Live programming ideas
This is a meta issue to describe what we want to implement in relation to live programming: * [ ] Line counting: now that the Erlang VM JIT supports [built-in code coverage](https://www.erlang.org/doc/apps/kernel/code.html#get_coverage/2), we can probably enable it for modules either by default, via a configuration or via a Kino function, and show line counts directly on the gutter * [ ] Variable explorer: this is a feature known in many notebook platforms but those platforms have global state. A variable explorer in Livebook would need to be per cell. This probably requires a side-pane or similar alongside the cell to list variables with previews of their content (perhaps even a good opportunity to add a general search/autocomplete tied to the cell). See previous issue #179. * [x] Module explorer: we can show which modules each section defines under the Sections pane in the sidebar * [x] Example-live programming: the canonical introduction, "Usable Live Programming", introduces two concepts: probes and traces. In Elixir, we could translate those to doctests and `dbg`. The idea is to automatically run doctests and have their output in a specific frame with a re-run button. * [ ] dbg time slicing: currently `dbg` only keeps the first/last value. We want to allow it to register several values but, not only that, have a frame that shows have the values of multiple `dbg`s changed over time, in order. For example with you have a loop with a nested loop, we should have all `dbg` in order and control how they were emitted. See proof of concept here: https://szymonkaliski.com/projects/live-coding-livebook --- References on probing/example-based live programming: * [Usable live programming](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/usable-live-programming/) * [Example-based live programming for everyone: building language-agnostic tools for live programming with LSP and GraalVM](https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3426428.3426919) * [Log-it:
FL score
out of 100
Verdict
high confidence
Competition
No competitor data yet
Trend
No signal yet
A set of live programming enhancements for Elixir's Livebook to improve code coverage visibility, variable inspection, and debugging.
The pain
The gap
Build angle
Strengths
- Leverages existing Erlang VM and Livebook infrastructure
- Addresses a real pain point for Elixir developers
- Modular features allow phased development and testing
Risks
- Niche market limits monetization and growth potential
- Unclear if users will pay for these enhancements
- Requires deep technical expertise and maintenance effort
Fly Labs Method
Is the pain real, is there a gap, is it the right time, can one person build it.
- Problem clarity
- 70
- Solution gap
- 60
- Willingness to pay
- 50
- Buildability
- 80
The problem of improving live programming tools is clear for developers using Elixir and Livebook, but the market is niche and willingness to pay is uncertain, though the solution is feasible to build.
Value Equation
Dream outcome and how likely it feels, against the time and effort it costs.
The idea addresses a real developer productivity issue but targets a small, specialized audience with unclear monetization potential and moderate differentiation.
One-Person Business
Curiosity pull, identity fit, and a path from free value to paid for a solo creator.
The concept fits a specific technical need with moderate market size and some competition, but lacks a clear business model and broad appeal.
Viral Frameworks
Hook strength, shareability, and how cheaply it can be tested.
The product has technical merit and addresses developer tooling gaps, but the customer segment is narrow and the value proposition is not fully validated.
Builder Lens
Evidence the problem exists, timing, defensibility, and a model that fits on a napkin.
The idea is technically interesting and could improve developer experience, but it is early stage with limited evidence of demand or scalable business model.
Five lenses, one composite. How scoring works
The angle
No market research recorded for this idea yet.
Every CEO and CFO change at US public companies, live from SEC
Built this solo. It watches SEC filings for executive and board changes, extracts the data, and shows it in real time. 2,100+ changes in the last 30 days. The comp data is interesting: average new CEO total comp is $8.4M across 284 appointments. The /explore page is fully open, no login needed.
Design & Creative
Simplified AI image creation tool for non-designers
Many users want an easy AI-driven tool to create images without complex interfaces or expensive software, focusing on usability for amateurs and marketers. [Google Search suggestion]
Design & Creative
µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies
I built µJS because I wanted AJAX navigation without the verbosity of HTMX or the overhead of Turbo.It intercepts links and form submissions, fetches pages via AJAX, and swaps fragments of the DOM. Single <script> tag, one call to `mu.init()`. No build step, no dependencies.Key features: patch mode (update multiple fragments in one request), SSE support, DOM morphing via idiomorph, View Transitions, prefetch on hover, polling, and full HTTP verb support on any element.At ~5KB gzipped, it's smaller than HTMX (16KB) and Turbo (25KB), and works with any backend: PHP, Python, Go, Ruby, whatever.Playground: https://mujs.org/playgroundComparison with HTMX and Turbo: https://mujs.org/comparisonAbout the project creation, why and when: https://mujs.org/aboutGitHub: https://github.com/Digicreon/muJSHappy to discuss the project.
Design & Creative
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