Homer

Learning and science

interactive textbook builder

SHOW HN2021

62points
26comments
#751of 2,533 in 2021
Top 30%of 2021 by points

How HN took it

RoastedHalf or more of the comments are critical

3 positive, 2 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 16 critical, out of 22 comments about the project. Thread score -0.48.

Design: 1 for, 9 againstExecution: 1 for, 4 againstIdea: 1 for, 2 againstDocs: 0 for, 1 against

The thread, comment by comment

Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.

positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker

What HN said

What people liked

  • Interactive demo scrolling is valuable and engaging

    From 2 comments
    • Interesting! I looked at the demo, and found myself scrolling back and forth to see how the map/text changed. That was a valuable interaction for me. Would love to see more demos…
      newbalance on HN
    • This is really cool! Great idea. I like the chapter feature navigation on the top of the page.
      Artistry121 on HN
  • Seems like a great idea with potential

    From 1 comment

Objections

  • Landing page lacks demo or explanation of the product

    From 6 comments
    • I'd recommend linking to one of the demos on your landing page. I get that you want to have a singular CTA (create an account), but it seems like there's not enough bait on the…
      gnicholas on HN
    • You should add more info or a demo on the home page. You lost me at the signup page.
      cirrus3 on HN
    • Agreed. The description on the site itself is also quite different from the description in the comment or title here. Asking people to sign up to even look at the app, let alone…
      mkl on HN
    • Needs a demo IMO. I don't want to create an account without the demo.
      lettergram on HN
    • no demo on the landing page? lost signup from me
      andyxor on HN
    • +1 to linking to a demo or ideally a tour. The landing page on mobile just says "Homer" with 2 short sentences but doesn't show what the product is.
      tedmiston on HN
  • Sign-up flow is broken or confusing on some devices

    From 3 comments
    • I’m excited to try this. Unfortunately I’m stuck on the sign up flow. STR: - iPhone 12 Max - Safari - Choose the Google option - Complete OAuth flow on the Google side, and the…
      haswell on HN
    • I tried email signup and got stuck on the signup page as well
      choxi on HN
    • On iPhone X, Safari, with the Google option, it opens a new window to complete the login flow, but I have to manually return to my original window, where it is logged in.
      MattGaiser on HN
  • Editor is confusing and lacks writing polish

    From 1 comment
    • I found using the editor confusing and not at all following my expectations for what an editor should do. (To start with, a displaying cursor or some sort of cue of where to…
      shortformblog on HN
  • Demo does not trigger all paragraphs on desktop

    From 1 comment
    • In the demo (https://usehomer.app/demo) on desktop, I can't scroll down enough to trigger the last paragraph "and they had to send out colonies to Ionia." Similarly, the first…
      justinjc on HN
  • Unclear what is special compared to existing tools

    From 2 comments

Requests

  • Add demos or screenshots to the home page

    From 5 comments
    • I'd recommend linking to one of the demos on your landing page. I get that you want to have a singular CTA (create an account), but it seems like there's not enough bait on the…
      gnicholas on HN
    • You should add more info or a demo on the home page. You lost me at the signup page.
      cirrus3 on HN
    • Agreed. The description on the site itself is also quite different from the description in the comment or title here. Asking people to sign up to even look at the app, let alone…
      mkl on HN
    • Agreed +1. Make a video and have it on the homepage!
      danielmarkbruce on HN
    • Home page with single link to sign up- I can't tell what I'd be signing up for though. Needs at least a screenshot...!
      drumttocs8 on HN
  • Add import/export feature

    From 1 comment
    • My 2 cents, 1 Bug(?) and 1 feature proposal. Cant view my post without setup before username? (account created with google, write post without username, publish, click "view",…
      Nic0 on HN
  • More demos on popular world events

    From 1 comment
    • Interesting! I looked at the demo, and found myself scrolling back and forth to see how the map/text changed. That was a valuable interaction for me. Would love to see more demos…
      newbalance on HN

Questions

  • What the service is and why to sign up

    From 2 comments
    • I concur. Tell me something about your service on the landing page. Why would I create an account for a mysterious service I know nothing about?
      tacticalmook on HN
    • Home page with single link to sign up- I can't tell what I'd be signing up for though. Needs at least a screenshot...!
      drumttocs8 on HN

Alternatives named

  • Jupyter or Colab

    From 1 comment
  • iA Writer or Gingko

    From 1 comment
    • I found using the editor confusing and not at all following my expectations for what an editor should do. (To start with, a displaying cursor or some sort of cue of where to…
      shortformblog on HN
  • Learnwithhomer reading platform (trademark concern)

    From 1 comment
    • I'd recommend linking to one of the demos on your landing page. I get that you want to have a singular CTA (create an account), but it seems like there's not enough bait on the…
      gnicholas on HN

Category, keywords, summaries and labels on this page were made by AI (Thread Reader v2) and not checked by hand. Each point links to the comments it came from.

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