Ice – open source menu bar manager for macOS

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

An open source macOS menu bar manager called Ice is gaining interest as users look for alternatives to Bartender, a popular paid tool whose quiet sale to a new owner raised privacy and trust concerns—especially given its screen recording permissions. Commenters compare Ice with other utilities like Hidden Bar, Dozer, iBar, and Vanilla, noting that while Ice is still missing advanced features (second-row bars, notch handling, search, folders), its active development and transparent codebase make it appealing. The thread also surfaces broader frustrations with macOS menu bar ergonomics, window management, and Apple’s reliance on third-party tools for basic quality-of-life improvements.

Reactions to Ice (open‑source menu bar manager)

  • Many welcome an open‑source replacement for Bartender, especially after its controversial sale.
  • Some users find Ice fast, minimal, and already sufficient for basic hide/show needs.
  • Others see it as promising but immature: fewer features than Bartender, especially around handling many icons and notched MacBooks.

Features, UX, and Limitations of Ice

  • Core mechanic: Command‑drag to rearrange icons and choose which stay always visible (to the right of Ice’s chevron). This was initially non‑obvious and poorly documented.
  • Missing or requested features:
    • Proper notch handling; extra “second bar” below the main menu bar.
    • Scrolling through icons, search, folders/grouping, and better notch‑safe layouts.
    • Adjustable spacing/padding directly in the app (currently only via Terminal defaults).
  • Some find configuration difficult when many icons are present, especially on notched laptops.

Bartender Sale, Trust, and Permissions

  • Strong backlash that Bartender was sold quietly to an unknown company while holding “Screen Recording,” Accessibility, and Location permissions.
  • Users emphasize that they had trusted the original developer personally; trust does not transfer automatically to new, opaque owners.
  • Debate over whether criticism of the original seller is fair or a “mob” overreacting to a niche utility.
  • Some suggest staying on a known‑safe Bartender version and firewalling it to block updates/network access.

Screen Recording Permission Debate

  • Explanations: needed to “see” and relocate other apps’ menu bar icons on a locked‑down macOS; similar to remote desktop and color‑picker tools.
  • Others note alternatives (e.g., Dozer, Hidden Bar) that avoid this permission, suggesting Bartender/Ice use deeper “hacks” to achieve richer behavior.

Alternatives and System‑Level Workarounds

  • Alternatives mentioned: Hidden Bar, Dozer, iBar, Vanilla, SketchyBar, xbar, BetterTouchTool, Parallels’ toolbox, old Bartender 4.
  • Some rely on macOS’s own capabilities:
    • Built‑in Command‑drag reordering.
    • Moving items to Control Center.
    • Changing menu bar spacing/padding via defaults commands.

Broader macOS UX Debate

  • Thread branches into discussion of:
    • The ergonomics of the global menu bar vs per‑window menus.
    • Apple’s slow progress on window management and reliance on third‑party tools.
    • Comparisons with Windows, Linux/GNOME, and tiling WMs.