skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Seems to me that if you're in the target demographic of a YC founder (mid 20s, no family obligations), then health insurance is not too much of an issue cost wise. In the states I've lived in FL and WI, my insurance has run around 100 to 130 per month.

Call an agent, fill out the forms... its all of a few hours of legwork. Welcome to running a business =).
Kudos from myself as well. In fact, just today I was having problems with ftp and samba, and was wishing for a more graphical rsync. Perhaps it is true that a good way to do a web app is to implement a unix command. :) Good job. can't wait until it's out for the rest of us.
I took it as being tongue-in-cheek, I would never use any of these techniques.
How can you say that with such certainty? I moved from Washington, DC to the Bay Area last fall, and my costs were significantly higher than $1000. Even if I cut all the corners, a hypothetical move to Boston would still cost me thousands of dollars.

If I was doing YC for a summer, I wouldn't need to move. I could just fly there with a couple of suitcases and a laptop, but I'd need some way to cover my existing apartment rent. That's a pretty significant expense over 3 months. And I suspect YC is not looking for companies who see the experience just "doing YC for a summer."
Drew,

I saw your short demo at BarCamp and I must say Dropbox looks great! Are you planning on having a Linux port as well, or is too early to talk about that?

Also, as another SFP applicant I have to tell you that I really hope you get the funding - you deserve it.
I haven't done any VC deals myself, but I hadn't heard of this before either. I suspect the offer of preferred stock was a sweetener that the investor made for this particular founder -- a show of good faith.
Most American corporations are registered in Delaware. It's just the standard thing to do. I think because legal stuff works best there.
It's pretty nice, and I was thinking to myself - hey cool, I could make an online backup of my code. Then it occured to me - who the hell is this guy, and why should I trust my code to be on his server!?

That's a huge issue you should consider. Why would people feel comfortable leaving their valuable stuff on "Drews" server?
I second that notion. I'm very impressed at how clean and easy you made it. What kind of a response have you gotten?
data's stored on s3, and encrypted before storage -- there'll be another option to enter in an additional passphrase (or private key) when installing in order to encrypt your data before it leaves your computer (kind of like what mozy does.)
FBI Agents Visit Second Life
Dabble DB's clever approach to "white" labelling
thanks :)

a linux port is doable (mac will come first) -- everything's written in python and was designed from the outset to be portable. although this isn't the initial focus of dropbox, a linux port would be interesting for maintaining small web sites or web apps -- instead of using scp/sftp or equivalent you could just modify the files on your desktop and have them synced to your web host.
Keeping the Momentum Alive in your Startup (analyzed from physics perspective)
Nice work Drew! Lets see it on the mac now ;)
You can't convince us of that. Anyone who's been funded by YC knows that what we do, we have to do in person.

We once tried funding a group that didn't move. When they flew in for demo day, they looked like the plant that hadn't gotten the Miracle-Gro. The upside of that rather expensive experiment was that it showed us how much YC helps people.
My suggestion is to apply and then cross that bridge when you came to it. I am sure if your team is good enough YC will be willing to make some allowances.
Youtube Gets Banned In Thailand
Yes, the moving expenses come out of the 5K + 5Kn. What we mean is that we write you an initial check personally for those.
The following post falls squarely into the camp of PG's "politically incorrect" statements, and is likely to be widely reviled.

Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway has made most of its money by gaming the tax system through their insurance holdings. Their success is not due to Coca Cola or Gillette, but from their purchase of Gecko and their subsequent ability to exploit tax loopholes, often to the benefit of other held companies. An analysis of BH's investment history shows that, but their statements (despite WB's wonderful down-home messages) are miracles of obtuseness and require close readings.

I'm well aware of WB's stature as everyman's billionaire, but anyone thinking of joining the personality cult that his PR machine has created might consider some independent investigation.
In theory it's supposed to be suitable for both groups. People who have cheap lives, like recent grads, can actually do everything on our funding. People with expensive lives may not be able to, but they'll also tend to have savings.
Wow dude! This looks like a good competitor for Google"s "GDrive". I hope you get accepted.
Somewhat related:

http://www.tubesnow.com/
Nice job! I was thinking something like this for a while and wonder why no one did it. It looks like dropbox just scratches the right itches for me.
Both, plus I would make sure they fit into the culture of my startup. Trust me you do not want to be stuck with a bad apple at such a fragile stage.
Longevity is not a benefit, it's merely a fact
The Economist's blog: maybe we should make our data free?
Great demo, great product, great business, well done.
Was Dropbox your first idea, or did you start from another point of inspiration? How long did it take to get to a workable demo?

Great job, Drew!
Is the success of social sites such as wikipedia and myspace a sign that many people find their jobs and/or offline life dull?
I don't know how much detail I can go into without messing up potential patent applications, but their infrastructure took them about 6 months of very hard work to build, and they are first-rate hackers.
One way is to approach it as two deals in one:
1) getting VC money in exchange for equity
2) paying for PR

There is a lot of advice on the first item on the Internet. The second item is somewhat covered in the following pg's essay: http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html

pg seems to believe offline coverage is somewhat obsolete for online startups. This may or may not apply to you.

Another way to think about it is to consider how important is the pr service for your expected outcome. See http://paulbuchheit.blogspot.com/2007/03/equity-math-for-startups.html
Guide to Angel Investors: How angels work and where to find them, by Work.com Editor Daniel Kehrer
Guide to Resources for Starting a Business: Free and low-cost help available online
Guide to Finding Venture Capital: How online matchmaking services can help you find venture capital funding
I have the agree with the developers that this is a Great feature because the user hardly ever notices it, but it greatly improves his experience.

Having the color scheme work with your logo is what they called a hygiene factor in business school- You seldom get any praise or notice for it being there, but you'll LOSE points if the scheme doesn't match..

I think this has to do with the fact that most users tend to worry more about content than design-

Users think "I need a logo", or "I want a photo of my cat".. They aren't thinking about Whitespace, or color choices. They're thinking about content. They're thinking about how to add Foo, not how it will look.

As a application provider (Like so many of us are or want to be) it's our job to abstract design, and let people focus on content, which what they care about in the first place.

If users aren't going to think about design, but they are going to feel bad if you don't have it, they you have three choices-

1) Ignore the problem. This is what MySpace and GeoCities do- They let the user upload whatever they want, no matter how it might look. The users focus on content rather on the looks. They'll complain about it, and you'll "lose points" with them, but they get to have all the widgets they want.

2) Force most users to display it your way, or have experts modify it. This is what WordPress, Drupal, and other CMS do. The default templates look decent, and editing them is hard for mere mortals, requiring HTML or Scripting. Creating new templates may be technically possible, but beyond the scope of most users

3) Make the user's content look GOOD. This is what Wufoo does with forms, and Apple's iWeb does for webpages. It lets you add the content, but it adds its own design special-sauce. This is the model that we should be shooting for for our Web Apps. How can we make the User's content look good?
Designing your web app ui? Here's some useful browser usage and screen resolution stats
This is genius. It's is problem everyone is having, and everyone knew it (http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/lazybackup ). If it really works as well as it looks in that demo then they nailed it. I'm both envious and inspired. I'll be surprised if YC does not fund them.
thanks for the feedback! i will add a demo account so people can get a feel for the UI.
yeah, color scheme is on me. i'm not very good with graphic design so i made some thing simple. i'll definitely increase the font size as well.

thanks for the feedback!
Good article here: Wii and Joost the perfect match:

http://www.wiisquid.com/2007/04/04/wii-and-joost-the-perfect-match/

I also have invites jonathan.markwell at gmail if you want one.
I think being exposed to the great ocean makes you want to swim in it. Once you get exposed you want to dabble in it, play around with it, retool yerself to meld with it. Its also a bit like enabling niches. We all like little niches that do things for us, communicate better or more to our satisfaction, help us express ourselves, cast our line into the ocean o data.
Is YCombinator News the new DIGG?  (i think so)
i know a lot of people probably don't want to download the client, so you can take a look at the library UI by logging in as schen/1234. thanks!
F/F/F?

Friends, family, and ?
How long did it take you to figure out that the top/bottom arrows are for voting? (honest!)
I didnt realize it until 10 days ago (though I meant to ask long ago how points were awarded). It skirted my consciousness and I think I saw it as in the IE newsreader and in XML and Swing trees, a way to collapse and expand the conversation tree.

If YC had picked the "standard" icon - thumbs up/down, they would have had to compromise their minimalist Gmail look. But would this have made for a better UI?

(I wonder if there is an "Aha" lesson trying to get out...)
Sweet! I especially like the right-click, "copy link location" feature: really useful and should help user adoption.
http://news.ycombinator.com/comments?id=8301

This is on the same sort of topic. PG isn't looking to make it a DIGG but to stick to the startup crowd.
Just now...
that's one point for you, for your honesty :)
Fools.
Zillow Gets Interactive, Adds Q&A and Self Serving Ads
wow!
A good 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apt with garage will run you about $850 per month in Leawood/Overland Park - the third richest county in the US in terms of disposable income.
How to get people to look at online ads carefully: turn it into a game!
Try something like http://listengame.org but with ads instead of music.
Twittering in Africa
I've seen this before. It's called Coda.

http://www.coda.cs.cmu.edu/

Great work bringing this to the web, and integrating it with Windows!
not dull, simply lonely. Individualism --- loneliness
I'm saying whats important is the quality of the resulting house (we maybe extending the metaphor too far here). If you can make a better/higher value/more usable house with an inflatable mallet then with a nail gun then yes that may be the right choice.

"But aren't some tools better at some things than others?"

Absolutely, and note I'm not taking shot at Lisp as a language. My argument is with the article, there is nothing here that supports his premise that Lisp is for entrepreneurs. That it was the right choice for a couple of cases? Sure! but for anyone starting a software business? nonsense.
How are conflicts handled? If you take your laptop offline, modify your image, then modify the same image on your desktop, then plug your laptop back in, what happens?

Great job by the way.
You're trying to do it in one step:

1. Move

It's easier to do it in three steps:

1. "Do YC for a summer"
2. Secure more funding
3. Move
The Coda guys asked this question nearly 20 years ago.

http://www.coda.cs.cmu.edu/

Sorry for being a Coda troll.
Question to YC: trends in summer founders applications, demographics
This is a question to PG and other people involved in looking at startup applications.

Can you reveal anything about the number of applications you've received this time, as compared to other funding sessions? I suspect that it's much higher than the number of proposals for WFP, but have you seen a large increase in the number of apps compared to last summer, because of all the publicity you're getting?

Also, if this is something you're inclined to share -- on average, how many ideas would you consider `serious', in the sense that you suspect that even without your funding the idea will be developed, as opposed to just being forgotten. I suspect some people will just take a shot at getting the funding, and go on to do other things if it doesn't work out.

And one more thing -- due to Reddit's success, are you planning to take more risks than in the past, and maybe fund younger people or more extravagant ideas?

Or are you satisfied with your current methodology?

If you could let us know, maybe after parsing the current batch of apps, I think many people would consider the results quite interesting.
Jumpstart your startup with free sample business plans and plan templates. Why reinvent the wheel? Here's where to find what you need, fast. By Work.com editor Daniel Kehrer
Looks like a great product, and I will second the parent comment.

One thing they teach at YC, and in one of pg's essays (http://www.paulgraham.com/investors.html), is to present a story instead of a list of features. That way you answer the question of "Why would I use this product?" simultaneously to answering "What does this product do?".
Learning entrepreneurship from the drug trade
You might have to hack your own alternative -- and believe it or not there is a lot of hope for you; I've had a lot of success here in Baltimore by making things, telling everyone I know about them, and also letting everyone in my network know that I want to start a company. Since starting to do that, I've heard from three really smart, really capable people who I could potentially start something with. So my advice is to do everything you can to put yourself into the path of creative people as well as rich people in your area, and not focus so much on conforming to YC's or anyone else's idea of what you need to do to succeed.
The only problem is that you have to install something. See, it's not the same as USB drive. Most corporate laptops are locked and you can't install anything on them. That's gonna be the problem. Also, another point where your USB comparison fails is that USB works in places where you don't have internet access.

My suggestion is to drop the "Throw away your USB drive" tag line and use something else... it will just muddy your vision.

Kudos for launching it!!! Launching/shipping is extremely hard and you pulled it off! Super!
I pay it out of pocket along with some life and disability insurance; I think it's worth the peace of mind to enhance creativity and not worry about "what ifs".
The success rate Paul has had is actually lower than average success rate of small business startups (with more than one employee)
Everyone always quotes a 10% success rate after 1 or 2 years. That is, as Paul suspects, a myth. True success rate is around 66%. Y-combinator's success rate was 50%

66% OF SMALL BUSINESS STARTUPS LAST 2 YEARS
http://www.smallbiztrends.com/2005/07/business-failure-rates-highest-in.html
Very cool, Drew. I've been meaning to bug you about a beta invite. Good job on the screencast too; it gave me a much better idea of what Dropbox was aiming for than what I had originally thought.
Q: Is it better to use Facebook's developer toolkit, or roll your own?
That's exactly what Andy Brice did with PerfectTablePlan.com

Uses some pretty advanced algorithms for planning seating arrangements.

Of course, the real challenge with a consumer product is usability, that intersection b/t your cool product and the folks with the wallets. But, that's where the money is. (Money isn't everything, of course).
How are you going to scale up your storage to meet the demands of the users? Are you doing something clever, like Google Filesystem? This is not an easy problem, if you aren't prepared for it in advance. If 10,000 users sign up tomorrow... you might be very very hosed, as opposed to very very happy.
You're right. There was a common 'punch the monkey/president' banner ad a few years ago - I think it was successful.
I love that approach (my weblog is called "Story-Driven" after all) because it automatically breaks technical people out of a taxonomic, procedural mindset. So many descriptions of things are on the order of "well, it's a set of pliers with a light on it" instead of "it's how I change fuses in my rusty fusebox in the middle of the night."

You can't emphasize enough to people to tell a story, and the screencast is a great crucible for whether you have a good story to tell. Screencasts aren't appreciated enough for the way they've helped people understand concepts that are a little more technical than they normally would sit still for.
Improving Your Credit Score for Dummies
I think the RSS is just a beginning. Google Reader is like a custom webpage with all the information what I am interested in.

The only thing what I miss is the commenting, I don't want to visit the website just to read and write comments.

Some ideas in this field:
- in each rss entry there should be a link to the RSS of the comments.
- RSS readers should display them inline.
- xml-rpc for blog commenting: http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/2007/02/20/xml-rpc-for-blog-comments
- each comment should contain the possibility to write a reply (with the help of xml-rpc + a small form)
- or the whole thing can be implemented on an email or IM base
Reply.com, A Competitor To Zillow Raises $6M
My point was all you need to do YC is a plane ticket and your bags, maybe buy a bed and a desk when you get there.
The power of the internet today is the social component. It seems silly to spend resources reinventing the wheel. Does it make sense to use Facebook's developer toolkit?

1) Should you worry that you're relying on the infrastructure of another company? Will VCs worry about your long term prospects?

2) Would it be ok to use the developer toolkit until your business is a success, and then switch to your own code?
Facebook as Popular as Beer with College Students.
More surprising is that the iPod is more popular than beer!
MSFT: Always one step behind..
I agree on that point: Lisp (or any single language for that matter) is unlikely to be the right choice for everyone.
Has anyone tried providing a service to improve people's blog posts (e.g., in terms of grammar, style, tone, fact checking, etc.)?
Mu.

What are you trying to write, and how well does it overlap with the toolkit's intended purpose? Put another way, if you wrote your own, how different would it be?
New music distribution, so you need to get above the noise? Now I understand.

Give them a look, but do your planning and make sure you deal with it but do not let it stop what you are doing. Make sure you consider points 11 to 14 ~ http://www.paulgraham.com/startupmistakes.html

One thing I had a problem with was the plugin. But the system is a linux 64 bit system & can't get certain plugins to work with firefox. But I don't think thats really your market.
Yes, but present / future tense :)
Feds == evil.

:(
EXACTLY what I was thinking ashu!
Better yet, just simply tell us what you're trying to do...

Also, they're coming out with a bunch of new stuff towards the middle of may.
'... The interesting question is whether there exist jobs for which that support is worth the money and freedom one gives up working at the large company ...'

Money, freedom? I say risk.

There is less risk working in someone else`s company. If you take no risk then you will not have the potential to make more than in a startup. You also kiss your freedom away. Freedom. Thats a joke. For all those working for a company, tell me you really have the freedom to work, do what you want, when you want?

So if you want no risk, look forward to structured environments, other people telling you what to do and limit your ability to earn. Go work for the googles of the world [0].

Reference

[0] knowledge @ wharton, University of Pennsylvania, 'Perk Place: The Benefits Offered by Google and Others May Be Grand, but They're All Business'

http://tinyurl.com/3bgglh
Our society is growing more and more isolated. Most people barely know their neighbors any more. One can have hundreds of friends on myspace but no one to truly confide in.

Don't get depressed about it. Learn how to embrace this and use it to your advantage. Have fun.
good stuff man. hope you make it.
Beaut. Now I can listen & see the shots :) thanks for the effort.
Sabermetrics for startups?
Startup Stock Options: ISOs vs. NSOs
Sure you have latest version of flash plugin? Most linx issues are because of people not having latest flash plugin.

Had a discussion with these guys today. We're meeting up next week to discuss further.

-Zaid
Shoutmouth launches music news site
'... Had a discussion with these guys today. We're meeting up next week to discuss further. ...'

excellent.

'... Sure you have latest version of flash plugin? ...'

not a problem for you (linux 64 bit users) but for me the latest plugin informs me they haven't compiled for 64 bit. There are hacks around. Funny enough Wufoo has calls from linux to simplify the ui (remove flash or whatever) but Wufoo was a web tool.
Paid copy editors already battle with writers over grammer and word choice and you want to provide a service to casual writers?

Setup a package consisting of "The Elements of Style" and a link to copyblogger.com and one of two will prove beneficial for most bloggers.
Dopetracks: rap battle over the internet
I suspect that casual writers have an even greater need for such a service than professional ones.
Their application is submitting a business plan and it costs $150. It just seems that they're unlikely to fund the people they charge $150. Instead, they'll fund organic referrals.
The service isn't actually trivial. And I don't know if amichail has anything specific in mind, but improving the quality of a writing is not as simple as following stylistic guidelines.

First, battling over grammar and word choice shows that there are usually multiple interpretations and construction methods for a single utterance.

Second, grammar and word preferences change over time. While this makes a case for writing fashionably, it also means that really good writings are valued for content; good content can be expressed without strict adherence to guidelines. Rap, for example. It makes no sense to proofread rap.

In any case, there are no absolute rules for language use. This point is stronger when you have a large readership, and even stronger, when your readership has the ability to talk directly to the author, and perhaps even contribute.

The challenge is to be able to accomodate a huge number of these copy editors, who come and go as they please, shout or whisper their preferences, and somehow make the end useful and actually better.
LA in the house!
How to Kung-Fu battle with investors
Fletcher's Corollary to Zawinksi's Law - Every Internet service eventually adds the ability to submit and rate links.
I realized it immediately because I came from Reddit...
This definitely qualifies as Something People Want, and it looks nicely executed. Very cool!