Ask HN: Does this exist or would it appeal?

15 pointsdavidfm13y ago16 comments

For ages now I've been looking for this tool, with no success. So I reckon it might be something others would want. Maybe I'll build it. Maybe someone else would like to?

I want to be able to see the bigger picture of the systems I develop. How files connect to each other, the variables they pass, the database tables they update, the functions and classes they use etc. A bit like a database schema but not.

I'd love to be able to zoom in to a line of code or out to show how the api connects externally.

I can picture myself using it on an enormous hi-res touch screen, but guess it should also function on a tablet.

Is there anything like this already or is it something others might use?

16 comments

huhtenberg13y ago

It's a solution in a search of the problem, I think.

If it's a poorly designed system, then the view will be a muddy web of connections. On the other hand, if it's a well designed system, it will be highly modular, with each module being small enough to be readily comprehensible in one go and with very few connections between the modules. So I basically don't see a use for the system that you are describing.

xauronx13y ago

Well, I think the muddy pool of connections is what this is a solution for. While I see it as practically impossible to implement, it would be great for huge legacy systems that grew rather than were designed. For instance, all of a sudden my patient certification table is getting weird records appearing in it. I would be able to find that table in this cloud, filter to connections to objects that have changed recently and individually inspect each one to see if it was the source of the problem.

The big problem is automating this to a degree that it's not a full time job to maintain.

akkartik13y ago

A weighing scale is a solution in search of a problem. Most people will do nothing, and the few that truly care will do so whether they have one or not. So I basically don't see a use for it.

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If you believe that we improve what we measure then this can be useful.

davidfmOP12y ago

I deleted a line from my original post before submitting it which said it was a problem I wanted a solution for so that might make it worth persuing!

I like your suggestion that it should be highly modular, not sure what makes that mean its not useful though?

tgrass13y ago

I disagree.

If the objects are generalized enough, this could be applicable to any industry with complex, integrated procedures.

ig113y ago

Rational (IBM) have tools that can do it for C/C++ - what language are you looking for ?

icey13y ago

What you're describing sounds a little bit like LightTable to me (http://kodowa.com)

davidfmOP12y ago

I had forgotten about lighttable, thanks. I'll need to revisit it.

nnoitra13y ago

What does kodowa do? I really don't understand.

icey13y ago

Here's a demo http://www.chris-granger.com/lighttable/ (2 clicks from the linked page)

maniacwhat13y ago

http://www.lighttable.com

toutouastro13y ago

I always wanted something like that !

davidfmOP12y ago

I think I might try a light version as a weekend project sometime soon, cheers.

michaell213y ago

don't know of any such tools, so instead I perform the task manually. If I want to better understand how some feature works, I write down in a text file what methods are involved, what method calls which etc. That way at any given time I have to answer fairly simple questions, but the accumulated info in the notes can then be used for more sophisticated reasoning. In other words, analysis :)

davidfmOP12y ago

That's exactly what I find myself doing, but: I don't like paper As things change I find myself rewriting the same stuff over and over It feels like it should be easier/more effective if automated

michaell212y ago

yep, that's why my comment mentioned using a text file for notes, not paper. I usually edit it using IDE rather than text editor to take advantage of the convenient cut-paste a line of text with CTRL-X / CTRL-V without highlighting by mouse.

Then again, my nestgrid project http://www.nestgrid.org (the desktop version) is IMHO, among other things. the future of this sort of notes taking but I have not yet gotten around to using it "in production".

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

16 comments

huhtenberg13y ago

It's a solution in a search of the problem, I think.

xauronx13y ago

The big problem is automating this to a degree that it's not a full time job to maintain.

akkartik13y ago

A weighing scale is a solution in search of a problem. Most people will do nothing, and the few that truly care will do so whether they have one or not. So I basically don't see a use for it.

---

If you believe that we improve what we measure then this can be useful.

davidfmOP12y ago

I deleted a line from my original post before submitting it which said it was a problem I wanted a solution for so that might make it worth persuing!

I like your suggestion that it should be highly modular, not sure what makes that mean its not useful though?

tgrass13y ago

I disagree.

If the objects are generalized enough, this could be applicable to any industry with complex, integrated procedures.

ig113y ago

Rational (IBM) have tools that can do it for C/C++ - what language are you looking for ?

icey13y ago

What you're describing sounds a little bit like LightTable to me (http://kodowa.com)

davidfmOP12y ago

I had forgotten about lighttable, thanks. I'll need to revisit it.

nnoitra13y ago

What does kodowa do? I really don't understand.

icey13y ago

Here's a demo http://www.chris-granger.com/lighttable/ (2 clicks from the linked page)

maniacwhat13y ago

http://www.lighttable.com

toutouastro13y ago

I always wanted something like that !

davidfmOP12y ago

I think I might try a light version as a weekend project sometime soon, cheers.

michaell213y ago

davidfmOP12y ago

That's exactly what I find myself doing, but: I don't like paper As things change I find myself rewriting the same stuff over and over It feels like it should be easier/more effective if automated

michaell212y ago

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse