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36,764 | 36,704 |
chazwozz
|
How to learn how to program well
|
wensing
|
Obviously there are benefits to both options. Personally, I find myself in similar dilemma. I studied CS, and the whole time my goal in life was to be a programmer and work with computers. Then you get into the industry and you realise you have achieved your goal, and find you need new goals. You realise the IT world is so huge and there so much to do out there. There is much more to IT than programming.Theres probably no right answer. I would reassess my goals. Where do you want to be in 10 years. 15 years? Imagine the path to this goal, and I'm sure the right choice will present itself. It may be neither of those options. In fact, I wouldn't limit myself to only 2.Do you want to be a programmer all your life? (sounds pretty boring to me). This is an important question to ask yourself. What is going to be the best step to where you want to be later on?
|
I graduated from undergrad with (essentially) a C.S. minor in 2003. Since then I've managed to pick up some practical hacking skills and projects, but I really want to take my programming to a higher level. What's the best way to do that? FWIW, my language of choice right now is Python, which is what our startup is written in. What little I know and understand about functional programming and recursion, I enjoy, but I feel like I still don't have a very strong grasp on algorithms, performance, and what makes for truly beautiful code. I own PG's ANSI Common Lisp and have considered studying it as part of the answer to this question.To complicate this, a little background: I've been offered two jobs: Job A means I can code in any language I want on a really cool skunkworks project--but I would have to be entirely self-taught; Job B means I would have to code in C#.NET, but I would be surrounded by some serious nerds (OS and graphics types) that would in theory be willing to mentor me.What would you choose, assuming compensation was the same?
| 3 | 3 |
2007-07-26 01:25:09 UTC
|
36,766 | 36,765 |
rms
|
Q&A with Jim Buckmaster, CEO of Craigslist
|
rms
|
My favorite question:
---
Where do you see Craigslist in five or ten years? --Nishi Viswanathan, AustinI would expect lots more of the same, plus incremental improvements based on user requests. In ten years we may be approaching the Singularity [a state when machines become smarter than humans], in which case all bets are off.
| null | 0 | 2 |
2007-07-26 01:26:26 UTC
|
36,769 | 36,759 |
euccastro
|
Would Arc benefit from [] replacing ()?
|
palish
|
You may find it easier to convince everyone else to revise the qwerty standard. ;)
|
On standard qwerty keyboards, typing [], which can be typed with just your pinkie, seems far easier than typing (), which requires at least two fingers and movement of your right hand. What do you all think?
| 0 | 1 |
2007-07-26 01:40:16 UTC
|
36,771 | 36,713 |
randallsquared
|
http is deprecated
|
nickb
|
Nice parody. :)
| null | 0 | 6 |
2007-07-26 01:46:52 UTC
|
36,776 | 36,708 |
zkinion
|
A startup provides the best way ever to find your work buddies
|
szczupak
|
This is getting out of hand. People are reaching into the web 2.0 hat, drawing out some features or another niche they can build a "social networking site" around.
| null | 0 | 4 |
2007-07-26 02:11:50 UTC
|
36,779 | 36,497 |
twism
|
Don't Break The Chain
|
marrone
|
would be an alright facebook app...
|
Some good advice that can apply to any aspiration
| 5 | 43 |
2007-07-26 02:54:45 UTC
|
36,784 | 36,684 |
cperciva
|
A Thousand Lines of Code Per Week
|
palish
|
This depends entirely on the sort of code I'm writing.If it's throwaway code -- that is, stub functions for use while I'm writing and testing other code, and which I know I'll replace before production use -- I can easily end up writing a thousand lines of code a week, or even more.If I'm writing good, solid code -- that is, code which I expect to write once and then use for the next 20 years without ever making more than cosmetic changes to it -- I'll generally write about a thousand lines of code per month.If I'm writing best-of-breed software -- that is, code which comes with a proof of correctness and at least a very strong argument for being the optimal solution (e.g., code which computes a roots-of-unity table in linear time with O(1) maximum error, and will thus never be surpassed by more than a constant factor) -- I'll typically write 100-200 lines of code AND a 5-10 page paper in a month. Of course, this last sort of code falls into the "yes, I would trust this to operate a nuclear power plant" category, which is a rather higher level than most applications require.
|
How many lines of code do you write in a week? Let's forget for a moment the fact that line counts in different languages can differ in productivity, and that line counts aren't the perfect way to measure program complexity. Let's also say if you write a line of code then delete it, it still counts as a line. Do you write over a thousand lines of code per week in the language of your choice? If so, Bill Gates says you're an excellent programmer. From http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&s... :"Well, let's figure it out," he said in a slightly condescending tone. "I don't think it could be more than 10,000 lines of code, and a really good programmer like you should be able to write at least a thousand lines of code per week, so I think it will take you less than 10 weeks to write it, if you're as good as I think you are."How fast do you write code?
| 0 | 7 |
2007-07-26 05:15:38 UTC
|
36,786 | 36,707 |
dcurtis
|
It's Time to Drop the "www"
|
nickb
|
This seems like an extremely futile attempt to fix something that isn't broken.You can already access most properly-managed sites without the www.. This "initiative" is just going to confuse people.
| null | 0 | 8 |
2007-07-26 05:46:05 UTC
|
36,787 | 36,637 |
altay
|
Does anyone knows of a good mobile address book backup service?
|
rokhayakebe
|
If you've got a Sony-Ericcson phone, you can use Float's Mobile Agent. It's open source. Lets you download/upload your contacts, texts, photos, etc. via bluetooth. It can also do cool-in-theory but useless-in-practice things like use your phone as a remote control for your mouse or monitor the temperature of your phone battery (???). Oh, I think it'll fade the music and pop up caller ID on your computer if you get a call.Main page: http://fma.sourceforge.net/index2.htm
List of supported devices: http://fma.wiki.sourceforge.net/Supported+devices
| null | 1 | 2 |
2007-07-26 06:02:43 UTC
|
36,788 | 36,783 |
SwellJoe
|
YC Startup Adpinions Launches
|
sharpshoot
|
Looks cool! I'm eager to give it a try. Maybe we'll get the YC alumni discount (or maybe just priority on the invites).
| null | 5 | 21 |
2007-07-26 06:17:19 UTC
|
36,789 | 36,783 |
mynameishere
|
YC Startup Adpinions Launches
|
sharpshoot
|
It's obviously a huge, huge market, but I just have to greet this with some skepticism: "Adpinion's solution is to empower users to choose their advertisers.". I think...people who are cognizant of ads in any way other than background noise usually "choose" to get rid of them. But then, maybe there is a good PsyOps way around ad blockers. There are other companies doing similar things, like adkrakr. I tried that today out of curiosity...it brings up a tag cloud, and I clicked on (among other things) "bird seed". What do you know...I got some bird seed ads. Wow.But hey, if you can increase CTRs by 0.01 percent, you'll be billionaires.
| null | 1 | 21 |
2007-07-26 06:22:07 UTC
|
36,790 | 36,759 |
mark-t
|
Would Arc benefit from [] replacing ()?
|
palish
|
echo -e "keycode 18 = 9 bracketleft\nkeycode 19 = 0 bracketright\nkeycode 34 = parenleft braceleft\nkeycode 35 = parenright braceright" >> ~/.Xmodmapxmodmap ~/.XmodmapCheers! 8)
|
On standard qwerty keyboards, typing [], which can be typed with just your pinkie, seems far easier than typing (), which requires at least two fingers and movement of your right hand. What do you all think?
| 1 | 1 |
2007-07-26 06:59:35 UTC
|
36,795 | 36,644 |
gibsonf1
|
Someone should add a column to this Wikipedia page about Y-Combinator StartUps: Status
|
ivankirigin
|
I couldn't help but wonder how many companies there were on the page, so I added a Count column - the page has 43 startups so far :)
| null | 3 | 19 |
2007-07-26 07:26:54 UTC
|
36,796 | 36,783 |
gibsonf1
|
YC Startup Adpinions Launches
|
sharpshoot
|
I voted up the ad with desktop to S3 storage :)
| null | 8 | 21 |
2007-07-26 07:28:38 UTC
|
36,807 | 36,806 |
vlad
|
The fastest growing Online Fitness Community is a startup worth observing
|
szczupak
|
Do you really have 1 million readers? That's incredible! It doesn't seem like the site has been around that long. I remember seeing that byline for many months, however. Did you multiply 10,000 hits per day times 365?
| null | 0 | 1 |
2007-07-26 08:45:28 UTC
|
36,808 | 36,684 |
staunch
|
A Thousand Lines of Code Per Week
|
palish
|
That story sure brings Gates down another few notches in my book, as a programmer at least. Predicting how long it will take to implement a totally new program with lots of unknowns is crazy in itself. Trying to estimate how many LOC it will take _another_ programmer and then estimating a schedule on the fly like that is just pure fantasy. It's also unbelievably aggravating to be on the receiving end.John Carmack's permanent answer on projects is "When it's done". The only truthful answer when developing anything new and interesting.
|
How many lines of code do you write in a week? Let's forget for a moment the fact that line counts in different languages can differ in productivity, and that line counts aren't the perfect way to measure program complexity. Let's also say if you write a line of code then delete it, it still counts as a line. Do you write over a thousand lines of code per week in the language of your choice? If so, Bill Gates says you're an excellent programmer. From http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&s... :"Well, let's figure it out," he said in a slightly condescending tone. "I don't think it could be more than 10,000 lines of code, and a really good programmer like you should be able to write at least a thousand lines of code per week, so I think it will take you less than 10 weeks to write it, if you're as good as I think you are."How fast do you write code?
| 2 | 7 |
2007-07-26 08:50:15 UTC
|
36,809 | 36,768 |
benhoyt
|
microPledge pre-launch -- put your projects on now!
|
benhoyt
|
Just a couple of notes about this pre-launch (yes, our help's too long/complex, and we'll address these things soon :-).1) The money's real money. You can deposit (from PayPal), pledge, get paid, and withdraw (via PayPal). All real dollars.2) If you've got projects you've already mostly finished, you can easily start a project as sole developer. If you just want a simple donations-only project, type in $0 for the quote amount after you've created it (it shows you how). Yes, we know this is klunky -- fix coming soon. :-)
| null | 1 | 9 |
2007-07-26 08:56:48 UTC
|
36,816 | 36,684 |
ricky_clarkson
|
A Thousand Lines of Code Per Week
|
palish
|
I once touched 2,700 lines in a day in a grand feat of manual code manipulation. That certainly made me want to code differently.
|
How many lines of code do you write in a week? Let's forget for a moment the fact that line counts in different languages can differ in productivity, and that line counts aren't the perfect way to measure program complexity. Let's also say if you write a line of code then delete it, it still counts as a line. Do you write over a thousand lines of code per week in the language of your choice? If so, Bill Gates says you're an excellent programmer. From http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&s... :"Well, let's figure it out," he said in a slightly condescending tone. "I don't think it could be more than 10,000 lines of code, and a really good programmer like you should be able to write at least a thousand lines of code per week, so I think it will take you less than 10 weeks to write it, if you're as good as I think you are."How fast do you write code?
| 5 | 7 |
2007-07-26 09:55:23 UTC
|
36,817 | 36,684 |
jdvolz
|
A Thousand Lines of Code Per Week
|
palish
|
As I'm sure everyone will say, this heavily depends on what you are writing. If you are writing Windows Forms in C# using Visual Studio you could easily write 1,000 lines of code in an hour (because the IDE makes them for you). Similarly, if you are merely typing up what should be done by an ORM product, then you can easily write 1,000 lines of code in a day. I've had 3-4kloc days doing the combination of these two. It's possible because the coding is easy, and you have tools to help you do it. Also, are we counting things like macros in this estimation? I mean, a single line macro could yield hundreds of lines of code once through the compiler.
|
How many lines of code do you write in a week? Let's forget for a moment the fact that line counts in different languages can differ in productivity, and that line counts aren't the perfect way to measure program complexity. Let's also say if you write a line of code then delete it, it still counts as a line. Do you write over a thousand lines of code per week in the language of your choice? If so, Bill Gates says you're an excellent programmer. From http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&s... :"Well, let's figure it out," he said in a slightly condescending tone. "I don't think it could be more than 10,000 lines of code, and a really good programmer like you should be able to write at least a thousand lines of code per week, so I think it will take you less than 10 weeks to write it, if you're as good as I think you are."How fast do you write code?
| 4 | 7 |
2007-07-26 10:10:33 UTC
|
36,821 | 36,805 |
Goladus
|
Don't lose your pre-sleep ideas
|
michele
|
This is a good idea, so long as you don't get discouraged when many of your midnight ideas don't turn out to be so great when you look at them the next morning.
| null | 0 | 7 |
2007-07-26 11:53:49 UTC
|
36,824 | 36,152 |
pageman
|
Ads on paulgraham.com -- Check the bottom of any PG essay
|
prakash
|
Hi Paul, another Paul here. We're interested to know if we can integrate Adpinion with AsiaPay.Com maybe you can email me at paulpajo [at] gmail
|
Interesting YC startup plugging in "relevant ads". Check the bottom of any PG essay i.e.: http://paulgraham.com/writing44.html
| 14 | 31 |
2007-07-26 12:03:31 UTC
|
36,826 | 36,704 |
wensing
|
How to learn how to program well
|
wensing
|
Thanks for all of your responses! I am leaning towards Job A, but we'll see whether or not the offer officially comes through. I'm hoping that I can teach myself. I'm also thinking that the other programmers at Job B might not really play as much of a role as I might imagine . . . that I would still be on my own in a way--self-motivated, self-taught . . . they would just be there to get me through the tough(er) parts.
|
I graduated from undergrad with (essentially) a C.S. minor in 2003. Since then I've managed to pick up some practical hacking skills and projects, but I really want to take my programming to a higher level. What's the best way to do that? FWIW, my language of choice right now is Python, which is what our startup is written in. What little I know and understand about functional programming and recursion, I enjoy, but I feel like I still don't have a very strong grasp on algorithms, performance, and what makes for truly beautiful code. I own PG's ANSI Common Lisp and have considered studying it as part of the answer to this question.To complicate this, a little background: I've been offered two jobs: Job A means I can code in any language I want on a really cool skunkworks project--but I would have to be entirely self-taught; Job B means I would have to code in C#.NET, but I would be surrounded by some serious nerds (OS and graphics types) that would in theory be willing to mentor me.What would you choose, assuming compensation was the same?
| 5 | 3 |
2007-07-26 12:13:54 UTC
|
36,830 | 36,768 |
Tichy
|
microPledge pre-launch -- put your projects on now!
|
benhoyt
|
I wish it wasn't invitation only. Yes, I know, you've made it easy to obtain an invitation. Still, why bother? For a while, I signed up for lots of "invite me when we're ready" startups. I rarely ever heard back from them, so now I don't really want to waste my time with that anymore. And every email-address I give away will eventually yield more spam (at least with a certain likelihood).
| null | 0 | 9 |
2007-07-26 13:17:06 UTC
|
36,831 | 36,594 |
migpwr
|
Why do we require user registration?
|
migpwr
|
Thanks to everyone for all the great feedback. You all present really good arguments on the topic... I think the "best" solution for my app would be to create the temporary account converted to a registered user upon save. Like some of you mention, I will probably end up registering users at some point but I don't think what I'm offering now justifies a sign up...I was thinking about making it very basic, no registration, user can create and save but they have to take care of tracking their own edits... bookmarks or taking the embed for a one time use. I realize it would not be all that feature rich but does it need to be?Light, nothing to commit, like tinyurl with video edits...
|
So I've recently been driven nuts by having to register for new services. I just cant justify spending the time registering anymore... I know I wont come back but maybe a handful of times.The app I am writing is a small video editor and I am starting to change my mind about requiring user registration. It seems like the default these days but I cant see any significant gain to the user from an account on my site. Keeping track of a few video clips does not seem like enough justification... not to me anyway. There is no profile to what I'm writing and there are no friends.Aside from being able to say I have xx number of users why do we require user registration? Would your usage not increase if it's completely open? Thoughts?Thanks and my apologies if this has been discussed before and I missed it.
| 4 | 8 |
2007-07-26 13:19:36 UTC
|
36,836 | 36,797 |
iamelgringo
|
Venture capital falling from their palm trees
|
rchambers
|
Are they kidding? I just moved from LA and So Cal to the Bay area. There is no comparison in tech culture.
|
Maybe it's the sand and surf, or the proximity to Hollywood, but venture capitalists are waking up to Southern California.
| 0 | 2 |
2007-07-26 13:40:12 UTC
|
36,838 | 36,684 |
edw519
|
A Thousand Lines of Code Per Week
|
palish
|
Perhaps "Refactor %" would be a better measure than LOC. Turn 1000 lines of code into 100 lines of better code. Then we can talk.
|
How many lines of code do you write in a week? Let's forget for a moment the fact that line counts in different languages can differ in productivity, and that line counts aren't the perfect way to measure program complexity. Let's also say if you write a line of code then delete it, it still counts as a line. Do you write over a thousand lines of code per week in the language of your choice? If so, Bill Gates says you're an excellent programmer. From http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&s... :"Well, let's figure it out," he said in a slightly condescending tone. "I don't think it could be more than 10,000 lines of code, and a really good programmer like you should be able to write at least a thousand lines of code per week, so I think it will take you less than 10 weeks to write it, if you're as good as I think you are."How fast do you write code?
| 6 | 7 |
2007-07-26 13:47:19 UTC
|
36,840 | 36,814 |
ivankirigin
|
3 easy steps for a European Silicon Valley
|
Sjors
|
Some thoughts:1) Lower taxes on software companies, and make it easier to fire people
2) Lower capital gains taxes to let big wins offset losses for VCs
3) Less government involvement in companies. It was mentioned recently how governments giving hundreds of millions to companies will not replace google.
| null | 0 | 8 |
2007-07-26 14:01:50 UTC
|
36,841 | 36,684 |
pg
|
A Thousand Lines of Code Per Week
|
palish
|
It may be the best answer is to change the question. Why do people measure LOC? Because they're trying to measure the productivity of programmers. Why are they doing that? Largely to decide how to reward them. So that is the ultimate problem. But it goes away if the programmers work in smaller groups, in the form of startups, because then the market decides how to reward them.So odd as may seem, the answer to the question of how to measure LOC is: startups!
|
How many lines of code do you write in a week? Let's forget for a moment the fact that line counts in different languages can differ in productivity, and that line counts aren't the perfect way to measure program complexity. Let's also say if you write a line of code then delete it, it still counts as a line. Do you write over a thousand lines of code per week in the language of your choice? If so, Bill Gates says you're an excellent programmer. From http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&s... :"Well, let's figure it out," he said in a slightly condescending tone. "I don't think it could be more than 10,000 lines of code, and a really good programmer like you should be able to write at least a thousand lines of code per week, so I think it will take you less than 10 weeks to write it, if you're as good as I think you are."How fast do you write code?
| 1 | 7 |
2007-07-26 14:18:02 UTC
|
36,844 | 36,843 |
gibsonf1
|
Video for Merlin's "Inbox Zero" talk at Google
|
gibsonf1
|
This is an exceptionally good talk.What is especially interesting is in the QA session, we hear about how dysfunctional team communication is at Google. The current practice is an email question is sent to the entire team on a project of 20+ people. Then people play the waiting game to see who will reply first to the question, etc. The result is that googlers get hundreds to 500+ emails internally that they have to cope with - a productivity nightmare. Also one questioner pointed out, in spite of the email information firehose, critical information is not distributed. She mentions the example of a random encounter with someone at lunch, and finding out that a person in NY is working on a very similar project to hers and she having no clue about it.Also interesting is that Google hosts a seminar series by David Allen on "Getting Things Done" for their staff on a regular basis. I guess they are trying to start solving the problem.
| null | 0 | 6 |
2007-07-26 14:22:00 UTC
|
36,845 | 36,827 |
simpleenigma
|
Think Twice About Taking a Smaller Piece Of A Bigger Pie
|
joshua8883
|
I have seen the 'control issue' play out first hand. I was the outside computer consultant for an accounting firm that merged with a larger firm, I was assured from day one that I was going to stay in my position. Five days after the integration was complete they changed the administrators password and told me that they never give that password to outside consultants.... and that's how I lost a client I had been working with for 10 years ...The previous owner, now a partner, had no control over my status and was told that the issue would be brought up in committee. This was the first of a line of major issues that happened like this.The bottom line on this is if you like the way your company runs, don't put someone else in charge of it.
|
If youaEURXre an entrepreneur currently considering selling or merging your company into a larger entity, youaEURXve invariably heard the phrase, aEURoeItaEURXs better to have a smaller piece of a much bigger pie.aEURX This has become just another tired business adage that people assume must be true because it has survived so long.
But sometimes having a smaller piece of a bigger pie is not a better meal.
Diluting your stake in your company in order to grow can backfire dramatically if you donaEURXt consider all of the variables.
The Control Issue
Before we even get into the economics of the deal, letaEURXs first talk about what really matters aEUR" the ability to control your own destiny.
When you owned the majority share of your company, you may not have had the brightest future, but it was your future to determine. Now youaEURXre talking about putting your future in someone elseaEURXs hands indefinitely. Selling your company is like joining the mob aEUR" once youaEURXre in, youaEURXre not getting back out.
Having a smaller piece of the bigger pie depends on the assumption that whoever youaEURXre giving control to will be more successful at creating a profitable outcome for the company. ItaEURXs not just the acquiring CEO, either. ItaEURXs every person in the new organization, from the finance department to the marketing team.
Essentially, youaEURXre entrusting an entire organization to collectively make better decisions for your own business than you as an individual can. Are you ready to make that commitment?
The Exponential Outcome Issue
Now on to the economics. Surely youaEURXve figured out that owning 10% of a $15 million company is worth more than 100% of a $1 million company. What weaEURXre really talking about is the probability of a bigger outcome later on, not the dollar value today.
Obviously the smaller your stake in the company, the bigger the outcome needs to be in order to break even. This is especially important when taking on a round of investment. Every time you give equity away to investors, you will need a substantially larger sale in order to receive the same return.
To this point someone will invariably talk about how having a 20% stake in YouTube, selling at $1.6 billion, was not a bad deal, and it wasnaEURXt. But how many companies experience the same kind of success that YouTube did? Very few.
ItaEURXs far more likely that youaEURXll sell your company for $10 million with 100% ownership than that you will sell your company for $100 million with 10% ownership. ThataEURXs because the bigger the pie, the fewer the people that can eat it.
The Faster Growth Issue
The other side of the economic issue is the question of when to take your slice of the pie. LetaEURXs assume your company is worth $10 million, which is exactly what you are doing in sales this year. You merge into a company worth $100 million and take a 10% stake in that company. In order for your 10% to double in value, the new company needs to grow to $200 million in sales.
Yet in order for your company to double in size at its present value of $10 million, you only need to do $20 million in sales. The question then becomes aEUR" is it more likely that youaEURXll be able to add $10 million in sales or that the new company will add $100 million in sales?
The difference in infrastructure, business development, and capital requirements of creating $10 million worth of growth versus $100 million worth of growth is enormous. Or said differently, it takes exponentially more effort to double the size of a big company than a small one.
Taking that smaller slice could actually substantially inhibit your value if you take it too early. If youaEURXre already growing so quickly, and your future is so bright, would it be worth it to hold out longer to get a bigger slice of the bigger pie?
The Pie ThataEURXs aEURoeJust RightaEURX
So if all of these questions make you want to bail on the idea of taking a smaller stake, what would possibly make you think itaEURXs the right idea?
A lot of it comes down to timing. If youaEURXre at a point where you just canaEURXt handle the daily grind of managing a company, turning it over to someone else may be worthwhile, despite lost value. Or if you truly believe that youaEURXve tapped out the hyper growth opportunities then it would make sense to latch on to a faster moving train.
In a nutshell, the timing is just right when the big questions weaEURXre asking here donaEURXt seem so important. If you think that the management in this new company is just right, the likelihood of a sale is around the corner, and your individual gains could never outpace what this new venture could yield, by all means go for it.
| 0 | 6 |
2007-07-26 14:31:05 UTC
|
36,847 | 36,805 |
steve
|
Don't lose your pre-sleep ideas
|
michele
|
See, this is why I just never sleep:)
| null | 1 | 7 |
2007-07-26 14:44:57 UTC
|
36,848 | 36,783 |
myoung8
|
YC Startup Adpinions Launches
|
sharpshoot
|
are you guys planning on letting people actually input their ad preferences? or are you just going to determine them based on what they vote on?i wrote this in another thread, but i would gladly spend a few minutes telling an ad-server what i'm interested in so that the ads are relevant.
| null | 6 | 21 |
2007-07-26 14:45:30 UTC
|
36,849 | 36,802 |
myoung8
|
FCC shuns Google plans for open mobile network
|
ordersup
|
Consumers got screwed. Damn shame.
| null | 0 | 4 |
2007-07-26 14:47:21 UTC
|
36,850 | 36,827 |
wschroter
|
Think Twice About Taking a Smaller Piece Of A Bigger Pie
|
joshua8883
|
Although I focused a lot on control, which is a very big issue, I think it comes down to trust as well, which is very difficult to understand until the deal plays out.Having sold a few companies myself I can tell you it's nearly impossible to know for sure until you live it for a while.
|
If youaEURXre an entrepreneur currently considering selling or merging your company into a larger entity, youaEURXve invariably heard the phrase, aEURoeItaEURXs better to have a smaller piece of a much bigger pie.aEURX This has become just another tired business adage that people assume must be true because it has survived so long.
But sometimes having a smaller piece of a bigger pie is not a better meal.
Diluting your stake in your company in order to grow can backfire dramatically if you donaEURXt consider all of the variables.
The Control Issue
Before we even get into the economics of the deal, letaEURXs first talk about what really matters aEUR" the ability to control your own destiny.
When you owned the majority share of your company, you may not have had the brightest future, but it was your future to determine. Now youaEURXre talking about putting your future in someone elseaEURXs hands indefinitely. Selling your company is like joining the mob aEUR" once youaEURXre in, youaEURXre not getting back out.
Having a smaller piece of the bigger pie depends on the assumption that whoever youaEURXre giving control to will be more successful at creating a profitable outcome for the company. ItaEURXs not just the acquiring CEO, either. ItaEURXs every person in the new organization, from the finance department to the marketing team.
Essentially, youaEURXre entrusting an entire organization to collectively make better decisions for your own business than you as an individual can. Are you ready to make that commitment?
The Exponential Outcome Issue
Now on to the economics. Surely youaEURXve figured out that owning 10% of a $15 million company is worth more than 100% of a $1 million company. What weaEURXre really talking about is the probability of a bigger outcome later on, not the dollar value today.
Obviously the smaller your stake in the company, the bigger the outcome needs to be in order to break even. This is especially important when taking on a round of investment. Every time you give equity away to investors, you will need a substantially larger sale in order to receive the same return.
To this point someone will invariably talk about how having a 20% stake in YouTube, selling at $1.6 billion, was not a bad deal, and it wasnaEURXt. But how many companies experience the same kind of success that YouTube did? Very few.
ItaEURXs far more likely that youaEURXll sell your company for $10 million with 100% ownership than that you will sell your company for $100 million with 10% ownership. ThataEURXs because the bigger the pie, the fewer the people that can eat it.
The Faster Growth Issue
The other side of the economic issue is the question of when to take your slice of the pie. LetaEURXs assume your company is worth $10 million, which is exactly what you are doing in sales this year. You merge into a company worth $100 million and take a 10% stake in that company. In order for your 10% to double in value, the new company needs to grow to $200 million in sales.
Yet in order for your company to double in size at its present value of $10 million, you only need to do $20 million in sales. The question then becomes aEUR" is it more likely that youaEURXll be able to add $10 million in sales or that the new company will add $100 million in sales?
The difference in infrastructure, business development, and capital requirements of creating $10 million worth of growth versus $100 million worth of growth is enormous. Or said differently, it takes exponentially more effort to double the size of a big company than a small one.
Taking that smaller slice could actually substantially inhibit your value if you take it too early. If youaEURXre already growing so quickly, and your future is so bright, would it be worth it to hold out longer to get a bigger slice of the bigger pie?
The Pie ThataEURXs aEURoeJust RightaEURX
So if all of these questions make you want to bail on the idea of taking a smaller stake, what would possibly make you think itaEURXs the right idea?
A lot of it comes down to timing. If youaEURXre at a point where you just canaEURXt handle the daily grind of managing a company, turning it over to someone else may be worthwhile, despite lost value. Or if you truly believe that youaEURXve tapped out the hyper growth opportunities then it would make sense to latch on to a faster moving train.
In a nutshell, the timing is just right when the big questions weaEURXre asking here donaEURXt seem so important. If you think that the management in this new company is just right, the likelihood of a sale is around the corner, and your individual gains could never outpace what this new venture could yield, by all means go for it.
| 1 | 6 |
2007-07-26 14:53:04 UTC
|
36,854 | 36,851 |
jey
|
Digg chooses MSFT over GOOG
|
budu3
|
s/chooses/is bribed to choose/Fixed it for you.
| null | 1 | 6 |
2007-07-26 15:03:51 UTC
|
36,868 | 36,768 |
natonic
|
microPledge pre-launch -- put your projects on now!
|
benhoyt
|
I'd better start collecting ideas to post as projects.
| null | 2 | 9 |
2007-07-26 15:50:16 UTC
|
36,873 | 36,684 |
dws
|
A Thousand Lines of Code Per Week
|
palish
|
It's not how many lines of code you write, it's how effectively you both turn out features and leave the code base in a clean state. The folks I've worked with who crank out lots of code tend to be the ones who missed reuse opportunities and did't refactor, leaving a mess for the people who came along later to extend their work.Measuring by lines of code is silly unless you also have a way to measure code debt.
|
How many lines of code do you write in a week? Let's forget for a moment the fact that line counts in different languages can differ in productivity, and that line counts aren't the perfect way to measure program complexity. Let's also say if you write a line of code then delete it, it still counts as a line. Do you write over a thousand lines of code per week in the language of your choice? If so, Bill Gates says you're an excellent programmer. From http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&s... :"Well, let's figure it out," he said in a slightly condescending tone. "I don't think it could be more than 10,000 lines of code, and a really good programmer like you should be able to write at least a thousand lines of code per week, so I think it will take you less than 10 weeks to write it, if you're as good as I think you are."How fast do you write code?
| 3 | 7 |
2007-07-26 16:01:39 UTC
|
36,892 | 36,880 |
aston
|
Why Ruby on Rails Succeeded
|
rchambers
|
By my definition of "success," Ruby on Rails is not quite there. I'm unclear why the author assumes it's a fact.
|
The software development framework has earned a vocal following and created loyal users. One Ruby expert explains what this community did right, and how others can learn from it.
| 0 | 5 |
2007-07-26 17:54:20 UTC
|
36,893 | 36,704 |
gcheong
|
How to learn how to program well
|
wensing
|
I have a degree in CS and it taught me very little about how software is developed in the real world. I would choose A mainly because the chance to work on an interesting project and enjoy that level of freedom rarely comes along in a paid position. Having to deal with all the decisions that go into a software project will help move your skills forward much faster than just being able to ask the nearest "guru". And besides, with the web and Google you have access to the best minds in engineering and can easily compare approaches to common problems. There will always be plenty of "B" jobs around.
|
I graduated from undergrad with (essentially) a C.S. minor in 2003. Since then I've managed to pick up some practical hacking skills and projects, but I really want to take my programming to a higher level. What's the best way to do that? FWIW, my language of choice right now is Python, which is what our startup is written in. What little I know and understand about functional programming and recursion, I enjoy, but I feel like I still don't have a very strong grasp on algorithms, performance, and what makes for truly beautiful code. I own PG's ANSI Common Lisp and have considered studying it as part of the answer to this question.To complicate this, a little background: I've been offered two jobs: Job A means I can code in any language I want on a really cool skunkworks project--but I would have to be entirely self-taught; Job B means I would have to code in C#.NET, but I would be surrounded by some serious nerds (OS and graphics types) that would in theory be willing to mentor me.What would you choose, assuming compensation was the same?
| 1 | 3 |
2007-07-26 18:06:56 UTC
|
36,903 | 36,823 |
schar
|
Chinese iPhone Copy (Fake Knock-off)
|
dpapathanasiou
|
M8 looks cool too
| null | 2 | 7 |
2007-07-26 18:52:44 UTC
|
36,904 | 36,759 |
youngnh
|
Would Arc benefit from [] replacing ()?
|
palish
|
hmm, out of habit, I hit [] with my middle and ring fingers, which requires the same slight movement of my right hand that typing () does. maybe I need to break the habit.
|
On standard qwerty keyboards, typing [], which can be typed with just your pinkie, seems far easier than typing (), which requires at least two fingers and movement of your right hand. What do you all think?
| 3 | 1 |
2007-07-26 18:56:36 UTC
|
36,912 | 36,897 |
sabat
|
Where is the SF news.yc meet?
|
bluishgreen
|
Enquiring minds want to know!
|
If I remember it was supposed to be some where around North Beach on Friday 27th July 2007 between 7pm and 10pm. Where exactly?
| 5 | 7 |
2007-07-26 19:16:19 UTC
|
36,913 | 36,684 |
euccastro
|
A Thousand Lines of Code Per Week
|
palish
|
I never counted them.
|
How many lines of code do you write in a week? Let's forget for a moment the fact that line counts in different languages can differ in productivity, and that line counts aren't the perfect way to measure program complexity. Let's also say if you write a line of code then delete it, it still counts as a line. Do you write over a thousand lines of code per week in the language of your choice? If so, Bill Gates says you're an excellent programmer. From http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&s... :"Well, let's figure it out," he said in a slightly condescending tone. "I don't think it could be more than 10,000 lines of code, and a really good programmer like you should be able to write at least a thousand lines of code per week, so I think it will take you less than 10 weeks to write it, if you're as good as I think you are."How fast do you write code?
| 7 | 7 |
2007-07-26 19:17:31 UTC
|
36,916 | 36,814 |
Sjors
|
3 easy steps for a European Silicon Valley
|
Sjors
|
Yeah that hundred million idea sounded pretty amazing to me, hooray another scientific project funded to do a dozen year project..
| null | 1 | 8 |
2007-07-26 19:40:17 UTC
|
36,917 | 36,905 |
zach
|
PG: If starting Viaweb today, would you use Lisp?
|
aswanny
|
You've heard of Arc, right? You're soaking in it.
|
Question behind the question: All things being equal (libraries,etc) does it support a better mental framework for development than ruby, python, etc?
| 3 | 30 |
2007-07-26 19:47:39 UTC
|
36,918 | 36,905 |
chris_l
|
PG: If starting Viaweb today, would you use Lisp?
|
aswanny
|
Dude, have you not read his essays?
|
Question behind the question: All things being equal (libraries,etc) does it support a better mental framework for development than ruby, python, etc?
| 6 | 30 |
2007-07-26 19:48:05 UTC
|
36,919 | 36,905 |
brlewis
|
PG: If starting Viaweb today, would you use Lisp?
|
aswanny
|
Look at the last two paragraphs of the "Blub Paradox" section of Beating the Averages:http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.htmlI think that answers your question behind the question. Then read the whole essay. It's good.
|
Question behind the question: All things being equal (libraries,etc) does it support a better mental framework for development than ruby, python, etc?
| 2 | 30 |
2007-07-26 19:49:50 UTC
|
36,921 | 36,897 |
michelson01
|
Where is the SF news.yc meet?
|
bluishgreen
|
y-scraper
|
If I remember it was supposed to be some where around North Beach on Friday 27th July 2007 between 7pm and 10pm. Where exactly?
| 4 | 7 |
2007-07-26 19:55:24 UTC
|
36,922 | 36,905 |
mynameishere
|
PG: If starting Viaweb today, would you use Lisp?
|
aswanny
|
Lisp as an alternative to C++ makes more sense than Lisp as an alternative to Python.
|
Question behind the question: All things being equal (libraries,etc) does it support a better mental framework for development than ruby, python, etc?
| 0 | 30 |
2007-07-26 19:56:22 UTC
|
36,924 | 36,823 |
michelson01
|
Chinese iPhone Copy (Fake Knock-off)
|
dpapathanasiou
|
fake knock-off? so it's not a knock-off?
| null | 1 | 7 |
2007-07-26 19:57:21 UTC
|
36,925 | 36,905 |
palish
|
PG: If starting Viaweb today, would you use Lisp?
|
aswanny
|
You'd probably be better off using Rails or Django right now. Writing a web framework in Lisp is an order of magnitude harder than just using a battle tested one.
|
Question behind the question: All things being equal (libraries,etc) does it support a better mental framework for development than ruby, python, etc?
| 7 | 30 |
2007-07-26 19:58:50 UTC
|
36,926 | 36,851 |
Stewie
|
Digg chooses MSFT over GOOG
|
budu3
|
How deliciously evil.
| null | 0 | 6 |
2007-07-26 20:03:33 UTC
|
36,927 | 36,897 |
rksprst
|
Where is the SF news.yc meet?
|
bluishgreen
|
http://usc.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2449811475The group says the location is TBA.
|
If I remember it was supposed to be some where around North Beach on Friday 27th July 2007 between 7pm and 10pm. Where exactly?
| 1 | 7 |
2007-07-26 20:14:26 UTC
|
36,934 | 36,897 |
sharpshoot
|
Where is the SF news.yc meet?
|
bluishgreen
|
Hey bluishgreen - the meetup is at our flat 1203 in 2140 Taylor Street (Y Scraper). Email me if you don't know where that is.
|
If I remember it was supposed to be some where around North Beach on Friday 27th July 2007 between 7pm and 10pm. Where exactly?
| 0 | 7 |
2007-07-26 20:37:01 UTC
|
36,936 | 36,905 |
vlad
|
PG: If starting Viaweb today, would you use Lisp?
|
aswanny
|
Just yesterday I had a thought about the link between Paul and Lisp. I came to the conclusion that since Paul was a published author of Lisp books at the time, and saw an opportunity to use it in production (maybe to gain experience and write another book about it to share his findings with others) but ended up learning about startups, dot coms, investors, and users as well, he instead wrote essays on paulgraham.com and used some of them in his Hackers and Painters book.I dare say his essays are about starting up in general, and there is no secret plan to convert users into using Lisp. Every week on YCombinator Startup News, somebody asks about learning Lisp to do a web app, when there are way more other things to worry about than the language. Use something you want to use every day, not just in theory because someone else did. I'd learn an unknown language if I was at a startup that used it every day, but otherwise, I would default to using a web framework that I have already used in the past.My conclusion is that if you're creating a web application using a web framework in any language you find interesting at the moment, go for it. Because that's exactly what Paul did. It just happened to be Lisp that he was an expert at, but it could have been any other exciting technology.Whether Paul would use Lisp today or not on a new project is irrelevant as far as your plate is concerned. He could use Lisp, but it wouldn't mean that there aren't other good alternatives. And if he did use a language other than Lisp, maybe it would be so because he would want to learn web framework since he wouldn't be writing Lisp books any more, but Lisp may still be something he would normally use more often.I think this is a great question.
|
Question behind the question: All things being equal (libraries,etc) does it support a better mental framework for development than ruby, python, etc?
| 1 | 30 |
2007-07-26 20:42:22 UTC
|
36,953 | 36,939 |
chandrab
|
What rights do I have over my domain name?
|
zynoda
|
Are they doing the same thing or something similar?
The possibility of confusion exists...if you have copyrights on your name and predate them you might have a case (if you decide to spend the money on lawyers). Cheapest way out of it is find a new name IMHO.
|
I bought a domain name about two years ago for a little web app I've been working on. For conversation sake lets call it Umize. Recently, a new startup launched with a similar name (Umizr). Here's what bothers me: they use my name (Umize) as the title of one of their features. And this title is displayed prominently on their front page and throughout their web site. The feature is also somewhat related to my web app.My question is: do I have any copyright for the use of my domain name? Do I have the right to ask the startup to rename their feature?I'm not planning on taking any action now. I'm just wondering what my options are if this becomes a problem in the future.Thanks so much!
| 1 | 2 |
2007-07-26 21:30:55 UTC
|
36,957 | 36,545 |
stuki
|
"Why I quit" by Linux kernel developer Con Kolivas
|
nickb
|
It would be interesting to see how MS's kernel differs between client OS's and their servers. They have huge user camps both on the desktop and in enterprises, both of which are major, strategically important profit centers. The GPL pretty much ensure a server centric development model on Linux, though. Most open source developers and supporters aren't quite so 'open' with their own companies' source code, thus preferring to 'distribute' their apps as web apps, requiring no source disclosure.
| null | 1 | 17 |
2007-07-26 21:43:55 UTC
|
36,959 | 36,823 |
chaostheory
|
Chinese iPhone Copy (Fake Knock-off)
|
dpapathanasiou
|
when you really think about the big picture this is really sad. this is coming from the civilization that invented paper and gunpowder and this is what they're reduced to: a big obvious copy machine? What ever happened to their sense of pride and creativity? This is just pathetic... Relatively speaking, Korea and Japan put China to shame...(for the record: I'm of Chinese descent)
| null | 0 | 7 |
2007-07-26 22:00:22 UTC
|
36,962 | 36,905 |
pg
|
PG: If starting Viaweb today, would you use Lisp?
|
aswanny
|
Probably.
|
Question behind the question: All things being equal (libraries,etc) does it support a better mental framework for development than ruby, python, etc?
| 4 | 30 |
2007-07-26 22:21:20 UTC
|
36,965 | 36,905 |
edu
|
PG: If starting Viaweb today, would you use Lisp?
|
aswanny
|
I don't think it matters. If you know Lisp you should be able to decide wheter it's the right tool for your project or not. If you don't know Lisp you should do a little effort and try to learn it. Whatever the Pauls answer is (but I imagine the it will be something like "Yes" or "Arc").I'm learning Lisp right now. Reading the Practical Common Lisk on the web http://www.gigamonkeys.com/book/ until my dead-tree copy arrives (I'm also waiting for my copy of ANSI Common Lisp. Paul, if I manage to get to the face-to-face interview on Boston for that Y-Combinator round, do you mind if I ask you to sign to book? pleeease ^_^), and so I currently better building a website with Perl+Catalyst+MySQL than with Lisp. Probably when I get more confidence with Lisp it will change.So, although Paul is a great writter and a really great hacker his answer to that concrete question has not really a lot of value. And, I've previously said I bet a beer-token that the answer will be something that evaluates to true.
|
Question behind the question: All things being equal (libraries,etc) does it support a better mental framework for development than ruby, python, etc?
| 5 | 30 |
2007-07-26 22:25:46 UTC
|
36,968 | 36,964 |
ordersup
|
240k/year for web developer, with one catch...
|
rms
|
Hah... not a bad price for a free vacation (even if it is to hell... ;) )
| null | 6 | 9 |
2007-07-26 22:34:18 UTC
|
36,971 | 36,902 |
spiralhead
|
Champions pay the price
|
dawie
|
what am i supposed to glean from this?Adding new features to a living system is hard, even in Ruby.
| null | 0 | 5 |
2007-07-26 22:45:36 UTC
|
36,972 | 36,939 |
ordersup
|
What rights do I have over my domain name?
|
zynoda
|
Keep a paper trail of everything, from emails sent relating to your service to any fees paid out to contractors or anytone else working under/for you w/ the project. If they make a stink out of it, I would suggest hiring a lawyer to represent you (we have one that we have on retainer -- tends to be cheaper this way). If you don't have the funding for this, you could always ask them to rename theirs and maybe they'll comply in good faith if you prove you had your name and whatnot first... or the last option would be to follow chandrab and just rename your product... it'll keep a stink down w/ the other company and won't be a costly blackhole to throw money you could have put into marketing the new name.
|
I bought a domain name about two years ago for a little web app I've been working on. For conversation sake lets call it Umize. Recently, a new startup launched with a similar name (Umizr). Here's what bothers me: they use my name (Umize) as the title of one of their features. And this title is displayed prominently on their front page and throughout their web site. The feature is also somewhat related to my web app.My question is: do I have any copyright for the use of my domain name? Do I have the right to ask the startup to rename their feature?I'm not planning on taking any action now. I'm just wondering what my options are if this becomes a problem in the future.Thanks so much!
| 0 | 2 |
2007-07-26 22:48:37 UTC
|
36,974 | 33,759 |
ordersup
|
Help with a JavaScript Drop-Down Menu
|
myoung8
|
make sure what you use is primary-browser compliant. if it isn't, make sure there is a fail-safe system of code/css that allows the person to still easily navigate the site. one additional thing: make sure that if your site is to be crawled by search engines, that the menus don't appear "blind" to them as that will reduce their crawling capabilities/performance.
|
Does anyone know if there's a tutorial somewhere on how to build the kind of drop-down menus seen on Facebook and Versionate?
| 1 | 1 |
2007-07-26 23:00:05 UTC
|
36,979 | 36,964 |
nanijoe
|
240k/year for web developer, with one catch...
|
rms
|
"3 month contract (could be shorter) " - Any prizes for guessing why it could be shorter?
| null | 3 | 9 |
2007-07-26 23:28:53 UTC
|
36,983 | 36,963 |
nickb
|
Microsoft to get early Silverlight, Web tools out the door
|
dawie
|
I don't know of even one startup that's considering Silverlight. Is anyone here using it? What are your experiences with it so far?
| null | 0 | 2 |
2007-07-26 23:41:10 UTC
|
36,985 | 36,783 |
nickb
|
YC Startup Adpinions Launches
|
sharpshoot
|
Good article, nasty comments :( TC has become a very negative place.
| null | 4 | 21 |
2007-07-26 23:47:19 UTC
|
36,989 | 36,988 |
ordersup
|
mythbusting: Craig Newmark, filthy rich on eBay's millions
|
ordersup
|
shows that if not honest about your business, your users will find the truth out for themselves...
| null | 0 | 3 |
2007-07-26 23:53:34 UTC
|
36,991 | 36,897 |
jamiequint
|
Where is the SF news.yc meet?
|
bluishgreen
|
ok, so facebook stopped showing me event requests so I just made the event open so if you didn't get confirmed you can now add yourself
|
If I remember it was supposed to be some where around North Beach on Friday 27th July 2007 between 7pm and 10pm. Where exactly?
| 2 | 7 |
2007-07-26 23:57:07 UTC
|
36,995 | 36,783 |
far33d
|
YC Startup Adpinions Launches
|
sharpshoot
|
As I replied on the techcrunch post, here's a quote from the recent film Ratatouille, that I believe sums up my opinion on the numerous haters out there (uncov, jay (living in first life) and the rest)"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."
| null | 0 | 21 |
2007-07-27 00:06:11 UTC
|
36,998 | 36,964 |
staunch
|
240k/year for web developer, with one catch...
|
rms
|
You can make just as much working in the financial industry. Having worked in it, I might give serious thought to Haifa Street over Wall Street.
| null | 1 | 9 |
2007-07-27 00:26:01 UTC
|
37,005 | 37,000 |
gibsonf1
|
Lisp as a replacement for XML -- any ideas?
|
mojuba
|
Here's how we do it:("as_2586" ("as_2587" ("as_2588" ("as_2637" ("as_2638" ("as_2639")) ("as_2640")) ("as_2595")) ("as_2589")))Equals: Sub Projects * 200705_PSC_Trinity (Construction)
o as_2587 (Client Approval)
+ as_2588 (Building Permit)
# CD Set (Deliverable)
* A-110 (Deliverable)
o 1. Site Plan (Deliverable)
* PSC Survey Info (Building Surveying)
# as_2595 (Systems Coordination)
+ as_2589 (Programming)
|
If I want to use Lisp syntax to store tree-like data structures (as a replacement for XML), are there any libraries, standards, or just ideas how to do it?
| 0 | 7 |
2007-07-27 01:12:36 UTC
|
37,008 | 17,947 |
ncm
|
The Hacker's Guide to Investors
|
byrneseyeview
|
The essay neglects what happens to the 9 of 10 companies that don't, as far as the VCs are concerned, pan out. Closing them down means they have to give any remaining money back to the investors -- including their own fees they had already pocketed. Any dollar the company doesn't spend before it dies means money from the VC's own pocket. The solution is to drain the company. The VCs install executives they owe favors to, at massively inflated salaries. They make the company hand over millions to "market research" and outsourced marketing companies. They make the company sign big service and equipment contracts. Each of these deals means a kickback or a favor owed. Best of all is if the money goes to one of the properties not being drained, or somebody the VC owes, or personally owns stock in. It's no accident so many companies folded after buying unnecessary enterprise-grade Oracle and Vignette licenses.
| null | 4 | 59 |
2007-07-27 01:28:38 UTC
|
37,010 | 36,964 |
uuilly
|
240k/year for web developer, with one catch...
|
rms
|
I know a bunch of folks who have done stuff like this. You will work very hard which is fine because there is not much else to do. And you will be safer than you would in most major cities in the US. Secret clearance = no drugs in the last year, no bad credit, no criminal record, and no contact with members of unfriendly governments.Definitely a great way to fund a startup. Hadn't thought of that!
| null | 0 | 9 |
2007-07-27 01:40:01 UTC
|
37,013 | 36,964 |
kieranoneill
|
240k/year for web developer, with one catch...
|
rms
|
"2-4 programming experience preferably with JAVA or HTML"Java OR HTML? Is that for real?
| null | 2 | 9 |
2007-07-27 02:37:07 UTC
|
37,021 | 37,000 |
marketer
|
Lisp as a replacement for XML -- any ideas?
|
mojuba
|
You're just replacing the data storage. XML has a lot more features, like schema validation and querying.
|
If I want to use Lisp syntax to store tree-like data structures (as a replacement for XML), are there any libraries, standards, or just ideas how to do it?
| 5 | 7 |
2007-07-27 02:45:37 UTC
|
37,023 | 36,783 |
avehn
|
YC Startup Adpinions Launches
|
sharpshoot
|
Ads are here to stay and if you have to encounter them, why not let them be ones for things you might actually like?
I think the voting thing is pretty ingeneous, though i feel there will be some problems:People don't like extra effort, they are more likely to ignore an ad they don't like than click or move a slider. On the other side of the same coin, they will be more likely to just click on an ad they do like than muck with some sort of rating system.People don't always know what they like, just because one day they find something attractive doesn't mean a week later or even hours later they will like the same thing.
| null | 2 | 21 |
2007-07-27 03:04:49 UTC
|
37,024 | 36,823 |
henning
|
Chinese iPhone Copy (Fake Knock-off)
|
dpapathanasiou
|
sincerest form of flattery and all that.
| null | 3 | 7 |
2007-07-27 03:19:53 UTC
|
37,031 | 36,783 |
mdolon
|
YC Startup Adpinions Launches
|
sharpshoot
|
I had thought of this exact same system last week, but obviously a little too late. :) Good luck guys!
| null | 7 | 21 |
2007-07-27 05:43:29 UTC
|
37,032 | 36,964 |
far33d
|
240k/year for web developer, with one catch...
|
rms
|
$240k to be a part of a monumental failure? Please. I'd rather work for IBM.
| null | 5 | 9 |
2007-07-27 06:09:58 UTC
|
37,037 | 36,964 |
Stewie
|
240k/year for web developer, with one catch...
|
rms
|
Java OR HTML!! What the deuce ?!!
| null | 7 | 9 |
2007-07-27 06:33:37 UTC
|
37,041 | 36,783 |
rkabir
|
YC Startup Adpinions Launches
|
sharpshoot
|
Not sure how they can do this - but seems like there are a few things that would really help this work.a - encourage the advertisers to make better ads. Ads are inherently useful - when they're relevant. Cool ads are entertainment in themselves. Anyone remember adcritic.com? Welcome to my Friday nights in college...b - pass voting data back to the advertisers in some meaningful way. Haven't thought this through yet...
| null | 3 | 21 |
2007-07-27 07:13:52 UTC
|
37,043 | 37,042 |
bkrausz
|
How much is your time at college worth?
|
bkrausz
|
I realize that this has little to do with startups, but I posted it for 2 reasons:
1) Where else could you find college students having to answer similar questions?
2) This would basically replace my "developing for the hell of it" time, which is what usually leads to my startup ideas. It's very tempting...college is expensive.Oh, and FYI it's a company that I've been interning for over the summer, i.e. I already know their systems, my coworkers like me, and my code is already proven to be good.
|
I've recently been asked by a large (massive) company to give them an hourly rate to do software engineering during college as a consultant. I've only ever quoted small companies with little jobs before, never dealing with the big fish. My question to YC is how much you would charge? All the standard formulas don't apply since I have no expenses other than time here.
| 0 | 1 |
2007-07-27 07:52:17 UTC
|
37,060 | 36,897 |
dcurtis
|
Where is the SF news.yc meet?
|
bluishgreen
|
are there any requirements to come?
|
If I remember it was supposed to be some where around North Beach on Friday 27th July 2007 between 7pm and 10pm. Where exactly?
| 3 | 7 |
2007-07-27 11:57:00 UTC
|
37,068 | 37,000 |
brlewis
|
Lisp as a replacement for XML -- any ideas?
|
mojuba
|
XML and Scheme
http://okmij.org/ftp/Scheme/xml.html
|
If I want to use Lisp syntax to store tree-like data structures (as a replacement for XML), are there any libraries, standards, or just ideas how to do it?
| 4 | 7 |
2007-07-27 12:40:03 UTC
|
37,069 | 37,000 |
jkush
|
Lisp as a replacement for XML -- any ideas?
|
mojuba
|
Read this essay for some ideas:http://www.defmacro.org/ramblings/lisp.html
|
If I want to use Lisp syntax to store tree-like data structures (as a replacement for XML), are there any libraries, standards, or just ideas how to do it?
| 2 | 7 |
2007-07-27 12:47:48 UTC
|
37,079 | 37,066 |
ivankirigin
|
Twitter gets venture round anywhere from 1-5MM
|
brlewis
|
I'm confused by services like twitter and heyhan. How is money made when the platform is difficult to monetize and easily repeatable? I suppose both could use text-ads.
| null | 0 | 5 |
2007-07-27 14:34:58 UTC
|
37,081 | 37,050 |
marrone
|
The 105% Rule in word-of-mouth
|
terpua
|
Nice article. Basically what Seth Godin talked about with his "Purple Cow"
| null | 0 | 21 |
2007-07-27 14:42:03 UTC
|
37,082 | 37,071 |
migpwr
|
A VC Gone Mad?
|
cmer
|
A stab at twitter from the man who days earlier recommended buying facebook. What's the fb killer business model again? rigghht...
|
So it's time to revisit Twitter.The news today that Fred Wilson's Union Square Ventures has funded Twitter is enough to bait me back into the ring.
| 1 | 15 |
2007-07-27 14:51:03 UTC
|
37,083 | 37,073 |
myoung8
|
Startup to Take on PayPal
|
drm237
|
Has anyone else ever wondered: what would I tell my parents if I got involved in the adult entertainment industry?
|
A secure electronic payments startup plans to challenge PayPal, but with a twist: It permits transactions for online pornography and gambling, which PayPal does not.
| 1 | 6 |
2007-07-27 14:55:06 UTC
|
37,088 | 37,000 |
edu
|
Lisp as a replacement for XML -- any ideas?
|
mojuba
|
I think you can do it directly. No? I've just started to study List, but I think you could do sth like: '(root (child-1 attr1: val1 attr2: val2)
(child-2 attr1: val1 attr2: val2)
(child-3 attr1: val1 attr2: val2))
And then recurse over it?BTW, If I'm wrong please teach me :D
|
If I want to use Lisp syntax to store tree-like data structures (as a replacement for XML), are there any libraries, standards, or just ideas how to do it?
| 3 | 7 |
2007-07-27 15:21:17 UTC
|
37,089 | 37,071 |
joshwa
|
A VC Gone Mad?
|
cmer
|
Their business model, as far as I can tell, is to license the presence technology/platform (to other web2.0 sites, mobile carriers/developers, etc), and become the "finger" of web2.0. They want to become a network backbone, after a fashion.
|
So it's time to revisit Twitter.The news today that Fred Wilson's Union Square Ventures has funded Twitter is enough to bait me back into the ring.
| 3 | 15 |
2007-07-27 15:23:54 UTC
|
37,094 | 37,073 |
adnam
|
Startup to Take on PayPal
|
drm237
|
<meta name="Generator" content="Joomla!...>How lame.
|
A secure electronic payments startup plans to challenge PayPal, but with a twist: It permits transactions for online pornography and gambling, which PayPal does not.
| 4 | 6 |
2007-07-27 15:32:18 UTC
|
37,095 | 37,071 |
dpapathanasiou
|
A VC Gone Mad?
|
cmer
|
I thought the "blame the buyer" comment was an interesting take on the relevance of business models.It's essentially the crazy-uncle-locked-in-the-attic aspect of all this, which no one wants to talk about.
|
So it's time to revisit Twitter.The news today that Fred Wilson's Union Square Ventures has funded Twitter is enough to bait me back into the ring.
| 4 | 15 |
2007-07-27 15:49:44 UTC
|
37,096 | 37,073 |
paulgb
|
Startup to Take on PayPal
|
drm237
|
The headline is misleading. The company is not trying to take on PayPal, they are just trying to fill the void that PayPal leaves.
|
A secure electronic payments startup plans to challenge PayPal, but with a twist: It permits transactions for online pornography and gambling, which PayPal does not.
| 2 | 6 |
2007-07-27 15:56:28 UTC
|
37,098 | 37,067 |
myoung8
|
AU's largest telco, Telstra, bans employees from facebook
|
brlewis
|
I've heard a lot about LinkedIn vs. FB recently and how they aren't compatible because one's for business, one's for, basically, effin around. I think a smart move for FB would be to let people categorize their friends/acquaintances/contacts into different cateogories (college, business, family, etc.) and have customizable limited profiles for each.The only problem with this is that it becomes costlier for users to use the site (in terms of time and effort), but I think it would be worth it.
| null | 0 | 3 |
2007-07-27 16:12:40 UTC
|
37,099 | 37,073 |
stuki
|
Startup to Take on PayPal
|
drm237
|
After the whole NETeller debacle, I would be wary of association with anyone providing service to online betting shops.
http://www.wnbc.com/news/13656319/detail.html?subid=10101421
|
A secure electronic payments startup plans to challenge PayPal, but with a twist: It permits transactions for online pornography and gambling, which PayPal does not.
| 3 | 6 |
2007-07-27 16:23:05 UTC
|
37,103 | 36,970 |
ryantmulligan
|
Google Print (Newspaper) Ads (Launching -- Discussion)
|
ordersup
|
Google ads will work on the newspaper medium. Traditional newspaper ads are distruptive marketing: the content of the ads is not similar to the content. Google will have content sensitive newspaper ads, which will work a lot better.
|
Has anyone heard about the Google newspaper ads? I received an email to my adwords account email today offering $1000 free credit to beta test this service.Do you think this will be successful? I wonder why they're starting to target newspapers instead of staying online. Newspaper readers are dropping in replacement of them reading the news online so i wonder why would they do this and if it'll be successful?
| 0 | 6 |
2007-07-27 16:32:51 UTC
|
37,104 | 37,077 |
migpwr
|
3 Steps to Correct 50-80% of a Negative Credit Score
|
eastsidegringo
|
eastsidegringo... enough with the blog promotion. Most of your blog is not startup relevant, so take it down a notch if you can...
|
So the first step we're taking is to repair the damage done before we became Cash Money Superstars. We've met with a credit rehabilitation specialist who does all the hard work for us. Here's Step 1. The Game Plan: She helps us understand what we should pay off first and how we should do it. Sometimes paying off a debt completely is not the best strategy as it will re-age the debt on your credit record...
| 0 | 2 |
2007-07-27 16:36:31 UTC
|
37,110 | 37,071 |
far33d
|
A VC Gone Mad?
|
cmer
|
Fred Wilson is basically following the tried and true investment philosophy of Peter Lynch - invest in what you know. He uses twitter. Lots. Why wouldn't he invest?
|
So it's time to revisit Twitter.The news today that Fred Wilson's Union Square Ventures has funded Twitter is enough to bait me back into the ring.
| 0 | 15 |
2007-07-27 16:47:55 UTC
|
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