I was a software engineer from Hong Kong and currently a learning technology specialist at a Christian university in Canada. I've been working on Paideia LMS, a modern learning management system built as a single binary executable. I built this proof of concept in under 30 days, which is why it's far from production-ready, but I've reached v0.5 and would love to get feedback from the HN community.
I've worked with Moodle and Canvas in educational settings. Moodle is complex to deploy and maintain (often requires outsourcing), while Canvas is expensive ($50K+/year). I wanted something that's free, simple to deploy, uses a modern tech stack, and is easy to maintain.
The core idea is that you download one executable, point it at a PostgreSQL database and S3 storage, and you're running. Updates are just replacing the binary. No Docker compose files, no service orchestration, no dependency management.
Current state (v0.5): Core infrastructure is done (dual-mode binary with CLI), user management (5 roles, auth, admin impersonation), course management (enrollment, groups, content structure), activity modules (pages, quizzes, assignments - discussion in progress), content management (rich text editing, notes, blogs), and gradebook structure (grading mechanisms pending). Early stage - far from production ready.
You can try it at https://demo.paideialms.com (sandbox mode, resets daily at midnight). No signup required - just create an account and explore.
I'm especially interested in feedback from people in the education industry. System administrators: Does the single-binary deployment actually make administration easier? Is this a real pain point for institutions? Would you try it? Instructors/Educators: What features are missing that would make you consider using it? What are your biggest pain points with current LMS platforms? School administrators: Does the value proposition (cost reduction, simplicity) resonate with you? What would make you consider switching from Moodle/Canvas?
I'm also looking for general feedback on the value proposition, technical architecture, and would love to find contributors if anyone is interested.
I know it's early, but I'd rather get feedback now to validate the direction before investing more time. I'm particularly interested in hearing from system administrators, instructors, and school administrators about whether this approach addresses real pain points in the industry. What do you think? Would you try it? Does the single-binary approach resonate with you?
yomaru_1999•3mo ago
I've worked with Moodle and Canvas in educational settings. Moodle is complex to deploy and maintain (often requires outsourcing), while Canvas is expensive ($50K+/year). I wanted something that's free, simple to deploy, uses a modern tech stack, and is easy to maintain.
The core idea is that you download one executable, point it at a PostgreSQL database and S3 storage, and you're running. Updates are just replacing the binary. No Docker compose files, no service orchestration, no dependency management.
Current state (v0.5): Core infrastructure is done (dual-mode binary with CLI), user management (5 roles, auth, admin impersonation), course management (enrollment, groups, content structure), activity modules (pages, quizzes, assignments - discussion in progress), content management (rich text editing, notes, blogs), and gradebook structure (grading mechanisms pending). Early stage - far from production ready.
You can try it at https://demo.paideialms.com (sandbox mode, resets daily at midnight). No signup required - just create an account and explore.
I'm especially interested in feedback from people in the education industry. System administrators: Does the single-binary deployment actually make administration easier? Is this a real pain point for institutions? Would you try it? Instructors/Educators: What features are missing that would make you consider using it? What are your biggest pain points with current LMS platforms? School administrators: Does the value proposition (cost reduction, simplicity) resonate with you? What would make you consider switching from Moodle/Canvas?
I'm also looking for general feedback on the value proposition, technical architecture, and would love to find contributors if anyone is interested.
Full details:
- Whitepaper: https://docs.paideialms.com/whitepaper
- GitHub: https://github.com/paideia-lms/paideia
- Documentation: https://docs.paideialms.com
I know it's early, but I'd rather get feedback now to validate the direction before investing more time. I'm particularly interested in hearing from system administrators, instructors, and school administrators about whether this approach addresses real pain points in the industry. What do you think? Would you try it? Does the single-binary approach resonate with you?