. - http/1.1 and websocket support. Proxy: https://ift.tt/Y0xWuX1 Vim: https://ift.tt/yDLmbZI https://ift.tt/Y0xWuX1 March 29, 2025 at 12:31AM