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Moat or Bloat

DesktopIconsManipulator

NuGet package for desktop icon manipulation

Library Rated 7 Oct 2026Dormant

Link
nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator
Built by
KerVerse

Bloat

156/500

Where it landed on the scale

Bloat
0
Float
300
Moat
400

Summary

A working but thin, free, open-source hobby library with a clear README and a published NuGet package. It has no monetisation path, no visible users beyond the author, and little defensibility, and activity has stopped for over a year. It is a competent developer portfolio piece rather than a business.

Bloat · Not much here works or looks likely to last, yet.

Breakdown

Five measures, 100 points each. Open the receipts under any of them to see the posts and pages behind the points.

Viability

Is there a real problem, someone who would pay, and a market this builder can actually reach?

A novelty utility with no evident paying user and no charging model; it works as a hobby or portfolio library but solves a very niche problem.

14/100

Rubric 0–20No clear problem or user. A toy, a practice clone, or a solution looking for a problem.

Receipts (3)

  1. README describes getting and setting desktop icon positions and sizes, with a 'fun tween animation' as the headline example, so the use case is playful rather than a business need.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator (opens in a new tab)

  2. The post frames the idea as something started out of boredom as a #SideProject, not a response to a customer problem.

    “#SideProject Have you ever been bored and just started organizing your desktop like it's a tiny room, all neat and perfectly arranged? Well, I was going through exactly that today. As I was doing this, I had the idea to automate it using AI/ML. If it's possible, how would a system like this work? Before I dove deep into the project, I already had a vague idea of using t-SNE—a dimensionality red”

    Post · @TheKerVerse · 3 Oct 2024 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  3. No pricing, payment provider or commercial offering appears; the package is a free NuGet download that asks only for credit.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator (opens in a new tab)

Moat

What stops someone copying it?

Anyone comfortable with Windows interop could rebuild this quickly; the only edge is the author having already done it.

12/100

Rubric 0–20A thin wrapper or a clone that anyone here could rebuild in a weekend.

Receipts (2)

  1. The API is a few simple properties (Icons, Location, IconsSize), a thin wrapper over Windows desktop behaviour.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator (opens in a new tab)

  2. The t-SNE/embedding auto-arrange idea is interesting, but the dossier shows only the idea being explored, not a shipped proprietary capability.

    “#SideProject Have you ever been bored and just started organizing your desktop like it's a tiny room, all neat and perfectly arranged? Well, I was going through exactly that today. As I was doing this, I had the idea to automate it using AI/ML. If it's possible, how would a system like this work? Before I dove deep into the project, I already had a vague idea of using t-SNE—a dimensionality red”

    Post · @TheKerVerse · 3 Oct 2024 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

Momentum

Did the updates keep coming?

Worked on across about 10 months with updates in only 3 of 11 months, and nothing for over 400 days, so momentum has faded.

14/100

  • Sustained shipping12/60

    Worked on across 10 months.

  • Consistency2/40

    Updates in 3 of 11 months.

  • Quiet

    No update for 419 days — scaled to 20%.

Receipts (2)

  1. Earliest post about it.

    “#SideProject Have you ever been bored and just started organizing your desktop like it's a tiny room, all neat and perfectly arranged? Well, I was going through exactly that today. As I was doing this, I had the idea to automate it using AI/ML. If it's possible, how would a system like this work? Before I dove deep into the project, I already had a vague idea of using t-SNE—a dimensionality red”

    Post · @TheKerVerse · 3 Oct 2024 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  2. Most recent post about it.

    “Hey everyone! I rolled out the initial version of Evolute last week Thinking about hosting a hackathon around it with a prize pool, would you be in? If we get enough competitors, I’d love to make it happen! GitHub: https://github.com/kerodkibatu/Evolute NuGet: https://www.nuget.org/packages/Evolute”

    Post · @TheKerVerse · 14 Aug 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

Infrastructure

Does a real, working product exist?

A real, installable NuGet package exists with a clear README and working API for icon location and size, but it is a small, thin library.

65/100

  • It's live20/20

    https://www.nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator responded when checked.

  • HTTPS5/5

    Served over HTTPS.

  • Real product25/35

    A versioned (0.7.2) package is published and installable with a README showing working usage, but it is a small single-purpose library with limited scope.

  • Own home10/10

    Lives on its own domain (www.nuget.org).

  • Maintained0/15

    Last sign of shipping 2025-08-14.

  • Operations5/15

    Standard NuGet hosting with a docs README and a linked GitHub repo; no backend, API service or multi-platform presence beyond the package registry and the author's other packages.

Receipts (5)

  1. https://www.nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator responded when checked.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator (opens in a new tab)

  2. NuGet page shows version 0.7.2 targeting .NET Standard 2.0, with a usage README and a repo link.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator (opens in a new tab)

  3. The post describes the ML-based arrangement concept, but the published package covers only manual manipulation.

    “#SideProject Have you ever been bored and just started organizing your desktop like it's a tiny room, all neat and perfectly arranged? Well, I was going through exactly that today. As I was doing this, I had the idea to automate it using AI/ML. If it's possible, how would a system like this work? Before I dove deep into the project, I already had a vague idea of using t-SNE—a dimensionality red”

    Post · @TheKerVerse · 3 Oct 2024 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  4. README documentation and a GitHub repo link are present, with status/accounts coming from the NuGet platform rather than the creator.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator (opens in a new tab)

  5. The author's separate TorchImage package has its own README and repo, showing some tooling habits.

    “I'm thrilled to announce the release of TorchImage, a new .NET library that I've been working on! 🎉 TorchImage integrates powerful image processing capabilities into TorchSharp powered by the ImageSharp Library, making it easier to work with image data in machine learning and computer vision projects. Whether you're dealing with PNGs, JPGs, GIFs etc., TorchImage has got you covered! It also come”

    Post · @TheKerVerse · 24 Feb 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

Sustainability

Is it being set up to last?

Distribution is only the NuGet registry, there is no revenue or pricing, and the project reads as a hobby with no sign of ongoing commitment to this package.

51/100

  • Distribution25/30

    A web app on its own domain.

  • Payments0/15

    No payment provider found.

  • Pricing0/10

    No pricing found on the site.

  • Revenue0/5

    Nothing in the posts or package page indicates paying customers or revenue.

  • Privacy policy7/7

    Has a privacy policy.

  • Terms5/5

    Has terms of service.

  • Support8/8

    A way to reach support.

  • Commitment6/20

    The author keeps a Telegram channel and has shipped related packages (TorchImage, Evolute) and floated a hackathon, but this package has no dedicated community, no roadmap, and has seen no update in over a year.

Receipts (6)

  1. A web app on its own domain.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator (opens in a new tab)

  2. Has a privacy policy.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · aka.ms/yourcaliforniaprivacychoices (opens in a new tab)

  3. No payments or pricing; the README just asks users to credit the author.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator (opens in a new tab)

  4. Shows ongoing package-building, with TorchImage released in Feb 2025.

    “I'm thrilled to announce the release of TorchImage, a new .NET library that I've been working on! 🎉 TorchImage integrates powerful image processing capabilities into TorchSharp powered by the ImageSharp Library, making it easier to work with image data in machine learning and computer vision projects. Whether you're dealing with PNGs, JPGs, GIFs etc., TorchImage has got you covered! It also come”

    Post · @TheKerVerse · 24 Feb 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  5. Evolute was released and a prize-pool hackathon was proposed, but that concerns a different project and was conditional on interest.

    “Hey everyone! I rolled out the initial version of Evolute last week Thinking about hosting a hackathon around it with a prize pool, would you be in? If we get enough competitors, I’d love to make it happen! GitHub: https://github.com/kerodkibatu/Evolute NuGet: https://www.nuget.org/packages/Evolute”

    Post · @TheKerVerse · 14 Aug 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  6. The package is at 0.7.2 and the last sign of shipping was 2025-08-14.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · nuget.org/packages/DesktopIconsManipulator (opens in a new tab)