skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I'd frame it a different way:

"Stay in touch with the potential cofounders you've already found."

I met my cofounder when we lived across from each other in college at the Arts Theme House. We just didn't know we were cofounders yet. At the time, I was a physics major - my cofounder knew that I had previously worked at a tech startup, but he had no idea that I was still into computers (I'm not sure I was, at the time), or that I'd done several major side projects. I knew him as a psych major who was a bit of an electronics whiz - I had no idea that he wanted to go into entrepreneurship or the Internet space. For that matter, I don't think he did either.

I didn't find out what he was doing until I went over to catch up with him at Homecoming. I knew that he'd been at a consulting firm (via FaceBook), but usually consultants go into big business instead of Web2.0 startups. Even then, I didn't join immediately - he had someone else picked out as a technical cofounder. It was only after the previous technical cofounder quit (for visa reasons) that I joined up with him.

Also - there's a common misconception that top-notch hackers spend all their time hacking. They spend a lot of time hacking, but most have other interests. For example, Guy Steele sings bass in choir and does swing dancing. Paul Graham writes essays and paints. One of the top hackers I knew at college was a CS/Theater double major. IMNSHO, these people often have better technical chops than the single-minded, socially awkward computer geek.
This sounds like the beginning of a new type of "computer language shootout." Somebody:

1) Defines an application, all apps have to spit out the same HTML (or roughly the same.)
2) Solicits codes from a number of different languages/frameworks.
3) Runs the code on a web server, beats on it & measures performance.
4) Reports.

This is a lot of work, and I can see why it's never happened before, but I imagine it would be useful.
Functional Programming For The Rest of Us
It's also an Apollo demo app! http://mashable.com/2007/03/27/adobe-apollo/
Well, one way is to pick a viewpoint and use that. But really, the important thing is, you see that you are valued by the people you respect. As long as you're a user in the system, it's obvious whether you have good or bad karma.
Roundup: Google's StumbleUpon clone, Froogle gone, Google phone, more
Good luck, let us know what the decision was!
True, but doesn't voting add some dynamics to a simple forum?
Great comment. I'm an engineering student and was enrolled in an entrepreneurship course at the business school here. This kind of bias was evident there as well. Our instructor often made comments about our project having "lifestyle business" potential as if that was a bad thing. If we couldn't grow to "$50 million in five years" then we weren't appropriate for venture capital, and we'd have to seek other types of funding, and apparently that was a big negative to him. It was frustrating and counter-productive, really.
In fact, YCnews is perfect, except it doesn't take into account voting that's going on inside a post. That is, if there are good comments under a post from many people (the more the better) that post should get a higher rank. Well, hm, like this one :)
Agreed, I've personally been in Juwo's position too many times to count. As entrepreneurs, I'm would guess we've all had that experience where we've been labeled outsiders, ridiculed and "written off."

I've even developed a saying:
"When they call you crazy, you're either extraordinarily stupid or extraordinarily smart. You can only hope for the latter."
Alone in their basements? Seriously.
http://www.go2web20.net/

http://demomyapp.com/
New startup develops wireless electricity
Pretty cool concept. I've been waiting for this for a while... Although I was thought the technology would use electromagnetic induction - not lasers.

For more on powerbeam, also see: http://venturebeat.com/2007/04/20/powerbeam-the-wireless-electricity-start-up/
I'm looking for something like freshmeat where they make updates prominent, not just initial announcements.
Is social networking dead? Nope. We've only just seen the beginning. Here's why
Hey gang...there is already a 'hub' in San Francisco. The Coworking movement (that Cafe Bricolage in NYC is hooked into) started here with Chris Messina, Brad Neuberg, Ryanne Hodsen, Jay Dedman, Ted Tagami and myself (Tara Hunt).

We currently have several coworking spots in the city:

http://www.citizenspace.us
http://thehatfactory.net

and you can see much more discussion on the work we are doing around the world (as well as collecting all sorts of data in surveys, etc.) here:

http://www.coworking.info

Tara
Thanks for the valuable info. Our interview is in less than 2 hours.. Talk about being nervous hah. Good luck on getting funded.
Oh...and in San Francisco...even the most remote places run for about $2.00psf/month. We got a steal at $1.10psf in South Park, but it was the only thing we saw after looking for months.

We were aiming for the $2psf.

Oh...and there are WAY more costs than rent, btw. Check out our post on the costs of running a space:

http://citizenspace.us/2007/03/20/baring-it-all-the-costs-of-citizen-space/

And we charge about $350/desk + $225/floaters. Free for drop-ins, though. :)
What is the Mahir Corollary? Google doesn't seem to know...
Hey gang...there is already a 'hub' in San Francisco. The Coworking movement (that Cafe Bricolage in NYC is hooked into) started here with Chris Messina, Brad Neuberg, Ryanne Hodsen, Jay Dedman, Ted Tagami and myself (Tara Hunt).

We currently have several coworking spots in the city:

http://www.citizenspace.us http://thehatfactory.net

and you can see much more discussion on the work we are doing around the world (as well as collecting all sorts of data in surveys, etc.) here:

http://www.coworking.info

Tara

p.s. there are spaces being started up and down the peninsula, too
A recent survey we did of over 120 people on the coworking list stated that location, location, location was crucial. Oh...and that meant close to public transportation and not a big commute (on buses and trains) from their homes.

Survey results here:

http://blog.coworking.info/2007/04/21/the-results-of-the-coworking-survey/
University of Portland VP of Information Services Cites Patriot Act Against Students
see the archive of this site for more of the ridiculousness that is happening at my school
Is Google the next Wal-Mart?
It's a pretty crazy situation but I'm not sure if I should vote it up. It's not exactly 'startup news'. Perhaps try reddit/digg?
Inspiration for when you hear people say "That's not a good idea."
Makes me wonder if I should not just stick with Java...
"MySpace by FaceBook" -- that's kind of arguable because MySpace was acquired and I really don't know who's making more money than whom. What about Digg? As for Google eating those companies you listed up..heck Google eats everyone up.

Having a hacker as a co-founder is always better than hiring which I stated. The point is, having a team of just solely hackers is not always better than having a team of a non-hacker and hacker.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahir

I just coined it.
Splashpower from the UK have been doing this for years. They got funded in 2001.

See http://splashpower.com
You can also get to the article without registering by clicking this link:
http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_5708216
I don't know if it's wise for Google to be letting YC Partners on campus.
(Re)writing Reddit/Y.News in CakePHP
A lot of those can be attributed to shortsighted executives who are afraid to take risks or academics who are convinced by their own limited research. And in such cases, there is almost certainly support to be found elsewhere.

So if your idea is constantly getting shot down, don't build a "I'll show them!" attitude. The best move would be to ask why they think it's a bad idea, consider it, and move on.
A restaurant is a ton of work, and that's not the kind of business I was thinking of.

There are software businesses which fill specific niches, niches that are too small for the likes of IBM, SAP, and the VC industry to care about, but which can provide a nice living ("nice" meaning generating cash above and beyond just paying school or living expenses).
The problem with this is that I can't see the people involved. Who are the investors? What are their backgrounds? Why are they going to increase my chances of success?

Replicating the YC seed funding model is fair game. What I find irritating (and btw I'm very keen to see more European start ups funded so I'm not outright attacking you for the sake of it) is that people replicate the easy parts without putting the effort into the hard parts of YC.

Easy parts = Getting money and an application form

Hard parts = Getting high profile speakers every week to talk with founders, putting together an investor day with the most high profile investors in the world, providing real mentorship, creating a supportive community.
The fact that he married into the Maxwell family shows he's more of a lame gold digger than an inspirational or sympathetic figure.
You're right about the YC idea of small amounts for seed funding.

But copying the name, the index page slideshow, the application form: isn't that just out and out plaigarism?
Ok, Odio, that's enough sucking up out of you.
"The best move would be to ask why they think it's a bad idea, consider it, and move on."

Even better - ask yourself "What would it take to find out, empirically, whether this is or is not a good idea?"

Many experts deal mostly with opinions, because it's to their advantage to do so. People listen to their opinions, people often pay money for their opinions, and the whole reason they're considered "experts" is they have (presumably) spent a lot of time in the past gathering facts to support their opinions. However, if you're dealing with something truly new, nobody will have enough facts to say whether or not it's a good idea.

As an entrepreneur, your job is to find those facts, because nobody else is going to do it for you (if they do, they're the one who gets the money ;-)). So ask yourself, "How can I narrow this problem enough to build a prototype? What data do I need from users to decide whether it's worth proceeding?"

The same applies to random advice you read on the Internet. This post is an opinion - I have no hard data in here to back things up, other than my own experience. However, it's a testable opinion: the next time you face a problem, go out and canvas the opinions of as many experts as you can find. Make a prediction, based on their opinions, of how you think the problem will be solved. Write it down. Then go about collecting data and actually solve the problem. Compare your prediction with the actual approach you needed to use. If they're basically the same, I'm full of bollocks and you can ignore me. If your initial assumptions changed significantly, hard data's the way to go.
I'm surprised you think that's sucking up. Was it that I was complimenting the YC business model? Please elaborate...

I'm not sure what motivation I would have to suck up, either. I'm not applying for funding, nor do I have any plans to.

However the point remains, without the YC's following (us), the company is just another angel investor / incubator. And that's already been done. These guys are trying to copy YC, but forgetting about its one biggest differentiating factor.
Oh, there's plenty of good reasons to use Ruby or Python.
I've noticed the same thing. I've been forced to wake up with an alarm clock at 6am for the past several years, but in the past (and I hope the future) I never used an alarm clock because it doesn't pay attention to my sleep cycle.
Okay..not quite all alarm clocks: http://www.axonlabs.com/products/smart.html
You might also want to look into Cambrian House.

http://www.cambrianhouse.com/
What does a projectionist actually DO?
Coworking - To establish a collaboration space for developers
I'm going to be a little harsh here.

Most people don't care much about plagiarism, they just think YC is a much better deal than its clones. And it is all about perception. The current clones look lame even at a first glance. If another tech celebrity tries to do the same thing, it would be a different story. A track record of successful startups would help you, but if you are right about the major shift towards startups, there is no way on Earth to keep all that market for yourself.
From Python to Ruby on Rails to Erlang (is anyone at YC using Erlang?)
It's funny. Laugh. Probably he wasn't serious. :)
If they're not claiming it's their work, I'd say it isn't plaigarism. (And they don't appear to be, as of comment time).
Hi YEurope! I am part of the Ycombinator batch that started this January. I dont understand the voices that are negative about other startup incubators like yours etc. The more initiatives that enable ideas to become companies, the better I say. So I say go for it!

hey I wasnt sure if your website was serious at first, or trying to make fun of Ycomb since you have pics of those guys sitting in the street with fake graphs...

yeah, and how about YNotEurope, or ECombinator for name? :)
Splashpower and powerbeam work differently. Splash power recharges devices wirelessly in a way that is more useful than powerbeam. I've been waiting a long time to get splashpower in my phone, ipod, etc but still no sign of it :(
I'm not really sure what this has to do with startups. Perhaps reddit or digg would be a better place?
We rent a coworking space in SF, and it was very beneficial. A bunch of startups share the same space, and we are constantly exchanging information, ideas, contacts, etc... I think that's the most important thing about coworking: It's not much about the space itself, but about the community formed around the shared space.
A ton of them aren't even shortsighted:

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

At the time, there wasn't even that large of a market. Watson definitely wasn't panning the technology, just noting (correctly) that the time wasn't right for a marketing push.

Great ideas implemented too early aren't worth much at all.
Paul Buchheit: What if I could not only change the way things are, but the way things have always been?
news.yc doesn't allow searching ideas either.

Also, we need some way to search only 'idea' posts. Perhaps if news.yc had tags that would suffice, but otherwise this may deserve a different namespace. Not something one reads everyday but more of a tool to submit or search for ideas.
Downmodding juwo is push-back from a bored audience. Disagreement has nothing to do with it.
How about submitting it to this site with the prefix [IDEA]? Mailing lists commonly use [ANN] prefixes for new announcements. There is no reason we can't use something similar. For example:

[IDEA] A web site for sharing startup ideas.

[STARTUP] www.shareyourstartupidea.com. Comments welcome.
slow news day.
I'm guessing Splashpower uses electromagnetic induction.

The advantage of lasers is that they work over longer distances, and can therefore can be used in situations where Splashpower couldn't - i.e., powering a whole room full of laptops.
This guy wrote a basic continuation-based web server in Chicken Scheme (which compiles to C). Might be worth a look...

http://www.double.co.nz/scheme/modal-web-server.html
"Ruby programming tends to favor 'magic'."

Arthur C. Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

It has also been said that you "Cast Spells" in Lisp:

http://www.lisperati.com/casting.html

SICP: "People create programs to direct
processes. In effect, we conjure the spirits of the computer with our spells."

I think lack of understanding of the semantics of Ruby and Rails causes people to dismiss it as "magic". Create new classes, methods ... etc at runtime is not a sign of laziness. Not wanting to spend the time it takes to learn how metaprogramming is used in Rails is.
I think you misunderstood my comment. The point is not the amount of work involved - there are many "lifestyle" businesses that are hardly any work at all. I run an online currency exchange website that takes about 3 hours of my time / day, and does provide a "nice living." I'm not trying to brag - trust me, it's still not fun.

The reason (for me, at least) that lifestyle businesses suck is because they're not focused on growth. They're more about an immediate, positive, cash flow - the low risk alternative.

Contrast that to startups, where you're building something that could potentially be very big, and positively impact a lot of lives. Now that's a pretty good "lifestyle."
Working on something like this right now, kind of a jobs/talent thing. Thought it might be useful.

Will post when I've got something worth looking at (this week)

Planning on making it kind of an 'Ideas wanted' or 'People wanted' or 'Money wanted' site, so people can interface. Putting my money where my mouth is with some distributed karma systems as well.
Especially when the "Y" part of the name actually means something in context. Too bad ybother.com is gone. It could have make for a great name for a web 2.0 graveyard.
I'd like to do this in Atlanta. Maybe that will go on the list.
"Catch And Release" Business Models
The bad news is that you have to move to Poland during the summer session.
Christine.net: Driving Users to Your Mashup
Yeah, Gmail's probably got good backups, and I love it, but I'm not fond of putting all my eggs in one basket. Plus, Gmail's down occasionally, and it's a real hassle not being able to even view/search old emails when that happens, or when you don't have a net connection.
Amazon/Statsaholic Dispute Gets Uglier
Matt Jaynes (http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=mattjaynes) had a great idea with YFratinator (http://groups.google.com/group/yfratrinator) but went cold on the idea. Have a chat to matt and see if you can resurrect the idea.
Best interfaces built with Ruby and/or RoR?
Who wants to work on this idea?

I may have some free time in a few months if anyone wants to team up and build it :P
I looked at the website but I don't understand what I'm supposed to do. How do I get coworking?
Another way Microsoft has shot its self in the foot began in 2000 with the release of Office 2000, then a year later Office XP then within 18 months Office 2003. Were they trying to milk the cow dry. That is why corporations are in a mass exodus from Office to other alternatives.
It seems to me that every pitch for a social networking site is just as good (or bad) as the next. At the moment, the only clear difference between the sites is whether it has caught on in a big way or not.

The network effects in play pretty much drown out all of the other, seemingly important details like theoretical audience size, technical goodness, aesthetic design, and charisma of the founder.
I wonder how many of these posts we will see. Why spend time showing that you can duplicate a site using a certain platform when you could theoretically build an entirely new site in the same amount of time? Of course, the hard part is figuring out what you need to be coding, but I definitely subscribe to pg's philosophy of letting the code tell you. That is, just set out to do something on the platform of your choice and before long, you'll find yourself doing something interesting.

Then again, this is probably a generalization of the procrastinator in all of us, that part of us that spends hours every day doing pointless activities, later lamenting that we don't have enough time to do X.
Connections with high profile investors?

That's why Kiko had to use eBay?

Ha!
Didn't know this existed. Good to know there are people trying to framework-ize PHP. As PHP's my personal favorite web language, I'm hoping this'll gain enough momentum to knock my personal least favorite web stack off the top of the eager headhunter's resume keyword list.
Amazon/Statsaholic Dispute Just Got A Lot More Complicated
G.ho.st is the Latest Virtual Desktop
Also see: http://news.ycombinator.com/comments?id=15845
What about having the focus on identifying problems, rather than brainstorming ideas?
Facebook adds all of twitter's functionality overnight.
DoubleClick turned down higher MSFT offer for google?
Devlounge | Steps to a more fulfilling redesign
Alexa's offering a new widget to integrate graphs into your website
Arts Theme House:) Go Duke! Damn good points about hackers with more than just technical chops. Congrats on finding your cofounder, I'm guessing you've already got a live startup. If you want to link it, we'd love to check it out.
I agree that you should be friends before becoming cofounders. Cool idea. How could one find the hackers first, in order to let them know that there is such a event?
Pretty cool - looks like these guys are finishing what viaweb started :)

There's a couple other sites that do similar stuff:

- Workspot: http://www.solutionwatch.com/236/workspot-linux-through-your-browser/

- Inferno: http://slashdot.org/articles/00/12/15/0428227.shtml

- A few years ago someone (forget who) did this with Red Hat as well
For the Jobs: how could he improve his marketing/negotiating skills?

For the Woz: how could he find a Jobs?
Bug Fix/Feature Request- Remove trailing ")" in url
Often, if i click on an url enclosed in parens (http://www.cnn.com) the url includes the trailing paren, and leads to a 404 error.
(http://www.seehere.com)
Looks like they're working overtime to diffuse this whole thing. I wouldn't be surprised if they also leaked the dirt on the Statsaholic founder.

It'll be interesting to see how all this turns out.
TED: Finding Balance
Vote up if you want YC to ban all talk of granola bars
use the feature request link at the bottom of the main page.
Actually, it was at Amherst. There must be multiple colleges with Arts Theme Houses ;-).

And we're not live yet, but we're close. Damn day job sucks up my time. We may have something (not our main idea, but potentially useful) up by tomorrow though, and hopefully our original site idea will follow soon afterwards...
Memories change and the memory owners don't even realize it.

That reality seems a lot less mind-blowing after reading Paul's blog post.
Here it is:
http://practical-scheme.net/wiliki/wiliki.cgi/Kahua:Reddit-modoki
I don't suppose there's any references for these stats. Sound made up to me.
Startup Suicide: Five Ways To Kill Your Startup, Which Will You Pick?
There is a web framework under development for eElang as well:
http://erlyweb.org/
Grade your startup website
I submitted this to the feature request thread a couple weeks ago:
http://news.ycombinator.com/comments?id=10889
Request: More meningful tag text. Paul, could you copy the text from the title of the article and palce it in between title tags?
Is Google offering free 411 to collect samples of your voice?
I'm just going to point out that this really makes me only vote on topics I really care about. It doesn't really bother me.
Saw this the other day. Pretty similar to an idea I presented to PG way back when. I still have PG's whiteboard post: "but some startup ideas need be kept secret"
After slowdown, angel investors starting to go with the flow
84% for likebetter.com.
And check the comments
It looks like there are several different users who want to build this (or something similar).

I definitely think collaboration would work best - if the site is going to be used by the community it needs all of our support. It can't be a one man show.

Personally, I envision a site with several different tools: idea feedback, find cofounders, find shared office space, demo new apps, a how-to resource archive, wiki, etc.

I think one News.YC reader has already built a site that can be used to find cofounders. Jamie, Sumon and Timmmah built a site to demo apps (demomyapp.com). Justin is building a basic idea feedback site. John Leung is trying to organize a shared office/startup hub website. I'm building a resource archive.

What if we all collaborated on one site that did it all?