Best of 2025

The blog posts Hacker News loved most in 2025. 550 posts.

Tools & Productivity
485

I hacked my clock to control my focus

I often get distracted. I obviously don’t like it. So I decided to turn my computer’s clock into a constant reminder to help me focus. Implementation This hack requires: Ubuntu with GNOME desktop environment The Panel Date Format extension A simple bash script 1. Install the Panel Date Format extension # If you don't…

500

ImapGoose

ImapGoose is a small program to keep local mailboxes in sync with an IMAP server. The wording “keep […] in sync” implies that it does so continuously, rather than a one-time sync. ImapGoose is designed as a daemon, monitoring both the IMAP server and the local filesystem, and immediately synchronising changes. When…

508

A critique of package managers

n.b. This is a written version of a dialogue from a YouTube video: 2 Language Creators vs 2 Idiots | The StandupPackage managers (for programming languages) are evil.⁠11 The term “evil” is being used partially hyperbolic to make a point.To start, I need to make a few distinctions between concepts a lot of programmers…