I'm experimenting with a canvas-first IDE workflow for frontend UI, trying to keep the visual canvas and code in sync in parallel for designers and frontend developers. The goal is faster iteration without losing design intent or bouncing between tools.
I'm curious how this idea resonates with people who've built real frontend systems:
Does this abstraction make sense beyond small demos?
Where would it break down in large or long-lived codebases?
What tradeoffs would worry you most?
I'm not trying to sell anything — genuinely looking to learn from experienced engineers or from someone who has built some similar tools.
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Open-source & contributors:
I'm planning to release it as soon as possible, meanwhile I'm also looking to connect with people who've contributed to Code-OSS or IDE tooling and want to help build meaningful developer tools for the community. I don't want to limit this project to just frontend, would love to expand its scope.
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Happy to answer technical questions or explain design choices in detail.
Hi HN,
I'm experimenting with a canvas-first IDE workflow for frontend UI, trying to keep the visual canvas and code in sync in parallel for designers and frontend developers. The goal is faster iteration without losing design intent or bouncing between tools.
I'm curious how this idea resonates with people who've built real frontend systems:
Does this abstraction make sense beyond small demos?
Where would it break down in large or long-lived codebases?
What tradeoffs would worry you most?
I'm not trying to sell anything — genuinely looking to learn from experienced engineers or from someone who has built some similar tools.
------------ Open-source & contributors: I'm planning to release it as soon as possible, meanwhile I'm also looking to connect with people who've contributed to Code-OSS or IDE tooling and want to help build meaningful developer tools for the community. I don't want to limit this project to just frontend, would love to expand its scope. ------------
Happy to answer technical questions or explain design choices in detail.
Appreciate any honest thoughts!