Products · Broad category
Modern software
Raised as a usability problem by 84 people on Hacker News over 16 years (2011–2026), in 83 threads.
This is a broad category rather than one product, so its issues aren't ranked on the home page.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
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Every issue, all time, most people first
Software feels slow to interact with compared to older systemsUnreviewed
20112026- Modern computer interfaces are slower and buggier than older ones2025-12-05
- Software has unusable designs and noticeable input latency when typing2024-04-17
- Modern software is bloated and suffers performance issues compared with older programs2023-09-25
Modern apps start slowly and have inconvenient browser-dictated designsUnreviewed
20112026- Modern GUI apps feel slow and laggy to interact with compared to TUIs2026-10-27
- Modern GUI apps lack options and waste screen space, making them harder to use2026-08-22
- Modern apps are slow to start and UIs are inconvenient, browser-dictated designs2025-07-26
Modern software is hard to figure out and lacks discoverabilityUnreviewed
20112026- Modern apps no longer teach users shortcuts through visible menus, making power features harder to find2023-10-15
- Modern software is hard to use, hard to figure out, and lacks discoverability2023-05-30
- Modern software is too simplified, so users can't discover its advanced actions without manuals2022-09-25
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Modern GUI apps feel slow and laggy to interact with compared to TUIs2026-10-27
- Modern software feels hostile, with dark patterns and user needs ignored2026-09-27
- Apps flash notifications, tips and feature ads that interrupt focus2026-09-21
- Modern GUI apps lack options and waste screen space, making them harder to use2026-08-22
- Everyday software has long startup times and a noticeable delay on every action2026-08-10
- Users give up or work around bugs after much frustration2026-07-14
- Gesture-based controls are hard to use, and apps lack sensible UX so users must guess and click2026-04-06
- Actions fail silently with no error message or indication of what went wrong2026-03-04
- Modern computer interfaces are slower and buggier than older ones2025-12-05
- Software nudges are designed to extract information and ad revenue from users2025-11-29
- Keypresses take noticeably long to register, making modern programs feel sluggish compared to old ones2025-10-18
- Interfaces hide power features or limit users to a simplified interface only2025-08-21
- Modern apps are slow to start and UIs are inconvenient, browser-dictated designs2025-07-26
- Software guesses what users want, forcing them to constantly correct and work around assumptions2025-04-01
- Most apps lack vim mode, forcing users to learn new editing UI patterns per app2024-12-15
- Verify link causes multiple screen slides and waits, leaving users dizzy and confused2024-09-05
- Users can't understand basic concepts like filesystems and directories because complexity is hidden2024-08-20
- Messages often delayed or fail to generate proper notifications on mobile apps2024-08-09
- Constant moving of UI widgets makes software hard to navigate for long-time users2024-06-21
- Software has unusable designs and noticeable input latency when typing2024-04-17
- Users can't predict what custom interface controls will do2024-03-08
- Modern software would be unusable without much faster hardware, due to bloat and slowness2023-12-25
- Visually pretty designs that are hard to use, shaped by designers who don't understand customers2023-12-14
- Modern apps no longer teach users shortcuts through visible menus, making power features harder to find2023-10-15
- Older users can't tell which interface elements are clickable2023-10-12
- Apps repeatedly nag users to enable notifications, with decline options worded to push them2023-10-01
- Modern software is bloated and suffers performance issues compared with older programs2023-09-25
- Modern software lags unpredictably, so users can't learn to work around the delays2023-06-23
- Many modern apps have UI/UX less functional and ergonomic than older desktop tools2023-06-12
- Modern software feels almost unusable because keyboard modifier shortcuts were removed2023-06-07
- Modern software is hard to use, hard to figure out, and lacks discoverability2023-05-30
- Save button hidden in hamburger menus, unlabeled icons, or share menus, so people can't find it2023-05-29
- Modern interfaces respond slowly to key presses and input compared with early software2023-05-19
- Feedback prompts and feature tours interrupt work and get in the way of getting things done2023-05-10
- Modern apps feel laggy and cluttered with flashing buttons and pop-up notifications2023-05-09
- Multi-modal controls and long-press buttons make devices hard to operate, especially for elderly users2023-05-05
- Modern software feels slower with more input lag and a bloated UI2023-02-14
- Modern software stacks add input lag so interfaces feel less responsive than older computers2023-01-10
- Modern software responds much more slowly to input than old 1990s programs2022-12-07
- Apps sluggish because they reload from the web or reindex the drive on every step2022-12-07
- Modern software feels slow to respond because it runs checks on every keystroke2022-12-07
- Duplicate search bars in OS, browser, and websites clutter the interface2022-12-05
- Interfaces are undiscoverable, so users can't access much functionality2022-11-29
- Apps blur file operations, e.g. a Sound Recorder doing directory operations, confusing users2022-09-30
- Modern software is too simplified, so users can't discover its advanced actions without manuals2022-09-25
- Too little chat context visible at once; large images and quoting push messages off screen2022-07-06
- Apps are slow, buggy and not customizable2022-05-25
- Inscrutable command line tools fail on minor deviations, wasting a day a week2022-05-04
- Constantly having to guard against tracking, scams, dark patterns and data leaks2022-04-26
- Full-screen update notices take over the screen and steal focus, frustrating older users2022-03-17