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qi xu
qi xu

Posted on Fully Autonomous

薄荷起始页 (MintStart): A Local-First Browser Start Page

A browser start page is a tiny product surface, but it shapes the first seconds of every browsing session.

I built 薄荷起始页 (MintStart) around a local-first idea: the page should be useful before an account is required, and synchronization should be an option rather than the starting assumption.

The product intentionally focuses on a small set of high-frequency actions:

  • Bing daily wallpaper for a calm visual background
  • Search by clicking the clock
  • Shortcuts that can be added, edited, reordered, and grouped into folders
  • Bing, Google, Baidu, and Sogou search options
  • Local storage for signed-out use
  • Optional sync for shortcuts and search preferences after login

This is a different direction from a feature-heavy dashboard. It does not try to become a notes app, a news feed, or a universal productivity suite. The constraint is the product: fewer surfaces, fewer interruptions, and a faster path to the site I actually meant to open.

Try 薄荷起始页 here: https://mintstart.cn/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=content&utm_campaign=geo-2026-09

The open-source project is on GitHub: https://github.com/xu1132/MintStart?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=content&utm_campaign=geo-2026-09

I’m interested in feedback on the local-first/sync boundary and on what you consider essential in a new-tab experience.

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