The latest articles on DEV Community by BassThermal (@bassthermal). https://dev.to/bassthermal https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3792017%2F149bc87e-8d61-4b25-8d75-8e847f1d0e5f.jpg https://dev.to/bassthermal en BassThermal Wed, 25 Feb 2026 20:38:45 +0000 https://dev.to/bassthermal/building-dualticker-a-deterministic-configurable-rss-dashboard-12fp https://dev.to/bassthermal/building-dualticker-a-deterministic-configurable-rss-dashboard-12fp <p>Most RSS readers present news as a single linear stream.</p> <p>They’re not built for comparing multiple feeds in parallel.</p> <p>If you want to monitor how different sources publish in real time — side by side, in strict chronological order — most tools force everything into a single stream.</p> <p>I built <strong>DualTicker</strong>, a configurable, real-time RSS dashboard designed specifically for structured multi-feed monitoring.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1uapysjvwcbahwdad9ta.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1uapysjvwcbahwdad9ta.png" alt=" " width="800" height="499"></a></p> <h2> The Problem with Traditional RSS Readers </h2> <p>They’re not built for comparing multiple feeds in parallel.</p> <p>If you want to monitor how different sources publish in real time — side by side, in strict chronological order — most tools force everything into a single stream.</p> <p>I built <strong>DualTicker</strong>, a configurable, real-time RSS dashboard designed specifically for structured multi-feed monitoring.</p> <h2> The Problem with Traditional RSS Readers </h2> <p>Standard RSS readers:</p> <ul> <li>Merge everything into one list </li> <li>Reorder content </li> <li>Emphasize “top stories” </li> <li>Optimize for consumption </li> </ul> <p>But if your goal is <strong>feed comparison</strong> or <strong>parallel monitoring</strong>, merging destroys visibility.</p> <p>You lose structural differences between sources.</p> <h2> What DualTicker Does </h2> <p>DualTicker is a real-time RSS dashboard that:</p> <ol> <li>Polls multiple RSS feeds </li> <li>Normalizes entries </li> <li>Removes duplicates where appropriate </li> <li>Renders items strictly by timestamp </li> </ol> <p>There is no ranking logic.<br><br> No blending across sources.<br><br> No engagement optimization. </p> <p>If a feed publishes something, it appears in chronological order.</p> <h2> Multi-Stream RSS Layout </h2> <p>DualTicker supports:</p> <ul> <li>Single-stream RSS mode </li> <li>Side-by-side RSS comparison </li> <li>Custom feed groups </li> <li>Preset configurations </li> <li>URL-encoded state </li> </ul> <p>Example of a shareable view:<br> </p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight plaintext"><code>/?s=us-vs-world&amp;q=election OR gaza -opinion </code></pre> </div> <p>The entire configuration can be encoded in the URL, making sessions reproducible and shareable.</p> <h2> Architecture Overview </h2> <h3> Deterministic Chronological Rendering </h3> <p>Items are rendered strictly by timestamp.</p> <p>The system avoids introducing hidden sorting heuristics.</p> <p>Predictability &gt; automation.</p> <h3> Feed Reliability Handling </h3> <p>RSS feeds are inconsistent. Some:</p> <ul> <li>Omit timestamps </li> <li>Return intermittent 403 responses </li> <li>Temporarily return empty results </li> </ul> <p>The system preserves last-known-good items during failed refresh cycles to prevent UI collapse.</p> <h3> Frontend Windowing </h3> <p>Large feed volumes can cause scroll limitations if the rendered window is too small.</p> <p>The solution was increasing the frontend window size to provide sufficient physical scroll runway.</p> <p>Sometimes the limitation isn’t logic — it’s layout.</p> <h2> Who This Is For </h2> <ul> <li>People comparing multiple RSS feeds </li> <li>Users monitoring news sources in parallel </li> <li>Developers building feed-based dashboards </li> <li>Anyone who wants structured chronological visibility </li> </ul> <h2> What It Is Not </h2> <ul> <li>A recommendation engine </li> <li>A news publisher </li> <li>A ranking system </li> </ul> <p>It’s a deterministic RSS dashboard.</p> <h2> Availability </h2> <p><a href="http://www.dualticker.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.dualticker.com</a></p> <p><a href="https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9p4txws57pld" rel="noopener noreferrer">Windows desktop build</a></p> <p><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bassthermal.dualtickerlens&amp;pcampaignid=web_share" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android app</a> </p> <p><a href="https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/poepgpmgkhhccdpfhoainkkbjjniblob?utm_source=item-share-cb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chrome Extension</a></p> <p>Free to use.</p> <p>Optional one-time Founder tier unlocks advanced configuration features.</p> <p>If you build feed systems or deterministic dashboards, I’d be interested in feedback on architectural tradeoffs.</p> rss webdev javascript productivity BassThermal Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:41:28 +0000 https://dev.to/bassthermal/building-a-deterministic-batch-icon-pack-generator-for-multi-platform-apps-4in0 https://dev.to/bassthermal/building-a-deterministic-batch-icon-pack-generator-for-multi-platform-apps-4in0 <p>If you ship apps across Windows, Android, or Apple platforms, you’ve probably dealt with icon packaging friction.<br> <a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fwfewdqb5em6a20mo36oa.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fwfewdqb5em6a20mo36oa.png" alt=" " width="800" height="469"></a><br> Designing the icon isn’t the problem.</p> <p>Packaging it correctly across platforms is.</p> <p>Each platform expects different formats and size matrices:</p> <ul> <li>Windows requires <code>.ico</code> containers with multiple embedded sizes </li> <li>Android uses density-based folders </li> <li>Apple has strict size requirements </li> <li>General exports require multiple PNG resolutions </li> </ul> <p>Even when the design is finished, you still need to:</p> <ul> <li>Export multiple resolutions </li> <li>Generate ICO files </li> <li>Organize folder structures </li> <li>Double-check required sizes </li> <li>Repeat the entire process for the next project </li> </ul> <p>For one app, it’s manageable.</p> <p>For multiple apps or client work, it becomes repetitive overhead.</p> <p><strong>The Goal: Deterministic Output</strong></p> <p>I built a small Windows utility called <strong>Icon Pack Builder</strong> to reduce that friction.</p> <p>The goal wasn’t to replace design tools.</p> <p>It was to package existing icon assets cleanly and predictably.</p> <p>Core principles:</p> <ul> <li>Deterministic folder structure </li> <li>Consistent naming conventions </li> <li>Multi-platform output </li> <li>Batch processing </li> <li>Fully offline </li> </ul> <p>You select one image — or multiple images — and generate complete platform-ready icon packs in a single run.</p> <p><strong>Batch Processing Matters More Than It Sounds</strong></p> <p>Most online generators handle one image at a time.</p> <p>But if you’re:</p> <ul> <li>Updating branding across multiple apps </li> <li>Preparing portfolio builds </li> <li>Managing client assets </li> <li>Shipping frequently </li> </ul> <p>You don’t want to manually repeat the same export process.</p> <p>Batch mode lets you generate structured icon packs for multiple source images in one execution.</p> <p>That alone significantly reduces repetitive workflow steps.</p> <p><strong>Offline by Design</strong></p> <p>Many icon generators are web-based.</p> <p>That means:</p> <ul> <li>Uploading assets </li> <li>Internet dependency </li> <li>Server-side processing </li> <li>Potential privacy concerns </li> </ul> <p>Running locally removes those constraints.</p> <p>Everything happens on your machine.</p> <p>No uploads. No subscriptions. No cloud dependency.</p> <p><strong>Who It’s For</strong></p> <ul> <li>Indie developers </li> <li>Small studios </li> <li>Agencies shipping multiple builds </li> <li>Developers who prefer predictable tooling </li> </ul> <p>It’s a focused utility solving a specific packaging problem.</p> <p>Sometimes that’s enough.</p> <p>If you’re interested, you can check it out here:</p> <p><a href="https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9mxvt3dfq295" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9mxvt3dfq295</a>?</p> automation productivity showdev tooling