diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# syndie-gui
+Major WIP, not much to see here.  Expect major refactoring and breaking changes.
+
+# Warning
+This is highly experimental software that you should not use in this state.
diff --git a/channels.go b/channels.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f8a524
--- /dev/null
+++ b/channels.go
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"strconv"
+
+	"fyne.io/fyne"
+	"fyne.io/fyne/canvas"
+	"fyne.io/fyne/widget"
+)
+
+func (client *GUI) renderChannelList() fyne.CanvasObject {
+	right := widget.NewVBox()
+	for _, channel := range client.db.Channels {
+		row := widget.NewHBox()
+		numOfMessages := strconv.Itoa(len(client.db.chanList[channel.IdentHash]))
+		test := canvas.NewImageFromImage(client.db.getAvatar(channel.IdentHash))
+		test.SetMinSize(fyne.NewSize(32, 32))
+		test.FillMode = canvas.ImageFillContain
+		row.Append(test)
+		row.Append(widget.NewLabel(channel.Name + " " + shortIdent(channel.IdentHash) + " " + numOfMessages + "/" + numOfMessages))
+		right.Append(row)
+	}
+	return right
+}
+
+func shortIdent(i string) string {
+	if len(i) > 6 {
+		return "[" + i[0:6] + "]"
+	}
+	return ""
+}
diff --git a/database.go b/database.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a062c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database.go
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"image"
+	"image/jpeg"
+	"io/ioutil"
+
+	"github.com/boltdb/bolt"
+
+	"github.com/kpetku/libsyndie/syndieutil"
+	"github.com/kpetku/syndie-core/data"
+)
+
+type database struct {
+	chanList map[string][]data.Message
+	avatars  map[string]*image.Image
+
+	Channels []data.Channel
+	Messages []data.Message
+}
+
+func NewDatabase() *database {
+	return new(database)
+}
+
+func (db *database) openDB(path string) error {
+	db.chanList = make(map[string][]data.Message)
+	err := data.OpenDB(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return data.InitDB()
+}
+
+func (db *database) loadChannels() {
+	data.DB.View(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
+		b := tx.Bucket([]byte("channels"))
+		b.ForEach(func(k, v []byte) error {
+			c := data.Channel{}
+			c.Decode(v)
+			cHash, _ := syndieutil.ChanHash(c.Identity)
+			c.IdentHash = cHash
+			db.Channels = append(db.Channels, c)
+			return nil
+		})
+		return nil
+	})
+}
+
+func (db *database) loadMessages() {
+	data.DB.View(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
+		b := tx.Bucket([]byte("messages"))
+		b.ForEach(func(k, v []byte) error {
+			m := data.Message{}
+			m.Decode(v)
+			db.Messages = append(db.Messages, m)
+			db.chanList[m.TargetChannel] = append(db.chanList[m.TargetChannel], m)
+			return nil
+		})
+		return nil
+	})
+}
+
+func (db *database) loadAvatars() {
+	db.avatars = make(map[string]*image.Image)
+
+	empty, _ := ioutil.ReadFile("resources/jpeg.jpg")
+	emptyAvatar, _ := jpeg.Decode(bytes.NewReader(empty))
+	db.avatars["empty"] = &emptyAvatar
+
+	for _, channel := range db.Channels {
+		if len(channel.Avatar) > 0 {
+			avatar, _ := jpeg.Decode(bytes.NewReader(channel.Avatar))
+			db.avatars[channel.IdentHash] = &avatar
+		} else {
+			db.avatars[channel.IdentHash] = &emptyAvatar
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func (db *database) getAvatar(identhash string) image.Image {
+	if _, ok := db.avatars[identhash]; ok {
+		return *db.avatars[identhash]
+	}
+	return *db.avatars["empty"]
+}
diff --git a/gui.go b/gui.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41956a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui.go
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fyne.io/fyne/app"
+	"fyne.io/fyne/widget"
+)
+
+type GUI struct {
+	db *database
+}
+
+func NewGUI() *GUI {
+	return new(GUI)
+}
+
+func (client *GUI) Start(path string) {
+	client.db = NewDatabase()
+	client.db.openDB(path)
+	client.db.loadChannels()
+	client.db.loadMessages()
+	client.db.loadAvatars()
+
+	a := app.New()
+
+	w := a.NewWindow("Syndie GUI")
+	rightSideBar := widget.NewVScrollContainer(client.renderChannelList())
+	w.SetContent(rightSideBar)
+	w.ShowAndRun()
+}
diff --git a/resources/empty.jpg b/resources/empty.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..71911bf
Binary files /dev/null and b/resources/empty.jpg differ