I actually had the almost same situation by building an offline voice dictation app for macOS and iOS, and in macOS I was confronted with the exact same situation.
However, I would like to point out that Apple isn't totally wrong here because the accessibility API unfortunately is way too broadly scoped, and because of that you literally get access to everything on the computer like you you can screenshot listen and and move the cursor... This is completely ridiculous and the proper engineering solution would actually be to phase out the accessibility API and replace it with something that is narrowly scoped so you can grant specific permissions individually.
However, Apple, being Apple, is obviously not doing anything, and instead says no accessibility permission for anything that isn't demonstrable accessible. Now, there are obviously some exceptions because Apple is not particularly well known for applying its rule consistently and granting big exceptions for itself. However, they do have a valid point on privacy and data protection. And I say that as somebody who ended up distributing my MacOS app outside the App Store because I only got approval for iOS.
That said, I would definitely appreciate if Apple would gradually improve its developer program experience, because compared to its hardware lineup, the developer program is nothing short of abysmal.
I disagree. My iphone app ships with an ANE optimized LLM that runs fully offline. Sailed straight through the App Store review same day after only one minor correction. It could be possible that Apple gives apps that use LLMs for it's core functionality a pass as long as it has nothing to do with vibe coding. The recent removal of the the Anything Vibe code app supports the thesis that Apple wants to prevent a flood of Ai slop apps; at least in theory as Apple can't block people from building with Claude Code & Co.
I had my fair share of frustration with proto as well. I appreciate in Skir
GH style import.
This is a big one I wish proto had in the first place. The entire idea of a proto registry feels reactive to me when, ideally, you want to pull in a versioned shared file to import that is verified by the compiler long before serve or client verifies the payload schema.
Schema validation and compatibility checks on CI. Again a big one and critical to catch issues early.
Enums done right... No further comment required.
I think with some more attention to details e.g. hammering out the gaps some other comments have identified and more language support e.g. Rust, Go, C# this can actually work out over time.
Here is an idea to contemplate as a side gig with your favorite Ai assistant: A tool to convert proto to Skir. Or at least as much as possible. As someone who had to maintain larger and complex proto files, a lot of proto specific pain points are addressed.
The only concern i have is timing. Ten years ago this would have been a smash hit. These days, we have Thrift and similar meaning the bar is definitely higher. That's not necessarily bad, but one needs to be mindful about differentiation to the existing proto alternatives.
I hope this project gains trajectory and community especially from the frustrated proto folks.
Totally love this app. I've always struggled with fostering relationships over time and keeping track of all the little things different people value. I actually tried a friend journal a week ago but that didn't worked as planned either. Once I installed this app, I pinged some folks, had a great unexpected call and now my garden is growing. I value the privacy & local first paradigm. I would have not installed a cloud SaaS app or hidden subscription. However I'm okay with paying a reasonable one time fee for an upgraded version. I did paid for IA Writer on Mac and iphone because their product is exactly right. Your app is similar in the sense that it solves one particular problem for one specific group of people really well. Therefore please consider a paid version at some point.
This is exactly what is needed. Can't comment on the product yet, but the website is well made and communicates clearly the unique selling points. Only minor quirk is loading is a bit sluggish here is Asia so you may want double check your CDN POPs.
That said, I already love the solution. I was unfortunate enough to integrated stripe and the entire webhook hack really causes more problems that it solves not to mention the ludicrous compliance department at Stripe that should not exist anymore..
I got a moonlander for programming. The defaulting tenting is indeed a lame joke, so I got the platform, which is made out of steel(!). It's heavy, but rock solid and stable. I mapped commonly used Fn-key combos on the number rows as long press i.e. cmd-Fn-4 is a long press on 4. The web UI makes this dead simple to setup and customize. That said, I read from the guy who build the Svalboard to put the keyboard on a tray below the desk. I actually did that and, man, that was a revelation. I have one of those motorized desks with adjustable height, and with the tray the Moonlander is now roughly on the same level as the arm rest from the chair. It reduced the tension in my shoulders noticeably. It's a vastly improved typing experience.
Complete frustration to use. Yes it’s a bit more considerate, that claim is 100% true. They just didn’t mention that Hermes has zero ability to add context. Meaning, instead of uploading a relevant PDF or text file you either cop paste into the chat box or explain it in dialogue for the next 3 hours. Thought process takes forever. Complete waste of time.
However, I would like to point out that Apple isn't totally wrong here because the accessibility API unfortunately is way too broadly scoped, and because of that you literally get access to everything on the computer like you you can screenshot listen and and move the cursor... This is completely ridiculous and the proper engineering solution would actually be to phase out the accessibility API and replace it with something that is narrowly scoped so you can grant specific permissions individually.
However, Apple, being Apple, is obviously not doing anything, and instead says no accessibility permission for anything that isn't demonstrable accessible. Now, there are obviously some exceptions because Apple is not particularly well known for applying its rule consistently and granting big exceptions for itself. However, they do have a valid point on privacy and data protection. And I say that as somebody who ended up distributing my MacOS app outside the App Store because I only got approval for iOS.
That said, I would definitely appreciate if Apple would gradually improve its developer program experience, because compared to its hardware lineup, the developer program is nothing short of abysmal.