This is a submission for the "GitHub Finish-Up-A-Thon

syrex1013 — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:37:53 +0000

This is a submission for the "GitHub Finish-Up-A-Thon Challenge" (https://dev.to/challenges/github-2026-05-21)

What I Built

I built ProCurveUI, a modern desktop application that brings legacy HP ProCurve switches into the present.

The project started from a simple frustration: managing older ProCurve hardware often means dealing with serial cables, outdated TLS implementations, browser-incompatible web interfaces, and CLI workflows that haven't changed in over a decade. While the hardware itself remains reliable and popular in homelabs, the management experience has become increasingly painful.

ProCurveUI provides a clean graphical interface for interacting with these switches without relying on obsolete browser technologies or legacy management tools. The goal was to extend the useful life of excellent networking hardware by making it easier to configure and manage from modern systems.

As someone who spends a lot of time building security and infrastructure tooling, I enjoy creating software that removes unnecessary friction from everyday workflows. ProCurveUI is exactly that: a quality-of-life tool for homelab enthusiasts, network engineers, and anyone still running older HP ProCurve gear.

Repository: https://github.com/syrex1013/ProCurveUI

Demo

GitHub Repository

https://github.com/syrex1013/ProCurveUI

Screenshots

Include screenshots showing:

Device connection screen
Switch overview dashboard
Configuration management interface
Port management view
VLAN or network configuration features
Dark mode interface (if available)

Video Walkthrough

A short demo showing:

Connecting to a ProCurve switch
Viewing switch information
Managing ports and settings
Applying configuration changes
Monitoring switch status

The Comeback Story

This project sat in the "almost finished" category for longer than I wanted.

The initial version proved that the concept worked, but there were still rough edges, missing functionality, UI inconsistencies, and documentation gaps that prevented it from feeling complete. Like many side projects, it reached the stage where it was useful to me personally but not yet polished enough for wider adoption.

For Finish-Up-A-Thon, I focused on turning a prototype into a project that others could actually use:

Improved overall application stability
Refined the user interface and workflow
Fixed lingering bugs and connection issues
Cleaned up project structure and code organization
Improved documentation and usability
Performed testing against real ProCurve hardware
Prepared the repository for community contributions

The biggest win wasn't adding a flashy feature—it was taking the time to finish the details that make open-source projects approachable and maintainable.

Today, ProCurveUI is something I can confidently share with the homelab and networking community.

My Experience with GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot was especially useful during the polishing phase of the project.

While building new features is often the exciting part, finishing a project involves a huge amount of repetitive work: refactoring code, improving error handling, writing boilerplate, cleaning up UI components, and documenting functionality.

Copilot helped accelerate that process by:

Generating repetitive UI code
Assisting with refactoring and cleanup
Suggesting edge-case handling
Speeding up debugging sessions
Helping write documentation and comments
Reducing context-switching when working across different parts of the codebase

Instead of spending time writing the same patterns repeatedly, I could focus on improving the user experience and finishing the project.

For a challenge centered around completing unfinished work, that productivity boost was incredibly valuable.

Closing Thoughts

Older networking hardware still has plenty of life left in it. The challenge is usually software, not hardware.

ProCurveUI is my attempt to modernize the management experience for legacy HP ProCurve switches and make them easier to use in modern homelabs and lab environments.

If you have old ProCurve equipment sitting in a rack somewhere, I'd love to hear your feedback, bug reports, and feature ideas.

⭐ GitHub: https://github.com/syrex1013/ProCurveUI

I’m live on GitHub Sponsors — and I’d love your support 🙌

syrex1013 — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 23:46:25 +0000

Hi! I’m Adrian Dacka — OSCP-certified security engineer, developer, and open-source creator.
I spend most of my time building security tools, researching real-world attack techniques, and sharing what I learn with the community.

I’ve just launched my GitHub Sponsors profile!
If my work has helped you, or if you want to support more open-source security projects, you can sponsor me here:

👉 https://github.com/sponsors/syrex1013

DEV Community: syrex1013

This is a submission for the "GitHub Finish-Up-A-Thon

I’m live on GitHub Sponsors — and I’d love your support 🙌