Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?

• barrier

  616 26,119 0.0 C

  Open-source KVM software

  

I was recommended Synergy and found https://github.com/debauchee/barrier

Ended up not exploring Synergy any further because Barrier worked awesome

• input-leap

  34 3,127 9.2 C++

  Open-source KVM software

  

It's not clear from the page, but there's an issue somewhere that points out barrier has been abandoned for a fork called input-leap.

https://github.com/input-leap/input-leap

Also recently learned about waynergy as a upcoming wayland client. Haven't used either yet as barrier still handles my setup.

• WorkOS

  workos.com sponsored

  The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS. The APIs are flexible and easy-to-use, supporting authentication, user identity, and complex enterprise features like SSO and SCIM provisioning.

  

• bloohm

  1 26 0.0 Nix

  visual bloom filter to display process status as neotrellis m4 output

I use a board with 32 RGB LEDs to show process status: https://github.com/shapr/bloohm

If you ever have multiple hour long builds and/or test suites running, this is is a big help.

• Aurora

  80 1,823 0.0 C#

  Unified lighting effects across multiple brands and various games.

I have a Roccat Vulcan 120 RGB keyboard which has a sweet volume knob on it. Don't use the software that comes with it though. I use Project Aurora[1] to control the lights on the keys. I'm able to program color/fx/animation per key per program that has focus. It's useful if you have new software or a game you're not used to. For example, you can highlight all the relevant keys to help you memorize them.

But mainly I use it to play an audio waveform of any music that's playing. And highlight caps lock whenever it's on.

[1]: https://www.project-aurora.com/

• blink

  37 5,979 9.2 Swift

  Blink Mobile Shell for iOS (Mosh based) (by blinksh)

  

SSH or mosh (via https://blink.sh/) back to a cloud/remote NixOS VM. The iPad is purely a self-contained interface with a local browser.

• community

  7 350 9.8 Starlark

  A publishing platform for apps developed by the Tidbyt community 🚀 (by tidbyt)

  

A Tidbyt: https://tidbyt.com/

It's next to my computer, and I use it for notifications and smaller dashboards: https://github.com/tidbyt/community

• gromit-mpx

  4 898 8.3 C

  Gromit-MPX is an on-screen annotation tool that works with any Unix desktop environment under X11 as well as Wayland.

I have an XP-Pen as well. Works great in Linux. I'm still amazed at how high quality these non-Wacom tablets are today. I had one of those cheap 6" Wacom Graphites back in the early 2000s and that was the best you could get. My XP-Pen blows that thing away. Still haven't found a great place to put it though. I'm just stashing it off to the side but it's awkward moving it around all the time.

If you're on Linux, Gromit-MPX is a great companion app to annotate anything on your desktop. https://github.com/bk138/gromit-mpx

• InfluxDB

  www.influxdata.com sponsored

  Power Real-Time Data Analytics at Scale. Get real-time insights from all types of time series data with InfluxDB. Ingest, query, and analyze billions of data points in real-time with unbounded cardinality.

  

• Chordie

  12 224 4.1 C

  A chording keyboard you shouldn't be scared of

• streamdeck-ui

  40 1,071 4.0 Python

  A Linux compatible UI for the Elgato Stream Deck.

tbh I didn’t have a problem with the official Windows app so I can’t say anything about that much

But under Linux I used this

https://timothycrosley.github.io/streamdeck-ui/

Works pretty well by my experience under Debian. There are some edge cases like Wayland (see the issues) though.

• display-switch

  123 2,775 6.5 Rust

  Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM switch

https://github.com/haimgel/display-switch

• workmon

  1 10 9.1 Python

  Work environment monitoring and alerting

3-color light (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5127) and associated circuitry (https://github.com/vladak/workmon/) that reminds me to change the position of the standing desk if too long in the same position (using ultrasonic distance sensor mounted underneath the table) and to take a break if working for too long without a break (using smart plug to which my display is connected) and also to alert me if I have worked for too long in total that day.

• companion

  59 1,382 9.8 JavaScript

  Bitfocus Companion enables the reasonably priced Elgato Streamdeck and other controllers to be a professional shotbox surface for an increasing amount of different presentation switchers, video playback software and broadcast equipment.

  

I use a Stream Deck daily to control AV production gear using BitFocus Companion (https://bitfocus.io/companion). I am constantly surprised at the range of supported equipment.

Complex operations that used to take three people can be done by a single person.

For a basic example:

Audio operator fades out background music and brings up video playback audio channels

• Charybdis

  37 963 7.7
  

I use a Bastard Keyboard Charybdis Nano. It's an ergo 3x5 keyboard with built in trackball. I built it myself but you can get them pre built too.

https://github.com/Bastardkb/Charybdis

• HeadsetControl

  32 1,317 5.8 C

  Sidetone and Battery status for Logitech G930, G533, G633, G933 SteelSeries Arctis 7/PRO 2019 and Corsair VOID (Pro) in Linux and MacOSX

Same here. My Logitech gaming headset works great in Linux. I do have to use some third party thing to adjust the goofy LED colors and side channel volume, though.

https://github.com/Sapd/HeadsetControl

• deskreen

  109 15,201 0.0 TypeScript

  Deskreen turns any device with a web browser into a secondary screen for your computer. ⭐️ Star to support our work!

I use Deskreen with Windows, it has a Linux version that probably works similarly. I think it leverages browser streaming tech.

https://deskreen.com/

Easiest way to get it working is with a dummy plug, but maybe there's more options on Linux to fake a display in software.

• Sweep

  90 1,460 4.3

  Sweep - a small promicro based keyboard inspired by the Ferris. (by davidphilipbarr)

I use ergonomic low-profile split keyboard Sweep[1]. My endgame (I hope so) keyboard after a long journey through the ergomechboard rabbit hole. If you're interesting in improving keyboard ergonomics with really custom solutions, r/ErgoMechBoards's Wiki [2] is a good place to start.

[1]: https://github.com/davidphilipbarr/Sweep

[2]: https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboards/wiki/resources

• SaaSHub

  www.saashub.com sponsored

  SaaSHub - Software Alternatives and Reviews. SaaSHub helps you find the best software and product alternatives

  

Suggest a related project