Re:Show HN: Name2Tree – Turn any name into a deterministic tree
by subairui on Wednesday June 03, 2026 @12:10AM
(#48379800)
Thanks, Twosdai! My initial hesitation about adding a database wasn't really about technical complexity, but more about keeping the product and design simple. A few questions came to mind:
- Do we need accounts? If so, would that add too much friction? If not, could we identify users anonymously through a browser-generated ID?
- As more trees are generated, will the visualization become difficult to manage? Perhaps we only display a subset of them?
- How should we handle inappropriate or offensive inputs? I imagine we could use a moderation library or filter.
My main goal is to keep the experience lightweight and focused on the generation itself. That said, if a database would make participation easier and lead to a better overall experience, I'm definitely open to it.
What's your take? I'd love to hear what's on your mind.
Re:Show HN: Name2Tree – Turn any name into a deterministic tree
by ericfr4 on Wednesday June 03, 2026 @06:43AM
(#48382259)
So that's why it tries to log me into Github, to make a PR so I can add my name? Yeah, a simple database would be much better. Loses most users right there
Re:Show HN: Name2Tree – Turn any name into a deterministic tree
by twosdai on Monday June 15, 2026 @11:20AM
(#48542592)
Thanks so much. Its really clean now, I like your site a lot. Its a great form of internet art. :)
If you end up getting some spam or whatever, you can make people login in the future. But I would just wait for that to be a problem TBH. Your user experience is really nice now.
Why does adding a name require a PR? Could it be handled with a database instead?
- Do we need accounts? If so, would that add too much friction? If not, could we identify users anonymously through a browser-generated ID?
- As more trees are generated, will the visualization become difficult to manage? Perhaps we only display a subset of them?
- How should we handle inappropriate or offensive inputs? I imagine we could use a moderation library or filter.
My main goal is to keep the experience lightweight and focused on the generation itself. That said, if a database would make participation easier and lead to a better overall experience, I'm definitely open to it.
What's your take? I'd love to hear what's on your mind.
https://tree.bairui.dev/
If you end up getting some spam or whatever, you can make people login in the future. But I would just wait for that to be a problem TBH. Your user experience is really nice now.