Ask HN: What are you working on (September 2024)?

Hacker News Discussion ↗

A long-running Hacker News thread showcases hundreds of people sharing what they’re building in September 2024, from AI-powered developer tools, data platforms and language-learning apps to indie games, hardware hacks and hobby operating systems. Many projects sit at the intersection of learning and shipping—developers use side projects to pick up Rust, Go, FPGA design, CAD, or ML, while others turn personal pains into products such as time trackers, DNS tools, and privacy‑friendly analytics. Across the posts, common themes emerge: difficulty with marketing and finding users, a desire for more authentic feedback communities, and a strong appetite for open‑source, self‑hostable alternatives to today’s dominant SaaS platforms.

AI, LLMs & Automation

  • Many are building AI-powered tools: code editors that modify ASTs, prompt diffing for rich-text editors, outline tools for NaNoWriMo, language-learning-in-browser overlays, and AI transcription/translation/captioning platforms.
  • Several focus on multi-agent or “copilot” systems (for underserved languages, data analysis, game analytics, medical claims, etc.).
  • Prompt management and “AI agents everywhere” draw both enthusiasm and skepticism; some note that many use cases are crowded and hard to monetize.
  • Concerns about model reliability, instruction-following, and costs appear often; people experiment with hybrid stacks (DeepL + Claude + smaller models) and local models to balance quality, latency, and expense.

Developer Tools, Infra & Data

  • Many are shipping dev tooling: SaaS boilerplates, OAuth/OIDC wrappers, DuckDB/SQLite/SQL workbenches, task runners, browser extension frameworks, build tools (Mill), GitHub add-ons, and CI-like orchestrators.
  • Infra-heavy projects include: a Postgres-on-FoundationDB layer, AWS-focused dashboards, event tracking frameworks, NixOS + Compose tooling, serverless VPNs, and security/governance tools for cloud and SBOMs.
  • Some emphasize ergonomics and safety (Rust assert macros, safer rm/cp replacements, anti-procrastination DNS hacks, “offline-first” GitHub clients).

Consumer Apps, Content & Games

  • Numerous personal SaaS/consumer projects: todo lists, nutrition trackers, book and media recommenders, hotel systems, social travel, language tools, trading dashboards, genealogy, photo sharing, and more.
  • Game dev is a big theme: NES rhythm roguelikes, Godot/Unity projects, Minecraft-likes, Wonderswan titles, Playdate games, browser games, and VR/room-scale titles.
  • Several people are writing novels, historical fiction, zines, and technical books; others run newsletters, blogs, and educational content.

Hardware, Robotics & Real-World Projects

  • Hardware efforts span: retro Mac/HomeAssistant bridges, printers and POS sniffers, battery systems, PCB extensions for sensors, MIDI and music gear, drones, e-bike integrations, vacuum-tube CPUs, AI research clusters, and aircraft restorations.
  • Non-tech projects include woodworking, greenhouses, welding sculptures, bookbinding, rebuilding studios with 90s gear, and opening a local bookshop.

Life, Learning & Meta-Discussion

  • People share life changes: OMSCS enrollment, new parenthood, long-COVID recovery, returning to study, or taking breaks from coding.
  • Several are trying to quit or reduce Hacker News/social media use; others suggest technical and behavioral tricks.
  • Marketing is frequently cited as harder than building; some discuss struggles turning niche tools into sustainable businesses.