Hi all! I've been building a tracker for my Brick and it's finally at a point where I want to show it off.

What is this, if you've never heard of trackers?
Before MP3s, a lot of game and demoscene music on the Amiga was made in "trackers". A song (a MOD file) carries its own little instruments, short sound samples, plus the notes that play them. That keeps the files tiny, and the music has that crunchy, punchy Amiga sound. You write it top to bottom, a bit like a spreadsheet where each column is an instrument channel. That's the scrolling grid in the video.

The easiest way in: Radio mode
Connect to WiFi, press one button, and it streams random tunes from The Mod Archive, a huge free library of tracker music. You don't need to know anything about trackers to enjoy it. It's become one of my favourite way to use the Brick.

For the tracker folks:

• Plays and edits 4/8-channel MODs (M.K., FLT4/8, OCTA…) and xxCH up to 32 channels
• Browse, search (songs or artists) and download straight from The Mod Archive on the device
• Full pattern editor driven by the d-pad and buttons: block select, undo/redo, save to .mod
• Import your own samples from WAV/AIFF/MP3/FLAC/OGG, converted to MOD format automatically
• Cubic interpolation, click-free note transitions and the Amiga "LED" low-pass filter for that authentic sound
• Per-channel oscilloscopes and VU meters

Under the hood
Native C + SDL2, with no emulation and no browser. It's a port of my own web tracker (JavaScript/Web Audio). Network requests run on a background thread over HTTPS, so the music never stutters while you browse. Works on stock OS/CrossMix and NextUI/MinUI.

A bit of background
I grew up in the demoscene and wrote SNES games back in the 90s, so putting a tracker on a handheld feels like coming home.

Status: [Not released yet / Release coming soon / Download link below]. I'd love to hear what you'd want from it. Which features would make you actually use it on the go?

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Quick Guide

Getting started

1. Copy the app to your SD card:
   • Stock OS / CrossMix: Apps/ModPlayer → /mnt/SDCARD/Apps/
   • NextUI / MinUI: Tools/tg5040/ModPlayer.pak → /mnt/SDCARD/Tools/tg5040/
2. Put your own .mod files in the mods/ folder inside the app folder. Songs you save end up there too.
3. Launch, press MENU, and pick RADIO if you just want to listen. SELECT shows the button reference at any time.

Main menu (MENU)

Button	What it does
LOAD	Open a .mod from the SD card
SAVE	Save to mods/<song name>.mod
NEW	Start an empty song
BROWSE	Search and download from The Mod Archive (WiFi)
RADIO	Non-stop random tunes from The Mod Archive
PLAY / STOP	Playback
LED: ON/OFF	Amiga low-pass filter for a warmer, more authentic sound

Global

Button	Action
START	Play / Stop
SELECT	Help (button reference)
SELECT + D-pad	Move between panels
SELECT + Y	Zoom in on the focused panel
SELECT + L1 / R1	Undo / Redo
SELECT + START	Quit

Pattern view

Button	Action
D-pad	Move cursor (◀▶ = channel)
L1 / R1	Jump −16 / +16 rows
L2 / R2	Previous / next song position
A	Play from cursor
B	Stop / clear selection
X	Pattern menu
Y	Toggle edit mode

Edit mode (press Y)

Button	Action
◀▶	Move between columns (note, sample, effect…)
A	Stamp the last note / value
A + ◀▶	Note ±1 semitone (or value ±1)
A + ▲▼	Note ±1 octave (or value ±1)
A + B	Clear cell
B + ▲▼	Select a block

The pattern menu (X) has: copy, cut, paste, insert empty row, delete & pull up, transpose ±1 semitone / ±1 octave, mute/solo channel, follow playback, new pattern, octave and step.

Other panels

Panel	Controls
Order (song arrangement)	◀▶ position, ▲▼ change pattern, A insert, Y delete
Samples	▲▼ choose, A preview, X load a sound file (WAV/AIFF/MP3/FLAC/OGG)
Sample editor	A + D-pad change values, A edit name/file
Status bar	◀▶ octave / edit step
Channel strip	A mute, Y solo

Mod Archive browser

Button	Action
A	Select / download
Y	Search (on-screen keyboard)
X	Random
L1 / R1	Previous / next page
B	Close

On-screen keyboard: A type · B delete · X space · Y shift · START OK · MENU cancel

Tips for first-timers

• Just want music? MENU → RADIO. Done.
• Want to tinker? Load a song, press Y, move to a note and press A + ▲▼. You'll hear the melody change on the next loop.
• Made a mess? SELECT + L1 undoes it.

You can try a web version here: protracker.js

Download the files here: Protracker_brick.zip and copy the file under the new folder /Apps/ModPlayer/

About three years ago, I had what I thought was a fairly small side-project idea:

Build a modern dual-pane file manager for Windows, roughly in the spirit of Total Commander.

I honestly thought the first usable version would take about two weeks.

I also assumed there must be a huge number of Windows users sitting around waiting for someone to build a new file manager.

Three years later, I’m still building it, and I’m now writing Reddit posts trying to explain what the project has turned into.

The application is called TheFile.Ninja.

It is still a native dual-pane Windows file manager, but somewhere along the way it grew into something closer to a programmable workspace for files.

One of the core ideas is that searches should not just appear in a temporary search-results window.

TheFile.Ninja integrates with Everything, and search results can be opened and used like normal folders. They can also be saved as live Smart Folders.

For example, you could create a folder that always shows:

• video files larger than 10 GB
• files modified during the last week
• source files containing a certain filename pattern
• files spread across several indexed drives

The contents update as the underlying files change.

Then I added Lua scripting.

That also got slightly out of hand.

There are now more than 400 Lua API functions across modules for file operations, searches, hashing, metadata, HTTP, JSON, UI integration, filesystem watchers and other parts of the application.

Scripts can add their own commands, keyboard shortcuts and context-menu actions. They can also run from events, filesystem changes or cron schedules.

The idea is that repetitive file workflows should be automatable without turning the application into a black box.

There is optional AI-assisted script generation, but the output is ordinary Lua code that you can inspect and edit before running it. The AI part is not required.

Other things that have gradually found their way into the project include:

• background file-operation queues
• archive browsing
• FTP, SFTP, WSL and MTP support
• folder synchronization
• grep-style content search
• disk-space analysis
• Git-aware file views
• custom file tags and descriptions
• encrypted peer-to-peer transfers using Magic Wormhole
• versioned backups using content-addressable storage and deduplication

The backup snapshots can be browsed through the same file interface, rather than through a completely separate backup application.

At this point, I’m trying to work out whether I’ve built one coherent product or five tools wearing the same dual-pane interface.

My goal is not to replace every specialized backup, sync or storage tool. The goal is to bring navigation, search, automation and recovery into one workspace while keeping the operations visible and understandable.

The application is Windows-only and still in active development.

There is a free Core version and a trial of the complete feature set (Email needed for free license). Some advanced features require a one-time paid licence. There is no required subscription and no usage telemetry.

I’d especially like feedback from other developers and people who build desktop software:

• Does the “programmable file workspace” idea make sense, or is the product becoming too broad?
• Which feature would you lead with when explaining it to someone new?
• What would you expect from a serious modern file manager that is still missing?
• At what point does adding more capability make the application harder to understand rather than more useful?

I’m also happy to answer technical questions about the architecture, scripting system, Everything integration or the general pain of maintaining a native Windows desktop application for three years.

Website:

https://thefile.ninja

Documentation:

https://docs.thefile.ninja

Hey r/software,

Full disclosure: I’m the developer behind TheFile.Ninja. I’ve been working on it for about 3 years, and I’m sharing it today for Self-Promotion Wednesday.

One of the core ideas behind TheFile.Ninja is simple:

Search results should be a place where you can actually work — not a temporary dialog that disappears when you close it. Just drop your query as a new folder or drop it on the toolbar.

In TheFile.Ninja, Everything-powered search results open as a normal file workspace. You can navigate them, sort them, preview files, add tags, copy or move files, and save the query as a Smart Folder that stays up to date.

It is a dual-pane file manager for Windows 10 and 11, aimed primarily at developers, system administrators and people who spend a lot of time managing files.

Three decisions shaped the application:

1. Search is navigation

Search results, live folders, backup snapshots and remote locations should behave consistently instead of each requiring a different tool or window.

2. Automation should remain inspectable

The application includes Lua scripting with more than 400 API functions, file-system watchers and a scheduler. Scripts can be reviewed before they run, and AI assistance is entirely optional.

3. File management should remain local-first

There is no usage telemetry and no file information is uploaded to my servers. Optional AI features use your own provider key and can be ignored completely.

Some of the other functionality:

- Dual panes, tabs and Miller Columns

- Everything search and grep-style content search

- Smart Folders, tags and NTFS metadata

- FTP, SFTP, archives and MTP devices

- Git-aware columns and file comparison

- Folder synchronization and versioned backups

- Operation queue with undo

- Secure device-to-device transfers using Magic Wormhole

Pricing, so there are no surprises:

- The first 30 days include all Pro features, with no credit card required

- Core remains available for free after the trial

- Pro is a $49 perpetual license that includes one year of updates

- Renewing update access later is optional

- A $79 Founders Lifetime license is currently available

The installer includes Everything 1.5, although you can use an existing Everything installation instead.

Website:

https://thefile.ninja

Documentation:

https://docs.thefile.ninja

I’d be interested to hear what file manager you currently use, and which feature or workflow would make you consider trying a different one.

I built a Windows file manager with instant search, a free tier, and no subscription

Hey r/windowsapps,

I've been building a file manager for Windows called TheFile.Ninja, and it's at a point where I'd like more people to try it. Full disclosure: I'm the developer.

The short version: it's a dual-pane file manager (think Total Commander or Directory Opus) built on the Everything search engine, so finding a file across every drive is basically instant. Search results aren't a side panel either; they open like a folder you can navigate, sort, tag, and act on.

Some of what it does:

Instant search powered by Everything, with a query language you can save as live Smart Folders that update themselves

Tags and metadata stored in NTFS, so they stay attached to the file even if you move it

AI search: type "large PDFs from last week" in plain English and it builds the query. You bring your own Gemini key, and file contents never leave your machine

Browse FTP/SFTP servers, archives, and phones (MTP) as if they were local folders

Git-aware columns, a disk space analyzer, batch rename, folder sync, and an operation queue with undo

A Lua scripting layer (400+ API functions) and versioned backups if you want to automate the boring parts

It's local-first with no telemetry, nothing phones home. There's a free Core tier that covers everyday use, and Pro is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription. Runs on Windows 10 and 11; Everything comes bundled with the installer.

Bonus for the keyboard crowd: I also just released a Flow Launcher plugin, so you can run the same searches without opening the app. fn qry://\*.mp3 c: for an Everything query, fn tag://favorite for tagged files, or fn "pdf files from yesterday morning" in plain English.

App and docs: https://thefile.ninja and https://docs.thefile.ninja

It's still young, so I'd like to hear where it falls short or what you'd want from a file manager. I'll be in the comments.

Regarding the video below, what’s your take on 'AI made my ADHD a superpower'? This fits me perfectly. I feel like the creativity I struggled to express in the past is finally firing on all cylinders! How does it work for you?

https://youtu.be/VTjsDNq1Eqw?is=RNdqgFwFlcPO5v1B