Software galaxies

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Controls & UX

  • Many find navigation hard, especially on mobile: device-tilt controls feel jittery, touch selection is imprecise, and standard gestures (pinch-zoom, drag) often don’t work as expected.
  • Some enjoy the gyroscope view, describing the phone as a “window” into another world, but others dislike being forced to rotate the device (awkward on public transport, stands, disabilities).
  • Desktop controls (WASD + arrow keys) are widely reported as much better and even “fun,” though sensitivity is high when zoomed in.
  • Several users request alternative control schemes: gamepad-style, drag-to-rotate with finger, more discoverable controls, and generally more mobile-friendly design.

3D vs 2D Visualization

  • Many praise the visualization as beautiful, artistic, and “cool.”
  • Some argue a 2D version would be more practical and readable (e.g., dot size vs camera distance, easier interpretation of clusters).
  • Others defend 3D as intentionally whimsical and engaging, differentiating it from the many existing 2D code graphs.
  • Comparisons are made to earlier 3D UIs (file browsers, VR productivity tools, Doom/NetWars interfaces) that were visually striking but often impractical.

Data, Layout & Coverage

  • Distance between nodes is driven by a clustering/layout algorithm and is described as somewhat arbitrary; users note odd, tiny distant constellations and separated islands.
  • Some ecosystems appear incomplete or outdated (Go, R, Rust, Elm, Rubygems), with missing popular packages and defunct link sources (e.g., Go packages pointing to casino ads).
  • Requests for additional ecosystems: Maven Central / JVM, p2, Hackage, Nixpkgs, CPAN, Quicklisp, vcpkg, Conan, MacPorts, pkgsrc.

Use Cases & Value

  • One commenter explicitly says there is no practical use; others see limited but real value: navigation on large touchscreens, writing ecosystem guides by cluster, understanding package “neighborhoods,” and appreciating the human effort behind each dot.
  • Some treat it primarily as art and an exploratory toy rather than a production tool.

Performance & Related Work

  • Performance on low-end machines is noted as impressively smooth (suspected WebGL/particle shader).
  • Related visualizations are mentioned: Git repo visualizers, Reddit and GitHub maps, and other “software as galaxies” or “activity” animations.