ddcctl
barrier
ddcctl | barrier | |
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22 | 616 | |
1,807 | 26,181 | |
- | 1.1% | |
0.0 | 0.0 | |
over 1 year ago | 12 months ago | |
C | C | |
GNU General Public License v3.0 only | GNU General Public License v3.0 or later |
Stars - the number of stars that a project has on GitHub. Growth - month over month growth in stars.
Activity is a relative number indicating how actively a project is being developed. Recent commits have higher weight than older ones.
For example, an activity of 9.0 indicates that a project is amongst the top 10% of the most actively developed projects that we are tracking.
ddcctl
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TIL there are apps that can control your monitor without touching the buttons on it
There are some other command line based open-source alternatives as well, like ddctl and m1ddc - the former only works on Intel, the latter on M1 Macs (M2 Pro and HDMI is not supported). Lunar has great CLI support as well for those who want a command-line based solution.
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Let's talk: name your favorite accessories that improved your PC/desk area.
https://github.com/kfix/ddcctl is what you are looking for! It works on my dell and asus monitors at least.
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Mac mini m2 pro not working with dell ultrasharp u3223qe over usb
Only TB supports DDC? https://github.com/kfix/ddcctl
- Monitor controls for Mac OS X command line
- The Apple TV expects you to have an iPhone in order to accept new iCloud terms and conditions
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Ask HN: Best tips for reducing eyestrain while coding with astigmatism?
I received the same diagnostic in 2017, which coincided with the year I got my first external monitor for my MacBook. Headaches and eye pain became a more common occurence in the first weeks, until I stumbled upon ddcctl [0] and the fact that monitor brightness can be changed from the OS.
That's when I developed the first version of Lunar (https://lunar.fyi) to adapt brightness automatically throughout the day based on the sun position in the sky. (reading the light sensor was not possible at the time)
That combined with Night Shift (macOS native version of f.lux) fixed most of my problems.
I also tried blue light filter glasses but the only effect they had was removing more money from my savings. I feel like this is just modern day snake oil for computer workers.
In the end, what fixed all of my problems was a LASIK [1] operation (well actually PRK because I had only a small abberation). I still recommend this to all my friends and relatives who are always complaining about their vision. It did change my life.
I still cringe when someone turns on an overhead lightbulb though, I never use those in my home. Turns out this wasn't my astigmatism, it's just that most LED bulbs are simply too bright single point lights.
I fit my home with TRADfri warm light lamps hidden behind sofa/door/desk [2], WLED-powered [3] LED strips and simple string lights (like you can see in the front page video on https://lowtechguys.com/volum/)
[0] https://github.com/kfix/ddcctl
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LASIK
[2] https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/tradfri-remote-control-kit-smar...
[3] https://kno.wled.ge/
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Ask HN: What is the best income stream you have created till date?
macOS apps which I share at https://lowtechguys.com/ bring me $7k/month on average at the moment, and it keeps growing.
It started in 2017 when I shared the first free and open source version of Lunar (https://lunar.fyi/), an app for controlling monitors.
At that time, there was only a command line for doing this stuff (https://github.com/kfix/ddcctl) and I wanted a more visual way of changing the brightness. So I learned Swift, learned how to bridge the ddcctl C code and call it from Swift, then made a rough interface and published it: https://www.producthunt.com/products/lunar#lunar-5
It turned out people did have a need for this and asked if they could donate. I set up a Buy me a Coffee page and in 4 years collected about $5k in donations. That's a lot of money for a Romanian.
When Apple Silicon appeared, Lunar didn't work anymore because the whole hardware arrangement and drivers were different, and there was no documentation on how to send I²C data. I took the plunge and quit my stressful job, bought an M1 MacBook and reverse engineered the I²C communication: https://alinpanaitiu.com/blog/journey-to-ddc-on-m1-macs/
Then published Lunar 4 as a Free version with a Pro paid upgrade. I was reluctant with this, didn't think anyone would buy it, but to this day I'm able to be unemployed and put my ideas into practice because of it.
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What are some useful cli tools that arent popular?
ddcctl - DDC monitor controls for the OSX command line
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Dasung Macos shortcuts on M1
Not really sure if ddcctl could help or is related to ddcutil, but in all case I had no chance with it.
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HDMI Firewall
No worries! The same sentiment is what keeps me enthusiastic about programming day after day :)
So computer monitors have support for a communication protocol called Display Data Channel which is normally used by the host (Mac, PC) to get info about supported resolutions, frame rates, signal timing etc.
On top of that, a command interface has been created called MCCS or Monitor Control Command Set [1] which allows changing brightness, volume, input and a ton of other aspects of the monitor, by sending specific bytes through the cable. That cable can be HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, VGA, DVI. It doesn’t matter, as long as it has dedicated wires to carry the I2C signal.
I2C is the 2-wire communication protocol used by DDC, and it basically defines things like “a pulse of 5V (volts) of x milliseconds followed by 0V of y milliseconds means the 0 bit. The 1 bit is represented by a pulse of 5V of 2x milliseconds”. It’s a bit more complex than that, also defining TCP-like features with data frames and ACK packets, but you get the idea. It’s something that both devices agree on so that they can send raw bytes using 5 volt pulses.
I’ve created Lunar as an adaptive brightness app for macOS after finding out about a little CLI called ddcctl: https://github.com/kfix/ddcctl
That’s where I learned how DDC packets look like, where to place the payload (brightness value between 0 and 100, input ID, etc) and how to write that to the monitor using the macOS I2C APIs.
When Apple Silicon came out, none of that was possible anymore so I had to go looking around kernel assembly and private macOS frameworks for “the Apple Silicon way” of writing data through I2C.
If you’re also curious how I learned that, it’s a very cool domain called “reverse engineering” and I learned it while working as a Malware Researcher at Bitdefender. A bit hard to get started, but so many gems to discover once you know how to open binaries in IDA/Hopper and look around their disassembled code.
[1] https://milek7.pl/ddcbacklight/mccs.pdf
barrier
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Show HN: Multi-monitor KVM using just a USB switch
For software KVM you can use https://github.com/debauchee/barrier
I use it between a Windows PC & a Macbookpro (Linux version available but I don't have Linux)
- Barrier: Open-Source KVM Software
- Hrvach/Deskhop: Fast Desktop Switching Device
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Wayland vs. X – Overview
libei looks useful. But IDK why libei is necessary to run Barrier with Wayland?
For client systems, couldn't there just be a virtual /dev/inputXYZ that Barrier forwards events through
And for host systems, it looks like xev only logs input events when the window is focused.
Is xeyes still broken on Wayland, and how to fix it so that it would work with Barrier?
With Barrier, when the mouse cursor reaches a screen boundary, the keyboard and mouse input are then passed to a different X session on another box until the cursor again crosses a screen boundary rule.
Barrier is a fork of Synergy's open core: https://github.com/debauchee/barrier
libei:
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KVM Switch for Gaming and WFH
I have a similar gaming/WFH setup (2 monitors at 1440p 144hz) and I’ve been using Barrier instead of a physical kvm, and it works really well. Not sure if you’re open to a software kvm but if you are, I’m happy to answer any questions about it if you have any.
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Autoswap Keyboard Layouts based on Operating System
Have you tried Barrier? I casually used it to swap between my main rig and my MBP. Took a minute to get it setup but once I sorted it all out it worked pretty well. It has some settings and tweaks built in to address some of the layout issues you mentioned...
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Alternative solution to expensive KVM - Auto Monitor Input Switcher
Barrier appears to handle PC switching only for the keyboard and mouse.
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IT/programming multi-monitor setup? (coming from 6x old 21" square)
Sorry, probably not entirely on topic and can't answer anything reliable about the multimonitor stuff, but a tip regarding the 2 mice and 2 keyboards for the 2 different computers: use this: https://github.com/debauchee/barrier It's oss multi-os software that lets you use one mouse and keyboard (server) on several PCs (clients) easily over your LAN.
- Linux VNC viewer not displaying MacOS with multiple desktops (single monitor)
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Talon Voice in Visor?
Barrier is a free and open source alternative.
What are some alternatives?
ddcutil - Control monitor settings using DDC/CI and USB
synergy-core - Open source core of Synergy, the cross-platform keyboard and mouse sharing tool (Windows, macOS, Linux)
ddccontrol - DDC Control
input-leap - Open-source KVM software
winddcutil - Windows implementation of the ddcutil Linux program for querying and changing monitor settings, such as brightness and color levels.
hidusbf - USB Mice Overclocking Software (for Windows)
Lunar - Intelligent adaptive brightness for your external monitors
OSX-KVM - Run macOS on QEMU/KVM. With OpenCore + Monterey + Ventura + Sonoma support now! Only commercial (paid) support is available now to avoid spammy issues. No Mac system is required.
OSX_GVT-D - Guide to pass iGPU to MacOS KVM guest.
scrcpy - Display and control your Android device
display-switch - Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM switch
macOS-KVM - Streamlined macOS QEMU KVM Hackintosh configuration using OpenCore and libvirt