skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I don't know how long you guys have been working from home but I'll provide a little insight from someone who's been doing it mostly for about 12 years. I've been working at home with various projects/jobs since I was about 24 (36 now). For the first 2-3 years, it was all part-time of 2-4 days a week but, for the past decade, it's been full-time.

I tell you - even 12 years on, it is still hard to do. I do a lot of traveling as a consultant and trainer and these are usually Monday through Friday gigs. When I get back to the "office" and start to work again on Monday, I've totally lost the groove lol. That's it - it only takes a week of me getting out of the mindset of working at home to lose it. When I come back to the office on Monday, I want to read reddit, catch up on all the stuff I missed and I almost always find that Mondays have a lot of wasted time in them lol.

It took me probably 2-3 years initially to get the mindset down and learn how to separate work from play. Distractions are huge at home but, for a 20-something with no significant other, they are less so. Now, I have a spouse and a fun little three year old at home - those are more distracting than all the strip clubs and PS3s in the world lol. But you manage.

Last bit - I would suggest that, when you are looking for a spouse/significant other, make sure that person is okay with a comment like, "Honey, I'm going into work now. I want you to think as though my office is 30 miles away from you and you can't just walk in and ask me a question. Send me an email or phone me if you have a question. Also, don't ask me stupid shit during the day because I'm dealing with complex stuff and inane prattle takes me out of the mindset I need to work." If you have a great spouse who understands this, you'll be able to work from home much more efficiently.
Oh God, the CSS/IE patience comment is true but also for Firefox. I bet that I've spent more than a week's time in the past two years just dealing with these issues on my various sites :( Part of that is a learning curve but the other part is just the various browsers deciding to implement "standards" in unexpected ways (or ignoring them all together).
Thanks for sharing that info .... it gives us an idea of what you have to go through to screen the applications... does every application get a reply?
Up until now, Google Maps was entirely one-size-fits-all mapping software. Now they are adding some customization tools to go a little beyond that (and touch into more of the long tail).

That said, I think the Geoff fellow put it best when he commented on the post:

"Sure, Google is great at the tech, but they are a bit weak when it comes to building 'places'. They don't have enough touchy feely people over there to get the warms and fuzzies right. So, their sites, while they work well, all feel very cold and sterile, and don't really build a social community. That's why Google Video didn't take off and they bought YouTube."

Our startup is geography-heavy, but our mantra has been 'we are not a mash-up.' This is because we are aiming for the warm and fuzzies (serving the needs of a specific community of users), and almost all mash-ups that I've seen lack the warm and fuzzies because the Google Maps API limits their ability to custom-tailor their service and presentation. I don't think these few new buttons greatly change that.

As an aside, one of the reasons I really enjoyed Chris Anderson's speech at Startup School was his repeated assertion that one-size-fits-all solutions are (in some ways) necessarily inferior to products and services that focus on the niche.
hmm, well there is a limited supply for domain names and big demand. How else would they ration the domain names except by price? I guess if they were going to be completely fair all proceeds should go to charity, or back to the government or something...
Exactly my plan. And as joelonsoftware pointed out, some "design" problems are really engineering problems (like the wheel of the ipod). I can solve those, and then some artist can create fancy logos, fonts and stylesheets.
What do you mean by functionality? If you think the shiny surface of your product can be that much of an after-thought (i.e. not considered alongside the functionality you choose to code), you either have wonderfully abstracted code (or lots of useless code) (in which case you're delaying it because you can), or you have a different definition of Artist than I do (in which case you're delaying it because you've confused design with gloss).
The only reason I can imagine applying to YC and then not going through with the startup if I didn't get in is if when I applied I wasn't totally sure that I and my cofounder were totally on crack when we thought we could start a startup. Acceptance by YC would, in that situation, give a big confidence boost, and validate the idea. I don't think that's a terribly unreasonable premise. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some currently successful startups who thought they might not do it if they didn't get into YC.
I agree with Readmore that you can still find that kind of feedback from other people you know.

Perhaps another big benefit of having a co-founder is the mutual moral support you can give each other. Sure, you can hire a designer to make your logo, but it's pretty unlikely you'll be able to hire someone to cheer you on night and day. It would be even weirder to hire someone to celebrate your victories with, and have that person understand first-hand what each triumph means.
---"If the author had good intentions"---

Yeah that rant was a bit hard to follow. In particular his definition of "backup plan" seems rather fuzzy.
How to Divide the Pie - Equity sharing for start ups
Suggestion: list all options before assigning a "Plan A/Plan B" ranking:

( )Pursue your own business plan and forget about YC

( )Get accepted by Y-C and start your business that way

( )Work for a YC Founder.

Each have pros and cons, and everyone's goals and cabilities are a little different. Assign Plan "A/B/C" in whatever way works for you. For some, working for a startup company will probably be the best experience they can get if the goal is to start their own eventually.
Rich, that's a great point, and one that I hope doesn't get lost in this discussion.

YC, like other angels/VC firms, has a profile they prefer, even if they may not state it explicitly: i.e. teams of at least two people, under 35, writing web-based software, etc.

So just because you don't fit that profile (or you do, but YC rejected you), doesn't mean you will fail.
Not the greatest essay in the world, but the author may be right in that too many people are applying to YC for the wrong reasons.
Well, if you attend enough tech events in NYC, you'll probably meet most of the angels individually, and can forego the fee (that's one of the reasons I haven't applied myself).

Investors are looking for deals, and it isn't too difficult to network into an initial meeting.

The one nice thing about the application (like YC) is that it forces you to define your project succinctly.

Also like YC, getting funded is no guarantee of success.
I hate it when he does that... Markus sometimes likes to take down posts after a few hours. There was a great article he wrote about botnets and DDoS that came down within 15 minutes.
Right, not only to keep alive the possibility of getting in on it later, but also to avoid the embarrassment of having rejected the next big thing.
Being 37signals for free
Hey sorry I didn't notice your reply sooner (we need a reddit style "inbox" at login).

That project is SeekSift.com.
I wonder if he'll get the type of people he wants or expects: there's a significant difference between people who want to start their own company versus going to work for someone else (i.e. this does sound more like a summer internship than a funding opportunity).
Here's his original source. http://valleywag.com/tech/lazy-valleywag/spying-on-federated-media-250003.php

With only a handful of people on the conference call FM must have sent out the clip on purpose to help recruit new publishers. The call was back in Feb and they said once they have permission from Google to let the world know they are getting a better deal than smaller publishers, they would get the word out. This could be their sneaky way of doing it.
No. 5 is important, as well as a corollary: make sure they've not already funded a competitor or similar firm.
No DNA sample?
I should have done more research before making my comment.. Lightspeed does seem like a pretty sweet deal. My "YC or nothing" comment was focused more on the YC clones. I totally agree with you on the legal side and bootstrapping yourself. Definitely not looking forward to that if we are not accepted.

Best of luck to those who applied for Lightspeed..
Will they be working on your project?. Yes

Will they be working on their ideas/project? No

Will you pay for medical, dental, 401K etc? No

Will you be paying the employer share of Federal and State taxes from their paycheck? No

Is there any obligation or gurantee that you will help them in return for the work they have done for you? No.

If, after working for 3 months on your project; if you dont like them, will you still be obligated to finance them to work on their idea? No

That's the definition of someone looking for a temp or contract programmer. (and frankly, the market rate for a 3 month contract programmer of YC caliber would be at least double that).

So, was I mistaken? :) :)

Note the big difference. YC lends a helping hand by letting the startups work on their own projects and investing money, effort, experience and time to help them succeed with their companies.

My sincere suggestion is: be generous and offer the exact same terms that YC does.

"cast your bread upon the waters for after many days they shall return to you"

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=25&chapter=11&version=47)
Voice,

You are correct, I work in PR. The reason you know this is because I've provided a reasonable level of transparency in my profile. Additonally, I use my real name as my user name becuase I want to be held accountable for what I say.

If I ever lied to a reporter it would end my career. I'm sorry if you felt like I was attacking you, I wasn't. I was debating the merit of your arguements, which is lost now because you continuously edit them.

Public relations has nothing to do with attacking people. The 150 people I work with would be highly offended if I told them that we lie by trade - it is simply not the case.

Do I exaggerate? Yes, but who doesn't? I'd wager the best YC applications contain a degree of hyperbole, because no one wants to get involved with something that isn't exciting.

Finally, words are the simplest way to express logic, so I'm glad we could find some common ground. If you go back and read my original comment you'll see I wasn't attacking you. I wasn't even disagreeing with you. I was simply adding my insight to your original post, which is lost now because you continue to edit or delete what you say. I'm not going to debate this any further with you, because I am starting to feel foolish being dragging into this.

So again, I am sorry if you felt attacked, that was not my intention.

Best wishes,

Clinton

PS - I've taken the liberty of copying and pasting your post below so you won't feel compelled to edit it.

0 points by voiceofreason 10 hours ago | link | parent
How DARE you call me a liar? You work in a PR firm, so you use WORDS. I use LOGIC.

The point of my thread was that the author was being a jerk to Paul and should apologize. When I posted the quote where it's clear the author is insulting Paul, you got all uppity about it.

"your initial comment said that the author should apologize for comparing Paul to the musician."

At what point did I deny that I "compared Paul to the musician?" I never claimed I never said that. I simply replied to you and posted his quote you might have missed where the author said "YC is a waste of time" and also says, Paul is a bull who speaks "shit". That's why I said the author should apologize.

The author obviously meant to say Steve instead of Paul, in the intro. I didn't confuse that part of the article like you arrogantly believed. The reason I compared the two is because the user shows disdain and hate for the YC, so much he even confused his friend and Paul's names, when the two had nothing to do with one another.

You work in public relations so you're probably very good at attacking people. You're a liar and exaggerate by trade.

Do you understand it now? Or are you attacking me just because you're a PR person trying to test your training?
ThinkFree Launches Viewer for Wordpress, Releases API and Packages ThinkFree Docs
Kleiner Perkins ponders Web 3.0, dismisses Web 2.0
How many of you have a primarily advertising based model? Or the "freemium" model? Our model is actually transactional, but is supplemented with advertising.
I agree with that. Artist doesn't mean someone to make the logos, it means some one to design your site and make it pleasing to the users. I've found that the sooner that happens in the process the better. In fact I'm starting to lean toward the 37Signals method of making the layout work before it's even attached to the code. Thinking about how things happen from the user's pov can really help your final product.
I'm not interested in careful programming to be thread safe, or mutexes, etc.

This is like saying I am not interested in solving any real problem, just in concurrency for the sake of it.
A four step plan for renewed success
del.icio.us Launches Firefox Plugin, Now Resides In Your Sidebar
I think the author answers his own question in this post:

"There are tons of new 'Diggs' popping up because development time is much shorter with online websites and applications than what we are used to seeing with desktop apps."

Yes there are a ton of Digg clones but none of them are Digg. Cloning something doesn't make it popular, it just makes it a clone. If you copied 37Signals products, even if copied them perfectly, it still wouldn't hurt them much. The people who are using that software don't have the time to host their own solution, and they don't want to mess with ads. Besides they are already using the 37Signals products, you would have to have something that made your product better to get people to switch.

We all know how much better OS X is over Windows and look how hard it is to get those people to switch. The same thing applies here.
The New Scene in NYC for Entrepreneurs
Zero-Knowledge Sudoku: How do you convince someone that you have found a solution without giving the solution away?
I like the sound of it. Like a non stop superhappydev house?

Have a peek at this article for inspiration:
"
GRUNGE INC: LIVE-IN STARTUPS COMBINE FRAT-HOUSE CULTURE WITH VENTURE CAPITAL"
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/07/30/MNGEUK86BI1.DTL&type=tech
Spinning into oblivion--the death of the music business
I'm pretty sure that the project management software activeCollab was written to be a free Basecamp. Up until now, it's been open source and peopele have been installing it on their own servers. (Interestingly enough, the next major release will be split into a free and commercial version, somewhat like Basecamp.)
Google's Victims
Where Company Names Come From
Grunge Inc: Live-In Startups Combine Frat-House Culture With Venture Capital
Google with lots of cash in its pocket seems to be an eye sore for everyone. Many knives out to get them. But from small companies perspective, google is trying to fill in the shoes of microsoft...using freebie as a bait to kill competitions. As of now they seem to be doing alright and only time will tell how they will shape up.
I don't see any Hitler or Nazis...
Any chance of a favicon?
It would be great if I could more easily spot the Y Combinator Startup News tab in my Firefox tabs drop down.
Companies are able to thrive by developing and running such "simple" systems because of characteristics of the typical consumer and the reality that even "simple" systems tend to be more complex and difficult to implement/run than they appear from the outside.

The typical person lacks the time and skill to install open-source clones of web applications. The typical person does not even have a server on which to install those applications!

Running a high-quality, reliable service is difficult. There will always be nitty-gritty pain-in-the-butt performance and reliability issues with anything that gets popular and thus needs to scale. Solving those problems requires compensation of some sort.

These factors are what enable companies like 37signals to exist even if/when they are cloned by an open-source project.

Then there also is the continued innovation that happens while the clones are busy playing catch-up, and the loyalty happy customers feel towards their craftsmen toolmakers.
I dug up this old article based on the number of suggestions going around about getting a large hacker house for this summer :)
http://ycombinator.com/images/y18.gif works pretty well...
re: frequency count for words; Check out http://twitter.isite.net.au/twittering
This article is from April 5, 2006. I think you're right. The developer of activeCollab is doing this. I think it says somewhere on the activeCollab web site the developer originally got started because of that exact blog post.
A whole lot of of work went into making those 37signals apps seem simple.

If you think you can bang them out in a weekend or two then you're either the best programmer I've ever met, or you're in for a heckuva surprise.
I dont know about this one but surely i would go for equal split among founders and later on as people add on, the share dilution would be in same percentage in sense that if 1% goes to CFO, then each founder will have to give away to make up this 1%, if any of founder brings his or her own people then he/she better part % of his/her share to hired person (if an equity is promised)
I disagree. Flash is much leaner and doesn't insist on searching online for udates every time it's run.
Well, if they just closed the loopholes that allow spammers and squatters to cheat the system, it would help free up the supply problem quite a bit.

Google "domain kiting" for more.
99 Things to do instead of Twittering
I find it a good way to keep in touch with other people I know in the tech/startup scene. Unlike aim/skype/email you dont have to dedicate enough time to have a whole conversation. Its great because it's so lightweight.
#1 Leave a comment on someone's blog you usually visit, but never comment on.
A very well written one and he is right in a way in pointng out things that big guns do and stem out enthusiastic entrepreneurs...but they cannot be stopped as they keep adapting..
You still need a file to generate them. Unless you could get all the domains to point to the same documentroot or use a symlink or something.

Anyway, hosting companies like that massively oversell their capacity knowing that most people won't use it. If you actually tried to put up 30,000 (or, heck, even 300) active domains, the server would probably just die under the load.
You don't need to use Acrobat to view pdfs.
Mediamaster: Access your music library online
What books have you found to be helpful in starting your business?
I'm trying to get some recommendations for books that might be helpful for a web startup. Personally, I have really found "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell and "Getting Real" by the 37signals folks to be really helpful. I've read lots of great articles via news.YC, and I'm hoping you can all recommend some good offline reading as well.
#2 Do the top two things you've been meaning to do all day/week, then feel good.
Making something simple is away harder and takes way longer than making something complex.
There was a good thread about this a couple weeks ago. People recommended a lot of great books.

http://news.ycombinator.com/comments?id=5572
A stack of composition notebooks from back in grade school.
The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki is a good one
Did anyone copy this before it disappeared?
Motivation inside your company - creating the right environment for a productivity boost
hi guys, please let me know your thoughts on this article I've written. It's my first post here in ycombinator, though I'm reading the news here for 2 or 3 months now. great community!
Thanks for the link. It looks pretty interesting; I'm installing it right now to play around with at some point.
Resisting the urge to add more features, just because you can
Think and Grow Rich - by Napoleon Hill

-Zaid
not a true new yorker here, but i find this idea rather odd.

why NYC? goog took the plunge but it was a gigantic investment, and they can leverage proximity with partners for better efficiency, but not so for startups. without a stronger plan, this reads like stuffing a bunch of brains into a jar, without proper nutrition, and hoping them to churn out something good.

while you can reduce cost of living space, you cannot reduce tax and other living costs. and the financial district teems with money people; the vibe is completely different. back to goog; when you have a complex with 500 people working for largely the same goal, you can shape your own corporate culture and be relatively oblivious to the culture on the street, but again, not so for the startups. i bet the innovation center stays in googleplex west.
This is as distinctive a feature of "Web 2.0" as Ajax.
I love this stuff! What a coincidence with the LEGO name. I can't believe they didn't plan that out. The Six Apart name is interesting too.
On the contrary, it is simply saying I've already rejected that strategy since it doesn't actually solve the problem. You cannot grow a shared memory system efficiently.

Since someone has actually solved the problem, I'm going with that solution... but was asking if there was an even better solution.
Laws of simplicity
I think that completely depends on the startup. There are broad classes of startups in which UI design is not relevant, or at best a secondary concern that can be handled by a single member of the team.
Why Not NYC?
There are plenty of great startups forming in NYC, it is a truly global city. Like other great cities it has extremely high costs of living. So why not create a place where startups gain the benefits of working in a collaborative environment and can keep the costs low.

Not everyone can built a GooglePlex! or move to Mountain View.
BTW - I live in the bay Area so I'm not biased on this one.
I think it's an interesting idea, but here in Columbus, OH, I pay $240 a month to share the rent of an 8-room townhouse with one other person, so $200-250 for a cubicle and Wifi sounds pretty insane.

Couldn't it be possible to find some reasonably central area like Columbus (I know FedEx and UPS both have major hubs here because of its centrality) where several potential founders could live in a big house and split the rent? I for one would be willing to move several hours (driving time) away and pay around $300-400 a month for rent and utilities, and I think that's thoroughly possible in a city that is not as big as a Boston, SF, or NYC.
Two good resources: PresentationZen blog (http://www.presentationzen.com/ ) and Beyond Bullet Points book (http://www.beyondbullets.com/ ).
Thanks for linking to that thread. i must have missed it before. There are definitely some interesting looking books in that list.
I've come to realize that how things happen from the user's pov / what the user sees IS your product. That's what the user's paying for. The user cares as much about what your app purports to do as how your app does it. The how determines whether the user will save more time/money/resources with your app than without it.

That said, I do agree with original commentor that it's possible to get all the functionality working (the interface, the AJAX, the domain model) and then have someone take your visually uninspired HTML+CSS and turn it into something beautiful. Sometimes that's all a hacker will need, and sometimes a hacker will need much more.
Is your business an online version of "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?"