Show HN: I acquired ExtraDock, rebuilt it, now it's the macOS app of my dreams(extradock.app)
4 pointsby pugdogdev8 days ago1 comment
  • altairprime8 days ago
    Seems nice enough — but there’s ann opportunity to talk more about your product from an HN-specific standpoint. Here’s some examples of directions you could take that might be of particular interest here:

    Is there a technical blog post somewhere about your rewrite efforts?

    What opinions did you form, disprove, or reaffirm about the technologies, languages, and tools you used when developing this?

    What technical obstacles did you overcome and how?

    What ratio of annual to unlimited purchases are you predicting to see?

    How does the app use MacOS open and/or private APIs?

    What is your most niche feature that you think sets you apart from others?

    Do you have past experience with Mac Classic floating toolbars?

    Does your app support the TouchBar, either on laptop keyboards or on iPad-as-second-display via Continuity?

    Can the docks be launched with secure windowing flags enabled so that they’re automatically excluded from whole-desktop screen sharing, screenshots, etc?

    Was AI used at any time in the development of this tool or your writing about it?

    Does the dock tamagotchi offer integration opportunities for other apps such as Pixel Pals (by the former Apollo dev)?

    etc.

    • pugdogdev8 days ago
      Hey there, Thank you for your detailed interest in the app and my journey. I don't have a dedicated space to write technical posts, but I am starting to consider doing so. I am thinking of combining them in my small company website appitstudio.com and writing general posts about my journey building my apps. I can answer a few of your suggested topics here, and maybe I will createa full tech post also in the future :)

      I use pure Swift with SwiftUI for all of my apps. Before starting to work on my first app, DockFlow, I was developing web, Android, and iOS applications. This was my first time building a macOS application, so the learning process relied heavily on AI. However, my 15+ years of experience as a developer helped me use it as a tool to build faster, better software, rather than just vibe-coded apps with no planning. I think what sets my apps apart is the quick solutions we offer with out-of-the-box thinking, fast support, taking our user feedback seriously, rapid updates, and release cycle (almost a version every week), and of course keeping our app permission-free / minimal optional accessibility permission for more "fun" features. Regarding secure windowing flags, I hadn't considered that until now. Good suggestion, will be added to our road map :)

      Tamadocky was built entirely for me XD. I plan to expand this feature in the future. Still, because this is a "fun" feature, I want to make ExtraDock very stable before adding more fun staff. The core must be robust and stable.

      I know I didn't answer all the questions, but if you have a specific interest, feel free to ask, and I'll move forward with the writing tasks and share more details as you suggest on blog posts.

      Thanks again! :)