This is probably a bizarre question, but how does an icon artist go about deciding which icons to make? For example, almost every set seems to include at least one airplane, so airplanes seem to be something icon artists expect will be useful... but there are also bathtubs in some sets, which seems odd. Are these collections the results of specific projects, or do they anticipate what designers might need?
If you are making software, I implore you to do a quick and simple test if you plan on using icons: show them to some users and ask if they would know what they mean. There is a significant chance the icons are meaningless. Yes, context helps, yes, merely communicating difference helps, but, for the most part, nobody knows what any of these things mean.
Relying on icons alone is never entirely without risk, no matter how conventional the icon. if you Value accessibility don’t substitute text for imagery. Use imagery to provide a visual anchor for text.
From the ecosystem-independent ones I use and highly recommend
- `vscode-file-nesting-config` for decluttering your project folder
- `ni` to not care which of npm alternative project uses
- `eslint config` that has fine defaults for basically every framework (do note that it uses his eslint-style rather then prettier by default), which has TS JSDoc and autocompletion for rules and hides fixable rules in VSCode by default
- `taze` to check deps for updates. May be less good then pm-specific ones but works for every pm.
- `unocss` which is Tailwind clone you can actually understand - it works on regexes. Or can't because it allows to set tw classes in attributes and group them in weird ways.
I've seen only the JavaScript community where people make thousands of different libraries. This goes to show that how shallow each of these libraries are. In other languages like C++ or Rust, usually people maintain a few libraries at max.
Not to say Anthony is not a smart individual.
there are underlying differences between C++, Rust, JS. The aim of libraries are re-usability. To call a small library shallow, its your choice. If you want to drag a helpers folder with you anywhere its your choice. JS does not have the fate to have language updates as C, Rust. Code lives in many envoirements and is in many cases polyfilled/transpiled.
You are welcome to shape your point of view in this free world.
Checkout slidevjs, that may also look shallow to you. The eco-system is very open. It will never be as C++ or Rust. I believe everyone is happy where they are.
Has anyone come across a semantic search to navigate these icon libraries? I want to be able to search for “Industry” and get icons returned that show factory, cogs etc. I’ve been using https://react-icons.github.io/react-icons but the same problem there, you search for a string and it just greps across the official icon name. If you don’t know the name you’re not going to find it.
Excellent work, Love it, bookmark it and considered it for future use!
The HN title is, however, a bit confusing/misleading, especially at the end with 'NES' as it has a special meaning/feeling when read in the context of HN. At first, I though this was a project showing a remake of some icons from the Nintendo Entertainment System. Also, the word Icône (with 'e' at the end and accent circonflexe on letter 'o') is the French translation of icon.
As you point out, 'icônes' is French for 'icons'; the name is probably related to the fact that the site is built using Vite. Was NES capitalized in the title earlier?
Often times, I don't find all the icons I need in one icon package. I wish there was a way to find icons of various sources (and thus, various styles) and make them more consistent to be used in a program.
awesome, i've totally run into the search problem too - always annoys me when the icon names barely match what i need. you ever wonder if icons could just fade out someday and well just rely on smarter search instead?