Software Alternatives & Startups

Hy VS dmenu

Compare Hy VS dmenu and see what are their differences

Hy

Hy is a wonderful dialect of Lisp that’s embedded in Python.

Rating
0 reviews
dmenu

dmenu is a dynamic menu for X, originally designed for dwm.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, dmenu should be more popular than Hy. It has been mentioned 22 times since March 2021.

social mentions
9 vs 22
Programming Language popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
49 vs 81

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Hy
dmenu
Website docs.hylang.org tools.suckless.org
Pricing —
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Hy 4 features
dmenu 5 features
  • Python Interoperability
    Hy seamlessly integrates with Python, allowing you to use the entire Python ecosystem while writing your code in a Lisp-like syntax. This interoperability makes it easier for developers familiar with Python to experiment with Lisp's syntax and ideas.
  • Lisp Syntax and Macros
    Hy provides Lisp's powerful macro system and syntax, enabling more expressive and concise code. The ability to create macros can lead to highly customizable and domain-specific solutions.
  • Readability
    For those familiar with Lisp, Hy offers increased readability due to its minimal syntax and symbolic expressions. This can lead to more straightforward reasoning about the code and reduced syntactic noise.
  • Compiles to Python
    Hy code is compiled to Python bytecode, allowing it to run on any environment where Python is available. This ensures good performance and compatibility with existing Python tools and utilities.

Possible disadvantages

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For developers not familiar with Lisp, Hy's syntax and concepts (like macros) can be difficult to grasp initially. This can slow down development time as developers need to learn new paradigms.
  • Limited Adoption
    Hy is not as widely adopted or supported as some other languages or even other Lisp implementations. This can lead to less community support, fewer third-party libraries written specifically for Hy, and potentially more difficulty finding solutions to problems.
  • Debugging Complexity
    Debugging in Hy can sometimes be more challenging because errors may occur in the compiled Python code rather than the original Hy code, which can complicate traceback and error understanding.
  • Macro Overuse
    While macros are a powerful feature, their misuse can lead to code that is hard to read and maintain. This can become a con if developers do not exercise restraint and best practices in their use.
  • Performance Overhead
    While Hy compiles to Python, the added layer of abstraction and translation may introduce small performance overheads compared to writing natively in Python, especially for performance-critical applications.
  • Lightweight
    dmenu is known for its minimal use of system resources, ensuring fast performance even on older hardware.
  • Flexibility
    dmenu can be easily integrated into scripts and customized to fit specific workflows, making it adaptable to various user needs.
  • Minimalism
    Its minimalist design aligns with the philosophy of simplicity and efficiency, allowing for a straightforward user experience.
  • Keyboard Driven
    dmenu is designed for efficiency with keyboard input, enabling quick navigation and selection without the need for a mouse.
  • Scriptability
    Due to its simplicity and flexibility, it can be easily scripted and paired with other command-line tools for extended functionality.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Features
    Compared to more comprehensive launchers, dmenu lacks advanced features such as fuzzy searching or GUI configuration options.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    For users unfamiliar with command-line tools or scripting, setting up and customizing dmenu can be challenging.
  • Aesthetic Limitations
    The minimalist interface may not appeal to users who prefer more visually rich interactions or customization options.
  • Dependence on External Scripts
    To extend its functionality, users often need to rely on additional scripts, which might require extra maintenance and setup.
  • No Built-in Menu Structure
    dmenu does not support a predefined hierarchical menu structure out of the box, which might be a drawback for users looking for an organized menu system.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Hy 3 videos + Add
dmenu 3 videos + Add

HY-IMPACT muscle massager review (incredible)

More videos

  • - Cleveland Launcher XL Hy-Wood Review
  • - HY Extracts (Jack Herer) Review

dmenu: Your own Custom Script Menus!

More videos

  • - j4-dmenu-desktop - Faster Keystroke Launcher - Linux DMENU i3
  • - A Simple File Manager Using Dmenu

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Hy
dmenu
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
IDE
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Hy and dmenu. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Hy 9 mentions
dmenu 22 mentions
  • Python's “Disappointing” Superpowers
    Hy: https://docs.hylang.org/en/stable/ I tend to stick to vanilla python though, mainly because Hy is too much of an hassle for my use cases. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • Why Lisp?
    Q: is there any game dev happening in Lisp? A: https://kandria.com/ and https://itch.io/jam/lisp-game-jam-2022 Q: how do I write a website with Lisp? A: https://lispcookbook.github.io/cl-cookbook/web.html#easy-routes-hunchentoot and... - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago
  • How trying new programming languages helped me grow as a software engineer
    I really like Hy because it's fully inter-operable with Python. But its documentation is insufficient for anything moderately complex, and its tooling support is pretty basic. If Hy were well documented and supported I'd use it for all... Source: about 4 years ago

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  • Bspwm + Sxhkd + Polybar
    For dmenu modifications go to http://tools.suckless.org/dmenu/ and read about patching, or use some patched versions from github, like Luke Smiths https://github.com/LukeSmithxyz/dmenu. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Textual Web: TUIs for the Web
    Some features are nice to have. Give dmenu [0] a try, pipe it into other CLI utils and see how useful it can be to have drop-downs sometimes. [0] https://tools.suckless.org/dmenu/. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Kera Desktop: open-source, cross-platform, web-based desktop environment
    This is a wonderful project! I've been thinking a lot about making such a unified desktop stack for a while now; web technology has matured to the point where I think it's feasible to build a complete environment a la Smalltalk/Symbolics... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago

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Alternatives to Hy and dmenu

When comparing Hy and dmenu, you can also consider the following products.