skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I don't really think ideas are worth that much. Anybody can come up with an idea. What is, "I have an idea to build a fusion power plan to supply all of the World's energy," worth? Not much.

The value of any idea is the execution of that idea. In the world of software its the implementation of that idea. If your competitor has done a kick ass job implementing the idea you thought of and you really don't think you could do a much better job, I would probably look for other ideas that you feel you could do better.

Another thing to look at is the capability, velocity, and momentum of the competitors idea; you may be able to out maneuver them if it took them a long time to get to the point they did and they suck at software development. If they are kicking ass and getting funding to add more resources and move faster, this could make your life harder.

That said, don't do a feature-by-feature copy of the competition. That adds absolutely no value to the world and you're going to have a hell of a time escaping their shadow. Plus it would make you a slimy person its just really bad PR.

One of our competitors is copying us feature-by-feature and it actually puts us to an advantage because they don't understand why we did what we did and our software development delivery is much faster and higher quality than theirs.

How do we know this? Just by looking at their web page source. They have all of this test javascript code and fixtures mixed in with their production javascript, they use tables to control their page formatting, left /phpinfo.php on their root web server, use Dreamweaver to code their PHP and image roll-overs, and push everything out via FTP on port 21. Who the hell does that? On top of that they haven't delivered any new features in the past 4 months.

At the end of the day, very rarely are ideas original. You're better off focusing on the execution of an idea and out-delivering the competition.
Write a list of all of the companies/products that you admire. How many of them attacked a new market or idea? Ipod? Google Search? Google Adwords? WordPress? Facebook? Microsoft? Starbucks? Walmart? Ebay? Craigslist? YouTube? HackerNews (!)? None were the first to try what they eventually succeeded at.

Seriously, unless the other folks are literally owning the market, keep chasing it. Most markets have plenty of room for multiple successful players.
Agreed. As a language, Scala is superior to both C# and Java. It's open source and it has the advantage of being compatible with Java's platform, environment, and libraries.
Happiness and Its Causes conference
Low interest debt is not that important. If you get out of med school with 300k debt at 4% your probably going to be fine. In five years when you still have 250k of medical debt and add a 1Million mortgage at 6% you are going to be fine if your making 350k+.
C# and Java are very similar. Learn one, and the path to the other is quick. The languages have essentially the same feature set, though some of the advanced concepts (reflection metadata, generics) are easier to learn on C#. XML in C# makes Java seem like a major pain in the 455.
Outsourcing our manufacturing base has reduced the inflation adjusted income of a lot of people.
It's 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration.

If you sweat harder and sweat smarter than the other guy, you'll clean house.
Timing: Why this crisis is our biggest break
Ask YC: Is it time to shut down this site?
You know, it is amazing how fast we change.

Only 7 years ago I was reading about about the Singularity and thinking 'Yeah, maybe in twenty-fifty - things don't change that quickly!' Now, I'm not so sure. I have posted some questions/comments to this site in the last few days which were intentionally naive - and would have be recognised as such by the smarter individuals here. Would have been recognised as such, by most, 2 years ago. Today, I was quite shocked at some of the replies and horrified that one of my Submissions was censored! Things do change more quickly than you can ever imagine!

Ok, today might be a bad day for the censor and the posters, but come on guys... I ask about aliens and the next President of the USA and I get crappy comments that don't even address the original question? Are you a cult or are you shipping cargo? I plan to do the latter.
If those were my only choices, I would consider changing my career. Maybe learn to cook and open a gourmet restaurant.

Now, seriously, I would go for Java because, at least, it can run cross-platform without the danger of Microsoft suing you out of existence.
Facebook: Friend or Foe to App Developers?
Nobody can. But then, C# isn't easy to start with.

"The least painful" is what I would say.
I'm talking in a worldwide context, not a US one.
Digg stopped being relevant about 1-2 years ago. I used to be an avid digger, then stopped. Once Arrington mentioned HN, I've been here ever since. Much more focused and interesting community we have here. I'm probably not the only one.
"Java programmers" are the worst part about programming in Java. There are plenty of smart people doing smart things on the platform, but you won't find them on the average project due to the fact that it seems like every idiot programmer on the planet works in Java too. Perhaps it is second to VB in this regard, but I am not sure.
I find that you should also be wary of people who accept others regardless of their shady behavior. Usually it indicates they are just using everyone around them, as they don't care about moral values.
"java isn't all that it's cracked up to be"

"every java 'engineer' I've known has been a siv"

It depends if you're learning a language to build stuff, or to work with good people (community). As a language, I'd say java rocks most of the time and does a good job of things.

It's similar to javascript. A large number of people who program javascript are really pretty poor programmers, who just program by trial+error, or copy+paste code they found on the web. This doesn't mean javascript as a language is bad though. It just attracts a wide range of users.
isn't the first rule of HN: "No Drama" ?

you'd certainly get a better response about aliens if you posted it on a niche site dedicated to discussing that topic.

i don't go to KFC and order whoppers
If you find yourself clashing with the majority on topics and tone, then your best bet would be to find or make a different community, one more palatable to your tastes.

People don't always agree with me either, but I like that because it encourages me to write better and think more analytically. Possibly the least popular thing to do is complain.
I'll bite again. What makes C# so difficult to start with? I seriously want to know what obstacles are out there for people interested in starting with C#.
I'm amazed that it is still growing.
'Wealth', as in how many Yankee dollars you have is relative. I understand all the arguments about absolute wealth, and it is true that my parents (and I) are absolutely wealthier than 60 years ago.

Now, here this: millions of people are starving to death every year. Starving from lack off food, water, ideas and hope. And Obama isn't gonna change it one bit.
right, i'm not sure why the author feels like he has a god-given right to make $50,000/year no matter what kind of iphone app he/she develops.

go ask any of the top 10 iphone application developers -- i don't think any of them are having trouble with the 50k/year barrier. the marketplace will be the same as the web: the majority of attention goes to a small number of sites. just because i put out a website of marginal value and charge $9.99 doesn't automatically mean i'll be making $50k/year -- the issue is a lot more difficult than that.
So instead of asking them to use a pdf viewer, you're relying on them having a flash viewer installed instead :/
What makes me sad is that balsamiq spent 5 month of hard work to make $100000, and most internet marketers in the top tier need only launch an email to their list to get the same amount. No tech knowledge, no brilliance, no incredibly original idea are needed. Just skil on the noble art of 'bullshit'.

We starup people cannot compete.

balsamiq is an astounding success in the startup world, and a silly example of how not to do things for internet marketers (who, by the way are the plage!).

Maybe there are millions of people gullible enough to buy most crap internet marketers throw at them, but only a few thousands of us who are interested in the product balsamiq offers. Sad.
Interesting how you roped Obama into the discussion, despite it being completely irrelevant.

And it's true that millions of people are starving every year, dying of preventable diseases, etc. But those things correlate strongly with extreme poverty, and the number of people in extreme poverty has dropped dramatically over the last 25 years and continues to drop.
Really? So you have blinkers on when it comes to new ideas? Like, tell Edison to go somewhere else - somewhere they go to bed early and get up early 'cos that is what the sun does?

Actually, I like the 'tone' aspect of your argument. Can I steal it?
I'm not suggesting you don't negotiate. I'm suggesting you ask for that extra $5K up front.
There are virtually no totally original ideas. Its one of the reasons for the "ideas are worthless" mantra around here. Execution is the key.

You will never think of something totally unique. Just do it first, better, or cheaper.
The first rule for smart people is intellectual honesty. The medium is not relevant.

What the feck has KFC got to do with it?
siv?
Ideas = worthless. Execution is everything. I have come across that statement in numerous articles and books by successful people. If you need proof, go to Marc Andreeson's blog and read his body of work. Multi-billionaires tend to know their stuff, and he is way more convincing than me.

Some argue that being the 5th or 6th entrant into a market is optimal. The first few entrants make all the mistakes with product development and marketing in the early months. They then make changes after learning from the mistakes they have made over time, and you benefit from their painful trial and error.

Originality goes way beyond product ideas though. If you truly want to build a business, you have to create a company behind the product. That consists of many, many systems, a founding team with business instincts and vision, and the panache to bring ideas to life and build a company culture with flair. Everything has to be built from scratch. For my company, I see the products as one small part of who we are and what we do. Zappos calls themselves a customer-service company that just happens to sell shoes. If the shoe market goes to hell one day then they can take the business system they have built and pursue other markets. The value is in systems and top talent to run the systems, not inventions. Ideas are a dime-a-dozen, and we all have too many interesting ideas that we can't get to for lack of time. Systematic, consistent execution will make you that million bucks. If you have made it this far in the post, I highly recommend Michael Gerber's book called "the E-myth". It addresses why most small businesses do not succeed, and it has probably been the most valuable knowledge I have ever acquired. Also, check out sequoia capital's idea page, and see if your idea passes their test.

Now go out and execute!

Take your best idea, run with it, and make everything up as you go along.

is defined as having a unique spin on a product/service with a proven market, stunning marketing materials, and silver-tongued salesmanship
Can't you think of a better put-down than "retarded"? It's one of those nasty things to say that show the truth to the phrase "don't get into an argument with an idiot, lest people have trouble discerning which one is the idiot". Not to mention that it's apparently offensive to people who have friends and family who suffer from Down Syndrome.

Let's see... brainstorming...

"Your query regarding the probability of the Obama team dedicating any time to a niche technology site demonstrates a lack of connection to reality usually associated with people who have recently ingested large quantities of mind-altering substances."

I'm sure that could be improved upon, but this isn't really the appropriate place for that sort of thing.
The other post by the same author is a lot better:
http://www.losingfight.com/blog/2008/11/07/can-you-make-a-li...
Is it time for you to stop trolling?
"Business and management majors were among the least likely to become self-employed"
Due to Mono, this is only like 63% true.
I agree. It's better to improve something in a proven product/market category. Save the revolutionary stuff for later.
I read this as:

Ask YC: Should I post a whiny "Ask YC" whenever someone disagrees with me? It really hurts my feelings, and I think everyone else should be banned from the forum.
Does that mean I can redeem my dollar for a specific amount of land or real property? Or do you mean it's 'backed' by such property to the extent that I could trade it for such property, maybe -- in which case the value of everything I own is 'backed' by a diversified portfolio consisting of basically every other asset in the universe.

That's the whole meaning of money. Money allows us to trade without having to barter with or for things we do not want or do not have access to.

Fiat money is only backed by one thing - people's trust in the ability to trade with that money (which, in itself, is usually backed by the government). No more than this is required, though, since if you can trade fiat money for goods and services, why does it need to be physically backed by gold or similar?

Fiat money can vary in value, but that's not a bad thing as long as the variations in this value are controlled properly via interest rates and fiscal policy.
Fuck no. You're overreacting. Cut the drama and go find a forum to hang out on.
How'd you not understand that reference? It's Hacker News. Meaning hacker-related news. Meaning don't bring other nonsense to this site. Why are you surprised that people only want to talk about hacker-related news?
Go for the one with lambdas.
What the appstore needs is not higher prices, it needs fewer developers: if there are 20 apps doing X then each only makes enough money to get by, but if there were 2 apps doing X they both could invest into making new features. What we need is a serious recession with a healthy round of bakrupcies and mergers.
C# by itself isn't terribly difficult, other than its constantly balooning specification. A lot of the percieved difficulty with C# today comes from the rapid shifts in direction from Microsoft in terms of the "Microsoft Way" of using it. A prime example is the DLinq / Linq to SQL / ADO.Net Entities fiasco that's occurred in the past 5 or 6 months; Microsoft is trying to react quickly, but in doing so is crossing its own streams.

Of course, these are all really .Net problems, but more often than not, C# and .Net are used interchangeably.
Some of the apps are genuinely useful - there's an app that will capture a sample of a song and identify it. I would pay at least a few bucks for that. Maybe not $10, but $5 easily.

But on the store it's free, without ads. I don't get it. That's throwing money away.
Thanks everyone for great advice! This was very helpful
Have you considered learning both? They have a lot in common, and 'which one is better' is a decision you need to make for yourself in the context of your project.

Oddly enough, geography might matter. For example, Seattle seems to have a bunch of consulting shops and even a few product startups using MS tools. (There are also startups using the usual suspects...Java, PHP, Python, Ruby,...).

Both languages' VMs are accessible to a number of other languages if you decide to branch out later. As many have said already, Java gets a slight leg up from open source.
Is Modern Science Rational? - A criticism by S. R. Bongale
I think many students fantasize a future for themselves and for many it is a safe, steady, well paid job in business. So they think 'business studies'.

A lot of the most successful business men (and women) have come via unconventional routes. And these people often have their own company.

Conclusion? A successful business may be all down to luck.
Why would you only learn one of them? Learn every language you can. Learn them well enough to love and hate each for 5 different reasons. Learn them well enough to know which should be used when.

IMHO: they are very similar languages with converging library offerings. I think Java is ahead of the game in this regard because it's been "in the wild" longer and has more of an open source following.

And don't forget, they can interop very easily with SpringFramework and XML-RPC.
What 'What...?'?
Hi. I don't think you were actually censored. I can see all of your killed submissions, and so can anyone else that's interested. It's an option in the preferences.

Basically, news.yc is not a random social news site where anything goes. There is a well-defined area that the users of the site are interested in. Your submissions weren't about that, so there aren't people around that are interested in adding good comments.

Anyway, I've read four or five articles today, and three of them have been you bitching about the site. This is somewhat annoying, and I think everyone would appreciate it if you lurked for a while before submitting anything else. Nobody hates you or wants you to go away -- they just want to keep the site useful, unlike Reddit and Digg. Please try to understand.
The reason politicians worry so much about using email is accountability. They use the phone so the lawyers can't prove anything.

There needs to be some sort of legal exception made for email. It shouldn't carry the same weight as regular correspondence.
Hacker means many things. If someone submitted a story or tadpoles I would read it, because the intent may be the 'hack'.
Also isn't it only through Yahoo?
As president he could have a totally isolated mail system with a staffer to transfer messages to it after verifying identity.
Justin.TV as a country
had I seen this, I would have flagged it for deletion, the same way I would soething asserting:

"If sharks exist, Darwinian evolution tells us to expect intelligent sharks. Killer sharks with head-mounted lasers will be found by marine biologists within five years. Have you factored this into you start up's expectations?"

Your post was absurd and uninteresting... most likely it was categorized as spam, not 'censored'.
People have tried the CEO pay thing. Ben and Jerry's, specifically. They limited to something like 10x. And completely failed to find any qualified candidates who were willing to work for that.

Then they raised it slightly (14x?) to get someone, who turned out to be a bad CEO, and had to fire him and raise it more (30x?) to get someone decent.

The fact of the matter is that CEO's are paid for the value they bring to the company. The reason they are so well paid is market forces, much the same reason why you are paid the wage you are paid.
The 68K programming talk reminds me of being a kid running an Atari ST, and saving up 20 Australian dollars (16 US) for a two month old copy of 'ST Format' with cover articles like:

'WHO WILL INHERIT THE FUTURE OF COMPUTING?

ATARI?

OR AMIGA?'
Thanks jrockway! I now plan to enter Lurk mode!
Cuil Theory
http://cuiltheory.wikidot.com/start

"The idea was to lampoon the terrible search engine capabilities of the Cuil search engine, while providing a functionally stimulating idea about the interrelationship between tangential things." - Jess Lee via Bookmarklet

"One Cuil = One level of abstraction away from the reality of a situation. Example: You ask me for a Hamburger. 1 Cuil: if you asked me for a hamburger, and I gave you a raccoon. 2 Cuils: If you asked me for a hamburger, but it turns out I don't really exist. Where I was originally standing, a picture of a hamburger rests on the ground. 3 Cuils: You awake as a hamburger. You start screaming only to have special sauce fly from your lips. The world is in sepia." - Jess Lee
'What' the hell are you talking about?
That's cause you're an idiot.
Exactly. If you need to use Java for some reason, like getting at their libraries, you will do well to use anything other than the Java language. The platform is good. The language is 20 years behind the state of the art. Unless you are forced to work with other people that can't learn a language other than Java, there is no point in using it. I lean in the direction of Clojure, but lately the constant fanboi-ing is really putting me off.

C# is similar -- F# is a much better way of interacting with .Net libraries. It is even "fully-supported" by Microsoft from what I've read, so it is definitely a good alternative to C# if you prefer its functional style. (And who doesn't?)

Finally, if you don't need Java or .Net libraries, SBCL is a very nice Common Lisp implementation. It's fast, and if you like emacs, the tools are great. It is quickly becoming my favorite environment. (Perl is my other favorite.)

Despite what others say, you can write maintainable and well-performing code in any of these languages. So pick one and get started... that's the hardest part.
Don't automatically laugh at or dismiss ideas you think are stupid. That's what stupid people do.
i bought beejiveIM for $16, it kicks ass and is worth every penny
I don't think its possible to raise the prices. I mean sure you are supposed to compete on things other than price...but most iPhone apps aren't rocket science. Anything you can come up with, can get copied very quickly. So why would someone pay $9.99 for your app, when they can pay $.99 for an app that has all your features, on top of whatever else they come up with
I don't see how that has to be PR. Obama actually uses a Blackberry, Blackberry addiction is so common that there's a term for it (Crackbery) that even my dad would know, and their brand name has almost become a generic substitute for any smartphone with a keybad. Blackberry is the knew Kleenex or Xerox.

I don't think PG would suggest that every time you see a brand name its due to submarine PR.
You don’t nor need to own your data
Copyright isn't for names, and trademarks usually only apply in one industry.
Java was a great choice of language to learn 10 years ago. c# was a mediocre choice to learn 5 years ago.

In terms of employability, they both have enclaves of popularity around the world.

Java would be my recommendation, if limited to those two.

However there are better languages around today including those already mentioned.
+1 Scala. Open JVM, open compiler, open libraries, open language design/research community, and 3 books on the way. More importantly, Java and C# are throwing in lots of functional programming features after the fact. They will likely never have the uniform object/functional model Martin Odersky has already achieved in Scala.
Yeah, but if everybody did that you'd no longer get that free stuff...

There are certain things you can't simply charge for successfully. Not many people would pay a subscription to read a blog, for instance.
The difference between 1984 and the way the british government would like to do things involves technological maturity and distribution of that technology. The intentions and thinking is the same.
I like my PS/2 port thank you very much. [...] Though I guess I could see the serial port become a pci card.

There are USB devices to emulate both of these.
There is a large group who has argued that online ad growth would be fine in a recession because businesses would shift their ad dollars into more targeted and more measurable and results-oriented mediums. I haven't really believed this argument - even if it's true then owning a bigger piece of a smaller and smaller pie can't be sustainable for every long. Even so, this argument should still be taken seriously, and data that might disprove it is therefore newsworthy.
Probably not, but I've met some people with incredibly high innate intelligence and poor formal education. Really amazing/scary at the same time.
Thanks, that was interesting. I kind of want to know more about neuroscience now.