skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Two thoughts:

a) If the growing startup I work for had only hired new employees if we had a full year's salary for them already in the bank, we wouldn't be even close to where we are today.

b) While this guy clearly didn't know his head from his butt when it came to sales, why not leverage his industry connections (which is previous employers obviously felt were strong enough to hire him on, even when he had few other discernable skills) to help establish some important industry contacts? Considering the harm he could have done your business with his, "Please buy our products or else our company will tank." sales approach, I would think he'd be glad to set up a few meetings with some people who actually might have been able to help you out a bit.

Food for thought!
But isn't the core Web 2.0 mentality really that monetary costs have been drastically lowered and location doesn't matter? There are successful companies all over the world founded in spare time on barebones budgets. Middle America can't be that bad, can it?
I feel like it's a good idea to have a separate office from where you live, but why don't more (2-3 person) startups use the library for an office? It's quiet, you can rent conference rooms and equipment by the hour, and there's free wifi.

It wouldn't work forever, but it would be fine for the first few months.
The feedback I have been hearing is that the Thunder is a crippled iPhone, but the Bold... wow.

A proper keyboard is still a killer feature for a _lot_ of people, and adding in the 'missing' 3G and a usable web browser should help them hold on to corporate users and gather a decent number of teenagers and geeks.
Earlier duplicate HN submission:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221536
No, unfortunately not - here's my longer explanation from an earlier duplicate submission:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221840
I think people tend to upmode comments which they agree with and/or short funny comments.
You're right, the business costs are much cheaper than other business options. But of course, I still want to eat, and have a roof, and basically not suffer. That still costs money.

I'm certainly not just sitting back and doing nothing, instead I'm searching for that idea that really grabs me, and will keep me going in my free time. The idea for a part time business needs to be more engaging and interesting than a full time idea (at least for me), because I've already spent most of my mental stamina grinding through a day job by the time I can get started on the personal idea.

Either way, I have developed and launched http://www.irclogger.com in the last few weeks, just because I wanted this service and couldn't find it. (logging freenode's irc channels). But I have no plans to commercialize it, and wouldn't feel bad if it disappeared.
I have to say, the guys I've known who wear shorts and sandals year round and grow their hair out for years at a time did not "know" women and snort cocaine.

The dichotomy Cringely seems to be drawing here is between people who don't conform to social norms because they're unaware of them, and people who don't conform to social norms because they're actively rebelling against them. To be honest, I don't think most people care about the distinction. For them, both of these caricatures are just awkward; no further sub-classifications are necessary.

For an article which seems to be trying to popularize geek culture, it sure does a good job of trivializing it.
2. Be first in some area (too late now)

I don't think that will be true. Ever. You can always innovate.There are always new things to do. Or old things to do in new ways. Or so says the idealist in me.

But your other points are really good, especially the marketing one. Just making a very solid app isn't good enough for the iPhone platform. You need a carefully thought out marketing strategy.

Edit: I guess the marketing part is true about everything you do.
Sun's Q4 profit drops sharply, warns of U.S. economic downturn
Verizon's DNS server prevents some users from visiting Facebook
Or just type this in the Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.iTunes DeviceBackupsDisabled -bool true
There was Kvim for KDE3, now there is a vim-like editor called Yzis which integrates pretty well with the environment. You might also want to take a look at "gtk-qt-engine".

In my experience GTK apps look and work a lot better in the KDE environment then the other way around.
I am not making the leap because I don't have enough reserve money saved up.
it's almost a cliche around these parts, but still a useful metric: if you're going to do a startup, you need a steve jobs and a steve wozniak. you sound like a jobs, so you need a woz.

as it happens, this very community is teeming with them. i am myself a woz, but not the type you're looking for. web-dev does not come naturally to me. i prefer writing programs the old-fashioned way.
I like Steve Yegge's take on the subject, too.

http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/06/done-and-gets-things...
It depends on what you're trying to sell. Some products just need someone to take orders. Other products require a more technical sale, and others require more traditional sales skills and negotiating skill.

The most important thing for salespeople is incentives. If you give them an incentive to lie, they will. If you give them an incentive to walk away from a potential sale without making an effort, they will. If you give them an incentive to sincerely represent your company's product and practices, they will.

A large number of CEOs are recruited from sales. It's a motivational, high energy world, and good salespeople make more than almost any other position in a company.

Consider salespeople part of your product's UI. If you give the salespeople perverse incentives, they will make customers dislike your company. The opposite is also true.

I recommend that to find a salesperson you sign up for demos from companies who you think would employ the kind of salesperson you'd want, and if you find one you like, offer him/her a job.
Well... I think it is.

It was a nice piece of text, outlining good points of the mentioned startups, and the author doesn't seem to be very biased by its success or lack of it.

I hadn't ever heard of Pairwise, for example.

Good job.
Why social media (doesn’t) matter
Wow, it would be fantastic to have your phone controlled by software. For one thing, you could apply the same kind of anti-spam techniques, and since there is a canonical phone number distributor, they would be even more effective.
Tipjoy (YC winter 08) Adds Auto-Twitter Integration So You Can Tweet Your Tips
It may not be a smoking gun, but there is definitely smoke around phytoestrogens in soy products. There have been a few human studies in Japan that indicate reduced testosterone in men, and other effects in women. Though some studies have also indicated positive impact...reduced cancer risk and hints of greater longevity being the most impressive.

Perhaps alleviating some of the alarm, many soy products have drastically reduced levels of these compounds (tofu) or practically none at all (tempeh, real fermented soy sauce), and in these cases the benefits of soy (high quality protein, no cholesterol, low fat, etc.) almost certainly outweigh the negatives, compared to almost any other source of protein (meat, for example, becomes quite carcinogenic when grilled or cooked in pretty much any way that produces browning or blackening in the meat, in addition to containing cholesterol, no fiber, and lots of "bad fats").

So, while I'm not cutting tofu and tempeh and good soy sauce out of my diet, or even reducing it (I'm a vegetarian, and it's a staple of my diet), I avoid any form of raw soy: soy flour, edamame, soy milk, etc.

Also worth noting, soy in the forms that Americans most often consume it is a new phenomenon. Soy was considered inedible until the past 20-25 years, and it's only through extremely heavy marketing and lobbying pressure that soy has become part of every Americans diet (whether they know it or not, in cereals, in breads, in oils, and dozens of other places you would never think to look). In the cultures where soy has been consumed for hundreds or thousands of years, it has been in processed forms: tofu, tempeh, and soy sauce. Though young salted soy beans (called edamame in the west) are a popular snack in Japan and a few other places. Anyway, I'm suspicious of any food that has been foisted on me by huge corporations...and soy popularity in America is very much the result of a major corporate push. Corn is another fine example of money making for dangerous agricultural policy, leading to serious nutritional problems for a large segment of the population.
Now we all feel bad that's we're not making $2000 a day too. Thanks a lot!
You mean Aurora Feint?

http://www.aurorafeint.com/

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/07/iphone_apps_we_like_aurora...
Dell tries to trademark "cloud computing"
A Photo that can steal your online credentials.
I like aurora, but unless there's something since I last updated it's just a mediocre bejeweled clone right now.
I'm in the same boat but I'm wondering whether I ever will. I gave myself a self imposed deadline so hopefully I have enough by then!
I've written them right after the startup launches. My track record:

1.) Reddit. The day after it launched: "Well, this is interesting, but I can't ever see myself using it." 3 months later, after I started using it: "Well, I use it, but I can't ever see it getting popular." Early 2006, in response to PG's comment about "This sucker's profitable": "But are they profitable enough to cover the opportunity cost's of the founder's salaries?" Mid 2006: "Okay, they're profitable through bizdev deals, but I can't imagine them ever getting bought." I believe they were acquired on Halloween 2006.

2.) Infogami: I thought they were the most likely of the SFP05 startups to be successful, right until they launched.

3.) Wufoo, when it came out: "I don't get what the point is." About 9 months later: "Incidentally, I'd put Wufoo, VirtualMin, and DropBox at the bottom of the deadpool, i.e. most likely to succeed."

4.) Xobni: "Personally, I'd put Xobni at the top of the YC deadpool." http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=51982

5.) VirtualMin: Already mentioned that this is one I'd invest in if I actually had money. I'd used Webmin for previous websites; there's a lot of money in easy-to-use server admin tools for folks who don't really know what they're doing.

6.) RescueTime: Loved it from the moment I heard about it. Immediately recommended it to friends; if I had money, I'd invest.

7.) Thinkature: I thought this was really cool when it came out, and that it'd be one of the survivors of its batch.

8.) Flagr: Thought this was succeeding for sure when one of my RL friends linked me to a Flagr map.

9.) Justin.TV. "This is pointless, I can't believe YC gave these guys $50K, I'll probably never visit it again."

Somebody remind me never to become a VC.
Smart-people traps
If you explain what holes you are filling which Reddit doesnt maybe we could answer.
In the 10 seconds I spent on the site, I couldn't figure out what it is. Sorry it looked to me like a digg clone.
I'm looking for the same answer, but I'll share what I found out so far (the hard way). There are two ways to pay a salesperson. First is by comission, where you pay according to the amount sold. This is best, but it will be hard to find somebody on this terms if you're a young startup. Second is where you negociate a salary, and you set a target. The target need not be about sales, it can be about appointments set (very useful), calls made, emails sent or any other metric.

Now, the don't-be-stupid part: never _ever_ hire somebody in sales with fixed salary without targets. Where there is a salary, there must be targets. You can of course offer both comission and a salary, but the salary must be dependent on some other metric then the comission.

Also a good part of the sales process is finding the best metrics. It should be something like: for 100 phones you get 5 appointments, from which you get 2 second appointments and 0.7 contracts. Each of those steps can and should be optimized separately, once you have the process established.
The developer gets 5.99/4.2 = 70% of revenue. A sensational deal, if you can concentrate on the non-admin (i.e. interesting/real) stuff.

If software writers are "authors", then it makes sense to have a "publisher". Surely there's a reason this hasn't taken off before...
I use FF because it's better. But also for political reasons.

Using other browsers prevents a monopoly, and helps the evolution of the web.
Use the web to get your 2008 Beijing Olympics fix
You're right about everything costing money, and the guy who said he didn't have enough reserve money saved up is spot on. I got ideas, but even I can't just quit my job and go. Seriously, YC should open a dorm room, where they get 6% of anything worked on while they provide room and board. :) An entrepreneur hostel.
Business users have blackberries. I don't see a lot of IT managers springing for iphones so their employees can do less work and more play.
blackberry = business
iphone = consumer
Maybe it's just me, but that seems about as much an MMO as online checkers.
But the question is, why would you choose to solve that with an iphone app, instead of just a website?

I can see the point in iphone apps that use features you can't get in the browser, like access to gps or the accelerometer etc, but other simple apps seem to be there just because they can be, rather than filling any real need.
Thanks. I should have checked his site. I just remembered his name from an alumni thing at Penn.
Ugg, I just want to get into the program. I applied two weeks ago. Has anyone heard anything on how long it takes, or if they're even accepting new developers for the app store?
What I don't understand is why Yahoo would want anything to do with a CEO who was pushed out of AOL. That company has been so mismanaged for so long I couldn't possibly fathom what it takes to get fired from there. They went from being on top of the world to being practically radioactive. I know their downward spiral started long before this guy came in, but there certainly wasn't any improvement under his leadership. Why would another company in a slump want to get anywhere near that?
teeming you say? I just might put the word out.
The bookmarklet is really fun to use. 2-clicks to tweet and when you push the link to your friends, they can give some cash to the site. Link-love++

http://tipjoy.com/bookmarklet
ironically enough, an iPhone app would probably be more successful. A website would require marketing, but an iPhone App does its own marketing, through its name, icon and the community word of mouth. Plus there are advantages in UI design that could make a native app more helpful in getting the info quicker.
yes, they are accepting new developers. Still no certain time frame for how long it takes.
Good point.

So what would an interesting MMO on the iPhone be like? And how would you account for lag, disconnects, etc.
That's not bad.

And for the record, most VCs should never have become VCs.
If you're reacting sodium to water to get hydrogen you're not exactly electrolyzing water now are you?

The same is true with current processes, if your catalyst is being used up to bind oxygen then a: it's not a catalyst it's a reactant, and b: well don't, and c: you're not electrolyzing water, you're doing some more complicated reaction.

So emitting O2 from electrolysis is not even the slightest bit new. That part of the article was basically nonsense.
Because it's scary to try anything new. And finding a problem you're passionate about is hard.

Practical matters are much easier.
better yet, tip your own tweets ;)
US officials given power to seize laptop of anyone entering the country
This is entertainment and marketing, not any useful useful insight into programmer personalities (as you might thing from the title).

The point of this is to make a manager read it, laugh that Harry is a Hippie and Nelson is a Nerd, and then think of Larry, worry, and go buy Perforce.
Thanks, I already applied last year. Not going for the gold again this year. Would rather just do it myself.
or eachothers: http://tipjoy.com/8Xn/
I worked from coffee shops as well for about a year right after I started my startup. It's definitely better than working from home; you get to be around people and you end up being friends with other regulars. I rarely had issues with wifi, though. Which is one of the advantages of being in Silicon Valley.

Depending on how many hours you spend there the ergonomics might be an issue. Coffee shop tables and chairs are not deigned for extended periods of work. If you're doing it for a few hours a day, then it's okay. I used to work 10am to 10pm, so it gets tiring after a while. Now I'm renting a desk space in co-working office in a great location in Mountain View and I can't be happier. It's not expensive at all and you get to be around other startup entrepreneurs and learn from each other. It's another great option to try if coffee shops are not for you.
That's a good step. I'm setting a goal of how much money I need to feel secure and pursue the idea instead of a deadline because I can always develop it (part time) in the mean time.
I do a lot of work in a cafe in Cambridge that has a pretty good geek crowd, but I think it's probably more the walk to the cafe than being in the cafe itself that does it for me.
We Know How Many Kindles Amazon Has Sold: 240,000
That's a good point. I was thinking more along the lines, though, that there are some times where you actually need to reverse a list. How often does it make sense to reverse a string? When palindrome testing?
If you mean blogging about political issues from within China, then yes.

If you mean forgoing any semblance of social decency for the sole purpose of antagonizing people and destroying positive discourse or social interaction, then no.
Good piece.
Good question, it's one that I've also been giving some thought to lately.

I've been involved in a startup before where we hired sales people, and they were always on the verge of a sale. We ended up going through 4-5 which were all pretty dismal.

How do you set sales targets, when you don't know much about sales and what would be possible?

At what point do you let the sales person go, how long do you give them to learn the ropes before they're expected to get some sales?

Obviously for a startup, especially a bootstrapped one, paying each bad sales person a few months of basic before finding out they're useless is a serious cash concern.

I'll be approaching that stage in a few months with my startup and it's definitely worrying!
so you tweet about tipping a tweet? now that's meta...
That part is true, however, creating a webapp means it can be used on the iPhone, lots of other phones, games consoles, laptops, etc etc etc
Ambition and Perseverance.

The way that one of the RescueTime founders described his YC class was:

"I’ve been damn impressed with the other YC founders, but they aren’t that much better than many of the great coders I’ve worked with. They’re just bolder."

http://gigaom.com/2008/04/02/ycombinator/
Creating a Business Logo
Location-Based Social Networking to Generate $3.3 Billion by 2013?
Mobile OS Openess: What does it mean to the Developer
Perhaps - I wish I weren't out of hero cookies - I would give you one for sure. Perhaps even 2.
Who Needs the Tech IPO? Open source and Facebook have changed the economics of Startups
Libraries generally close around 8pm. Software startup founders are probably just getting started at that time. :)
A lot of people don't make the leap because they're afraid of the risks associated with not having a stable income. A lot of developers working day jobs would at least like to match their current salary if not more to account for the risk.

This becomes a bigger problem along the years, since you're more likely to have a higher salary that would be a lot harder to match with just seed funding.
Dead stories lose their links? Since when?
neither of you guys mentioned loopt, but it is supposed to be one of the startups that PG has the most expectation. do you guys think it won't succeed, or what is it?

personally, I don't get it either.
How much is enough?

It is really hard to justify quitting and not bringing in any money regardless of how much you have in the bank and how much you spend per month.

Ie. is 24 x monthly expenses enough?

Even once you have enough saved up shutting down that influx of cash is hard.
Maybe this is actually the Steve Jobs closed system vs. Android open system sort of debate. Sure, you could make a webapp, but could you make a lot of money off a webapp? If you only had the time to work on one, I know which one I would pick. There may be more users of those other platforms, but how do you get them to use your app? Apple's closed system does a lot of the work for you.
Care to share?! I'd love just one good idea to sink my teeth into.

I'm a web developer and I've ran small online businesses in the past but they were service businesses. I don't have any great ideas for a cool web app, even though I can build one.

That's my reason at least.
It's more geared towards the consumer than the seller. It doesn't do any of the things I suggested for the startup. Specifically, streamlining the auction process by allow you to create auctions on the fly.

But this isn't my golden idea, and hopefully eBay DOES implement these features into the iPhone app. I think that'd make life a lot easier for me.
I wonder what Opera would be getting if they actually listened to their users. Plus, right now any site with fancy AJAX would have some rendering/performing problem under opera (most of google stuff does, not gmail though). So that's another terrible sin.

I love Opera and think they deserve more success, but somewhere up in their hierarchy someone is making all the wrong decisions.
Money can't buy happiness, but it helps. (It certainly gives you the freedom to pursue happiness and do so comfortably.) I suppose that by the time you reach that level of seniority, it ceases being your primary concern, or even a real source of comfort.
A website would require marketing, but an iPhone App does its own marketing, through its name

This is a myth. And people will realize in a couple months once there are tons of apps in the App Store. You will need marketing wherever you go. For word-of-mouth, your app needs to be really stellar. And that is true, everywhere.

I suspect the more appealing part about the App Store is that more people will want to actually pay for your app right away if you provide them with enough quality. It feels like the expected payoff with the App Store would be higher for individual developers this way as opposed to making viral apps on facebook and monetizing via ads.
There's been so many studies in the news about so many compounds that jiggle your risk of this or that disease (usually cancer) up or down that I have decided to just live a normal life and not worry about it while avoiding obviously stupid things (like smoking tobacco regularly or ingesting plutonium).

Then again, I usually find myself in the minority in any internet discussion.
I'm on IE7 at work. I am a little too lazy to go through the paperwork to get Firefox on.

For a while I was forced to use IE6. I'll give this to IE7, it's no IE6.
It exists: http://www.lulu.com/content/3060872