r/software • u/AutoModerator • 5d ago
Discussion Weekly Discovery Thread - October 16, 2026
Share what’s new, useful, or just interesting
Welcome to the Weekly Discovery Thread, where you can share software-related finds that caught your attention this week - especially the stuff that’s cool, helpful, or thought-provoking but might not be thread-worthy on its own.
This thread is your space for:
- Neat tools, libraries, or packages
- Articles, blog posts, or talks worth reading
- Experiments or side projects you’re working on
- Tips, workflows, or obscure features you discovered
- Questions or ideas you're chewing on
If it relates to software and sparked your curiosity, drop it in.
A few quick guidelines
- Keep it civil and constructive - this is for learning and discovery.
- Self-promotion? Totally fine if it’s relevant and adds value. Just be transparent.
- No link spam or AI-generated content dumps. We’ll remove low-effort submissions.
- Upvote what’s useful so others see it!
This thread will be posted weekly and stickied. If you want to suggest a change or addition to this format, feel free to comment or message the mods.
Now, what did you find this week?
1
u/wasivis 11h ago
https://wasivis.github.io/drinkme a minimalist desktop app to shrink videos with one button!
1
u/Shihab_8 3h ago
One watchlist migration tip: keep the original export, then check a partly watched show and a completed show after importing. A matching title count doesn't tell you whether episode progress came across correctly.
I'm Shihab, the developer of Binge: https://binge.movie
It's a movie and TV companion for discovery, watchlists, episode progress and streaming availability, with imports from Trakt, Letterboxd and IMDb. The native iPhone, iPad and Mac apps require OS 26+. Ongoing Trakt sync requires Pro.
Binge is free to download, with paid Pro subscriptions or a lifetime unlock. Happy to answer questions about importing an existing watchlist.
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u/Pickletickle_ 5d ago
I recently launched ClingNote, a Windows notes app with a bit of a twist.
Ever open a file you haven't touched in weeks and completely forget what you were doing?
That's what I built ClingNote to help with. Instead of keeping your notes disconnected from your work, you can associate them with individual files and applications. As you switch between them, ClingNote automatically brings up the relevant notes.
A few other features:
- Rich text and Markdown editing
- Deep search across your notes
- Local-first storage, works completely offline
- Backup and export options
- Free version available
It's a standalone Windows app, not an extension or plugin.
Pick up where you left off. Notes included.
Still early since launch, so I'd love to hear what people think!
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u/Middlewarian 5d ago
I'm building a C++ code generator that helps build distributed systems. It's implemented as a 3-tier system. The back and middle tiers only run on Linux. The front tier is portable.
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u/louis3195 5d ago
For a weekly review, compare your planned priorities with the work you actually did, and keep the gaps visible.
I'm Louis, founder of Screenpipe. This demo uses recorded computer activity in Codex to estimate time by task, compares it with my Obsidian priorities, and opens a recurring process in Screenpipe Workflows.
The breakdown includes ranges and unclassified activity. Offline work and missing recordings leave gaps, so I use it to review priorities rather than as an exact timesheet.
Captured history is stored locally by default. Configured cloud AI, transcription, sync and connected clients can send context off-device.
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u/Emotional_Relation69 5d ago
I’m Arun, the developer of Fyllyo—an Adobe Acrobat alternative for Mac. I’ve built startups in AI and cybersecurity, but this started with my own visa paperwork and typing the same information into form after form. Most recently I used it for an Orangetheory cancellation form I’d been putting off :D
The everyday PDF tools are free, with no account or expiry: reading, filling forms by hand, drawn signatures, combining and splitting files, arranging pages, making scans searchable and password protection.
Pro is $99 once, not a subscription, with a five-day trial. It adds text editing, redaction, certificate signing, compression, XFA forms and local AI form filling from your supporting documents. You can inspect the sources behind the AI’s answers before saving. Those documents are processed on your Mac; setting up a new custom blank form is a separate cloud step that uses credits.
The video shows the actual app using demonstration documents. My goal is one tool for all your PDF work, increasingly powered by local models. It isn’t at full Acrobat parity yet: Apple-silicon Macs on macOS 13+ today, no Windows, Word/Excel export or sending documents out for signatures.
https://fyllyo.com/pdf-editor-for-mac
If you try it on something you normally use Acrobat for, tell me what works and what would still stop you switching.
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u/intensityflow 5d ago
small chrome tip first: chrome://bookmarks has Export bookmarks in the three-dot menu at the top right. the html file it gives you is the easiest backup of years of bookmarks, worth doing once in a while
i've been building Stackboard, an open-source (MIT) chrome new tab that lays out your bookmark folders as a board. every space and link is a normal chrome bookmark, so it syncs w/ your google account and nothing leaves the browser
also made a halloween thing that reads that exported file and turns every dead link into a tombstone, runs fully in the browser: https://getstackboard.com/graveyard
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u/Imaginary-Nebula-634 4d ago
i want to build an app for dentist so he manage clients money expenses medicament the health of each teeth for each clients how much it cost ple
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u/EastParticular5553 2d ago
I built https://ensurecollege.com/, a free browser app for scholarships, summer programs and competitions. Matches show reasons, eligibility notes and official links, with unverified details flagged. Saved application checklists help organize next steps.
Code: https://github.com/Joshua-Anojulu/ensure-college
I'd appreciate feedback on the match explanations: can you tell which details still need checking?
1
u/bulutarkan 1d ago
One small thing I've been experimenting with this week: giving a Mac-based AI agent access to the actual iPhone Mirroring window, instead of building a separate phone automation app.
I'm the maintainer of Mac MCP (free/open source). The agent can work in Safari and native macOS apps, then interact with an iPhone already paired to the Mac through Apple's Mirroring feature. In a single workflow it can switch to the phone view, inspect a screen, tap/type, navigate apps, then check what changed before going back to the Mac.
It has a less flashy but important limitation: this only works when Apple's iPhone Mirroring session is available. It's not remote access to any iPhone, and a successful tap doesn't prove a message was sent. I made the agent verify the next screen and report uncertainty rather than pretend every tap worked.
Repo and details: https://github.com/bulutarkan/mac-mcp
Curious whether other Mac users find this more useful for testing mobile flows or for routine cross-device tasks.
1
u/amitmikheles 1d ago
I made a Chrome extension that unzips ZIP files while they're still downloading
Every big ZIP I downloaded meant the same three steps: download it, unzip it, delete the ZIP. A 20 GB Google Takeout export also needs 40 GB free for the few minutes both copies exist. So I built DirectExtract.
When Chrome starts downloading a ZIP, DirectExtract pauses it and asks if you'd rather extract it. It shows you what's inside first (folders, file count, sizes, and it flags .exe and .bat files). You pick a folder and the files get written straight into it as the download comes in. The ZIP itself is never saved, and every file is checked as it's written.
Because it writes files from something that's still downloading, I spent a lot of time on hostile ZIPs. Before writing anything, it reads the ZIP's file list and refuses archives with more than 100,000 files, a large file that expands more than 1,000 times its packed size, or files that reuse each other's packed data (the two usual zip bomb tricks). A ZIP can lie about its sizes, so it also counts the bytes it actually writes. Paths with .. are rejected, so nothing can land outside the folder you picked. Symlinks are skipped, and every file's checksum is verified as it's written.
It can't handle everything. Some sites don't allow a download to be read in parts, and some ZIPs are damaged. When that happens it tells you why and lets the download finish normally. Chrome also doesn't let any extension create a few file types, like .dll and .ini, so those go into a small ZIP next to the rest of your files.
It only reads the ZIPs you choose to extract, and your files never leave your computer.
It's free for ZIPs up to 1 GB, and your first bigger one is free too. After that it's a one-time $9.99 license. There's no subscription.
I'm the developer. I'd love to hear if something breaks or what's confusing.
Chrome Web Store: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/directextract/cacgegeklkkolbhnmpfacddllmgpkhfn
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u/Perfect-Put-9768 1d ago
I built Nota for keeping written project notes and whiteboard sketches together. Core notes and whiteboards work offline without an account; the app is free and MIT-licensed. Current v0.1.8 installers support Apple-silicon Mac and Windows x64 (Windows installers are unsigned).
Try it: https://thenota.app
Source: https://github.com/madcodeorg/nota
Nota began as an AFFiNE fork and uses the BlockSuite editor. I'd value feedback on moving between a project brief and its diagram. This introduction was drafted with AI assistance.
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u/SBGamerYT 23h ago
I make LaunchLoop for Windows 10/11: record a feature once, then edit it into a landscape demo, vertical clip or GIF with auto-zooms and cursor effects. A useful recording approach is to show one complete task rather than tour every menu.
Actual output and editor walkthrough: https://launchloop.tech/watch/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=software_weekly&utm_campaign=first_sale
It builds on the MIT-licensed OpenScreen editor. Recording and rendering are local; optional AI uses supplied text. Free includes three 720p watermarked exports per month. The current lifetime licence is $9 for two PCs. Happy to answer workflow questions.
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u/uselattice 2d ago
I’m the developer of Lattice, a Mac workspace for keeping a coding project’s terminal, Claude Code/Codex and browser preview together. Each project has its own desktop, so you can switch projects without rebuilding the window layout.
A useful test: put a terminal beside the preview in two projects, then switch between them. Does that save you any window hunting?
Free during beta, Apple Silicon and macOS 14+. Uses your existing CLI accounts; model access isn’t included. Demo and beta: https://uselattice.site/
The trailer shows an illustrative example project.
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u/PanelReader 11h ago
i've been learning neural network fundamentals and recently implemented a small XOR network using python and numpy
worked on forward propagation, backpropagation, gradient descent and numerical verification of all 13 gradients
the final training MSE was 0.004715
also included mathematical notes, diagrams and automated tests
github: https://github.com/Vaibh37/Neural-Network
would appreciate feedback on the code