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Re:Show HN: Name2Tree – Turn any name into a deterministic tree by twosdai on Tuesday June 02, 2026 @06:17PM (#48377098)
Really cool!

Why does adding a name require a PR? Could it be handled with a database instead?

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 subairui on Wednesday June 03, 2026 @10:10AM (#48384368)
Thanks, ericfr4! If more than one person finds it valuable, I'll add a simple database.
Re:Show HN: Name2Tree – Turn any name into a deterministic tree by subairui on Thursday June 04, 2026 @07:03PM (#48405855)
I just added a tiny database. Please try it again. Thanks for this valuable suggestion!

https://tree.bairui.dev/

Re:Show HN: Name2Tree – Turn any name into a deterministic tree by subairui on Thursday June 04, 2026 @07:05PM (#48405874)
I just added a tiny database! Although you've already submitted a PR, thanks for the great suggestion! I really appreciate it.
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.