Hacker ApprovedDepartments

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%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 1 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: not recommended
  2. December 2025: not recommended
  3. January 2026: not recommended
  4. February 2026: not recommended
  5. March 2026: not recommended
  6. April 2026: not recommended
  7. May 2026: recommended
  8. June 2026: not recommended
  9. July 2026: not recommended
  10. August 2026: not recommended
  11. September 2026: not recommended
  12. October 2026: not recommended
  13. 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”

RecommendsComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

“Having a desktop app for your workspace helps hide Slack and other distracting items while context switching between different productivity apps.”

RecommendsComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

“I'm already using it as my primary terminal emulator and have recently just been adding LSP support to the code editor.”

RecommendsComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

“right now its simply too janky for me to use it on a daily basis”

CriticizesComment 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...”

MixedComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

“I think the infinite canvas is a key feature, so you couldn't just disregard this to make it into a window manager.”

RecommendsComment 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”

RecommendsComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

“If you want their fancy windowing stuff, I think you also need to use their apps.”

CriticizesComment 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”

CriticizesComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

“But I think, I maybe expected more a windowmanager.”

MixedComment 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”

RecommendsComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

“pretty much all its features are window management”

MixedComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

“I'm not sure what problem it actually solves or aims at solving other than being cool?”

CriticizesComment 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”

CriticizesComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

“I like the idea, my fear is however that the lack of structure will cognitively overload my brain”

MixedComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

“Nice, but I'd love to see something more native.”

MixedComment from 27 May 2026 in “Cate v1.0 is out: The Infinite canvas workspace for developers”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.