Show HN: GYST – Digital organizer that replicates the feeling of a physical desk

37 pointsposted 10 days ago
by ricroz

41 Comments

Glant

10 days ago

Just a note, I almost immediately closed your site after opening because on my phone all I see when it first opens is a sign up form. I did end up scrolling and seeing the content, but I'd recommend dropping that form either off the front page or at least below the description of what your product is.

calmworm

10 days ago

I saw the same, then scrolled and saw an embedded youtube video asking me to “sign in to prove i’m not a bot”… I did close the site. I recommend moving the sign up form below some more helpful/descriptive content.

ricroz

10 days ago

Thanks also I don’t know what that was asking you to « sign in to prove you’re not a bot » … I’ll definitely push the signup down, on the phone.

trenchpilgrim

10 days ago

Same, the site on mobile is a login form and a video of a login form

ricroz

10 days ago

Wow. I really don’t want it to feel that way :/

ricroz

10 days ago

Thanks for the feedback ! Wow I didn’t know that would be such a turn off. Ill take it off then. Description first. Thanks for checking it out anyway.

daear

10 days ago

Very nice. The site is down at the moment, but I watched the video tour and liked what I saw.

I built a prototype of something vaguely similar a few years ago that replicated a desk with papers stacked in piles. No searching, no sorting, no tagging--just typing on notes, dragging them into stacks, and a paintbrush to draw on the deck. This lets you leverage the brain's natural tendency to associate locations with ideas, like a memory palace. Want that recipe from a few weeks ago? You remember it was in a pile by a blue house you drew.

I see a similar philosophy here, expanded with more features and a larger scope. It's also great seeing a notes/organization system that isn't the same stupid three panels, tags on the left, etc.

Looking forward to trying it out when the site returns. Thanks for sharing!

ricroz

10 days ago

Thank you !!:) Sorry the site was down, it’s up now. I don’t know what that was.

Yes you’re exactly right. A mind palace. The mind thinks mostly in maps. Although also in lists maybe but I would say mostly in maps. And yes there’s this idea that when you can « decorate » your space, then you find things more easily. Because of visual memory. Decorating helps organizing.

Thanks again! I hope you were able to sign up so you’ll get updates :)

user

10 days ago

[deleted]

ASalazarMX

10 days ago

It might be the nostalgia, but I miss the leatherbound feeling of Lotus Organizer, and was hoping this website was something similar. Maybe it could support themes?

ricroz

10 days ago

I don’t know about Lotus Organizer but by looking at it looks like replicating a notebook on a screen ? Is that correct ? I do want to replicate that feeling of a white space. So I see the link.

Yes it could support themes for sure. You mean that you could choose from multiple pre-defined styles for a page ?

ASalazarMX

6 days ago

> I don’t know about Lotus Organizer but by looking at it looks like replicating a notebook on a screen ?

Yes, basically. The use of desktop real state worked quite well with the small resolutions of the time, and the throughout use of the skeumorphic metaphor was very friendly. As I said, it might be nostalgy speaking, I'd have to run it again to see if its usability has aged well.

> You mean that you could choose from multiple pre-defined styles for a page ?

Precisely. An actual wooden desktop theme would be nice.

nashashmi

8 days ago

Very cool explanation. I love how you have simplified the life cycle of info. I also like your approach to “organization” being modeled after a general whiteboard.

I’m working on ideas for replicating a physical desk in a digital space. Your project is a good start. Additional layers are communication (email, chat, video) and shared access (shared library?, read only access to desk).

ricroz

8 days ago

Thank you !! ‘Simplifying the life cycle of info’, I love that:) Yes I agree with communication and shared access as next layers. What ideas are you working on ?

desireco42

10 days ago

This is cool. And I get where you are going with this...

Being endless is a power. And having structure ie. being able to emerge structure out of this would also be powerful.

I like it. If you make it open source, or maybe a plugin system would allow people to add what they think it would be needed without you having to implement it.

Or just play with this and see where it takes you.

ricroz

10 days ago

Thank you ! Do you agree that it’s a real mix of structure and endless freedom ? That’s the tension I’m aiming to solve.

What do you mean by « people add what they think » ? Like ideas/comments ? Or code ?

Thanks for your feedback :)

replwoacause

9 days ago

I watched the demo and love the philosophy behind the product.

Do you plan to support code blocks with syntax highlighting? Markdown text blocks ?

ricroz

9 days ago

Thank you !! Markdown absolutely, coming soon ! Code blocks with syntax highlighting, also. They’ll be accessible when right-clicking on a blank spot on a page. Is there any other important feature for you ?

kemistri

10 days ago

I open the link. All I see first is "Sign up". Closed in 2 seconds,sorry. Didn't even see the product.

ricroz

9 days ago

Sorry I didn’t understand at first … I fixed it, now the sign up form is further down and only shows up when scrolling down. I didn’t realize that was such an issue. Thank you for pointing it out !

ricroz

10 days ago

That is so weird … I’m sorry about that. It seems to work for me though. Gyst.fr

johnthescott

10 days ago

nice start. i signed up. looking forward to mobile version.

some observations:

items -> stacks, items -> folders, folders -> stacks, stacks -> desktop. each item can only be in single folder. copies of items can go into different folders. drag item to copier machines to duplicate.

ricroz

10 days ago

Thank you :) Did you like the wireframes for the mobile version ? Is that the way you would imagine it ?

I’m not sure what you mean by Stacks … and copier machine ? For me an item can be copied and pasted anywhere.

R_D_Olivaw

8 days ago

I THINK they mean that once you move like-items they auto group into stacks?

Also I THINK they mean, create a little copier machine icon where you can drag items to and out pops a copy of it.

Basically, extending the " physical environment" aspect of this app. I actually quite like both ideas, but for the stacks could see things getting accidentally grouped too easily. So maybe some friction to auto grouping.

ricroz

8 days ago

Hmm I like the idea of stacks I must say. In fact replicating something that’s very real in the physical world. And a Copier machine ok I guess I see the idea. So you could put more than one item in there at a time, I guess ? Otherwise not much point, no? It’s like a temporary place to put stuff you’re moving around. I like the idea.

Thanks !!

user

9 days ago

[deleted]

jMyles

10 days ago

I'd love the inverse: a physical desk that responds like a digital filesystem.

ricroz

10 days ago

haha^^ well actually maybe one day that will come !

jrm4

10 days ago

I like the idea a lot; seems similar to the abandoned KDE Baskets?

ricroz

10 days ago

Thank you ! Is there some aspects specifically that you like ? I don’t what KDE baskets is. But by looking at it now I would say it’s in the same vein, but KDE is not very visual it looks like. Did you ever try KdE ? Thanks

jrm4

8 days ago

KDE is the whole Desktop Environment, and BasKets is one of its programs. I actually thought it was abandoned but there is some development on it. Took me a bit to actually find a site that can kind of show what it is:

https://basket-notepads.github.io/

ricroz

8 days ago

Interesting yeah it does look quite similar in what it does !

zenmac

10 days ago

can the each page be exported to static html/css? That will be killer feature and also makes this a instant WISIWG editor.

ricroz

10 days ago

Not yet but I can add this option in a second ! And in fact I want to. Also to be able to export it in pdf. What do you think ? I agree it’s very important to be able to export.

What is WISIWG ? Thanks for your feedback :)

R_D_Olivaw

8 days ago

What I See Is What I Get.

Usually called WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get.

Any app or editor platform that shows you exactly what it does when you do it, but I think more importantly: the editing environment looks/responds the same as the published environment.

ricroz

8 days ago

Oh ! Well I guess yes it is completely WYSIWYG ! That button will be added this week :)

ashepp

10 days ago

Might be a great obsidian plugin!

ricroz

10 days ago

Indeed ! I wouldn’t know how to do that though. I wish obsidian was less complicated to grasp.

mksybr

9 days ago

Seems similar to logseq's whiteboards.