[m417z]

Hi, Windhawk author here. Nice to see it on Hacker News.

This is just one Windhawk mod, submitted by a community member. There are hundreds others. Windhawk was created to simplify Windows customization and to make it more accessible, both for developers and users. For a more detailed introduction, check out the Windhawk release blog post:

https://ramensoftware.com/windhawk

[y-c-o-m-b]

Thanks for making this a safe place to modify Windows in a community-driven fashion. I mentioned it in a comment below, but I use the "Multirow taskbar for Windows 11" mod and it's been a godsend for keeping things more organized as before. I appreciate you and the mod community.

[neuroelectron]

How do you know it's safe?

[rikafurude21]

I've come across Windhawk before but the mods being just C++ programs seemed a little suspicious to me, how do you make sure the mods dont include malware?

[m417z]

When you install or run a program, how do you make sure it doesn't include malware? I assume that you check for the author's record/reputation, and perhaps look at the source code if it's available.

It's similar with Windhawk mods. The GitHub and X profiles are verified to be the profiles of the author, so you can decide whether you trust them. The source code is available, so you can inspect it as well. Mods are single-file and usually short, which makes it easier to review than an average program.

[nodja]

Windhawk mods are distributed as source code and WH itself compiles it. It works the same way usescripts work with tampermonkey/violentmonkey on browsers.

If a mod includes malware it'll be very obvious as mods are usually small.

[Refreeze5224]

Windows is weird. The way these mods work is injecting code into different processes, which is a very common malware technique. Keyloggers in particular work similarly to Windhawk. And that is not a swipe at Windhawk, that is just how Windows has you do this type of thing.

[Lammy]

FUD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty,_and_doubt

I'm so sick of people telling me to BE AFRAID. If you want to live without the risk of a little danger, go live in prison.

[emeril]

thank you for making modern windows usable - it has made the transition from xp/7 to 10/11 more tolerable