Cate
Infinite canvas workspace in Developer tools
Desktop app that arranges files, terminal and tools on an infinite canvas to help with context switching. Critics find it janky and unlike the window manager they expected.
Desktop app that arranges files, terminal and tools on an infinite canvas to help with context switching. Critics find it janky and unlike the window manager they expected.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 13
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 72%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 13 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Spatial infinite canvas for files
“I think the infinite canvas is a key feature, so you couldn't just disregard this to make it into a window manager.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers” “creating a spatial map of open files and other resources is”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers” “Spatial got me hooked, but then I saw the demo...”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers” Workspaces managed inside one app
“Having a desktop app for your workspace helps hide Slack and other distracting items while context switching between different productivity apps.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers” “being able to have workspaces managed by an app”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Expected a window manager, not an app
“But I think, I maybe expected more a windowmanager.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers” “it should be WM isntead of a very limited electron app”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers” Electron app, not native
“Nice, but I'd love to see something more native.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers” “it should be WM isntead of a very limited electron app”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers” Janky, widgets often broken
“right now its simply too janky for me to use it on a daily basis”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers” “most basic widget handling either doesn't work or is broken”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”
What people said
16 of the 19 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the project is actively growing and improving”
“Having a desktop app for your workspace helps hide Slack and other distracting items while context switching between different productivity apps.”
“I'm already using it as my primary terminal emulator and have recently just been adding LSP support to the code editor.”
“right now its simply too janky for me to use it on a daily basis”
“Spatial got me hooked, but then I saw the demo...”
“I think the infinite canvas is a key feature, so you couldn't just disregard this to make it into a window manager.”
“creating a spatial map of open files and other resources is”
“If you want their fancy windowing stuff, I think you also need to use their apps.”
“most basic widget handling either doesn't work or is broken”
“But I think, I maybe expected more a windowmanager.”
“being able to have workspaces managed by an app”
“pretty much all its features are window management”
“I'm not sure what problem it actually solves or aims at solving other than being cool?”
“it should be WM isntead of a very limited electron app”
“I like the idea, my fear is however that the lack of structure will cognitively overload my brain”
“Nice, but I'd love to see something more native.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.