The graveyard of good ideas
Solutions that were tried, and what stopped them.
Patents that were rejected or abandoned, products that shut down, projects that went quiet. Borrow the idea, avoid the dead end.
1,703 solutions
- startupShut down2011
Follow up to "I'm building a TechCrunch alternative that focuses on startups"
Three days ago I submitted an article describing my intentions to launch a news site that is focus on Startups. The original thread can be found here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2153038 . The response so far has been over whelming. I've had over 100 startups reach out to me from HN and I've responded to every single email I received (before today). I must say, the quality of submissions was phenomenal. There are some really sharp people here. If you're a startup and still want to tell us your story, please get in touch with me by emailing me at paul@codesketch.com. In other news, MediaTemple has very generously offered to be a sponsor and handle our hosting for us. I've already began writing several articles and we will be soft launching this Thursday. The site is looking fantastic, and the startup coverage will be unparalleled. If you would like to sign up for our weekly news l
Why it failed: Three days ago I submitted an article describing my intentions to launch a news site that is focus on Startups. The original thread can be found here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2153038 . The response so far has been over whelming. I've had over 100 startups reach out to
g0atbutt
- startupShut down2011
Tell HN: Dear 'open source' people (on defending rms)
There have been countless times when rms has said something, and you jumped to attack him, on every level. Here are some of your argumets. I try coming with some answers. 1) "To me, free is the freedom to use whatever I want, including propertiary software." In this context, when we talk about 'Freedom', we mean 'Free Software'. Fortunately, Richard Stallman, they guy you are bashing about, defined the term 'free software'. Freedom 0: The freedom to run the program for any purpose. Freedom 1: The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish. Freedom 2: The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor. Freedom 3: The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits. This is what 'Free Software' means. Please, feel free to use any properti
Why it failed: There have been countless times when rms has said something, and you jumped to attack him, on every level. Here are some of your argumets. I try coming with some answers. 1) "To me, free is the freedom to use whatever I want, including propertiary software." In this context, when
emilsedgh
- startupShut down2011
Failed entrepreneur, broke, unemployed, now taking care of aging parents. Help.
TL;DR - My startup failed, I'm now broke and unemployed, I have no idea who I am anymore professionally, and had to move back to the middle of nowhere to take care of my aging parents. I don't want to get stuck living this life. How do I fix all this? =========== Hello HN, As a long-time reader of HN I would greatly appreciate some advice and/or suggestions of how some of you would deal with this situation. I'd like to believe that as an entrepreneur that I can find solutions to problems but at this point I have to admit I'm a bit shaken. What would you do if this were your situation? 1) I'm a failed startup entrepreneur fighting my way back out of depression, spiritless-ness, and massive debt. I've also been unemployed for over 1.5 years now due to a loss of identity and overall purpose. I have no life savings left to try and squeeze my out of this situation. 2) Concurrently, I had to m
Why it failed: TL;DR - My startup failed, I'm now broke and unemployed, I have no idea who I am anymore professionally, and had to move back to the middle of nowhere to take care of my aging parents. I don't want to get stuck living this life. How do I fix all this? =========== Hello HN, As a l
mattman
- startupShut down2011
Italian Wikipedia shut down
Today, unfortunately, the very pillars on which Wikipedia has been built - neutrality, freedom, and verifiability of its contents - are likely to be heavily compromised by paragraph 29 of a law proposal, also known as "DDL intercettazioni" (Wiretapping Act). This proposal, which the Italian Parliament is currently debating, provides, among other things, a requirement to all websites to publish, within 48 hours of the request and without any comment, a correction of any content that the applicant deems detrimental to his/her image. Unfortunately, the law does not require an evaluation of the claim by an impartial third judge - the opinion of the person allegedly injured is all that is required, in order to impose such correction to any website. http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Comunicato_4_ottobre_2011
Why it failed: Today, unfortunately, the very pillars on which Wikipedia has been built - neutrality, freedom, and verifiability of its contents - are likely to be heavily compromised by paragraph 29 of a law proposal, also known as "DDL intercettazioni" (Wiretapping Act). This proposal, which
coldarchon
- startupShut down2011
Ask HN: How often startups get acquired and you get nothing?
Today the startup I worked for got bought out. I am one of the first few Developers with employee stock options. I have given 3 years of my life to this startup. I believed in what we were doing. During this time I have seen one complete product rewrite, Whole top management being replaced (CEO, CTO, etc), numerous product direction changes. I worked on some of the most critical pieces of the software. I lead the last rewrite as the Principal Architect (with very high control on what to be build). This last rewrite lead the startup being bought out by a very large enterprise company. In the end I got nothing. They tell me my stock options are worth nothing. This has happen to me second time. How often this happen? Is this normal? I am frustrated. The only solace is that they are keeping my team so at least i know my team has a good home. I have decide not to be part of this acquisition.
Why it failed: Today the startup I worked for got bought out. I am one of the first few Developers with employee stock options. I have given 3 years of my life to this startup. I believed in what we were doing. During this time I have seen one complete product rewrite, Whole top management bein
47
- startupShut down2011
It seems my Chinese supplier has stolen $50,000...do I have any recourse?
Sorry for the rambling disorganized story.... I've been having some goods manufactured in China for several years now. We have always worked through the same contact, let's call her "Zoe". Zoe was recommended to us by a Chinese friend (let's call him Lee) of my business partner. Whether it has been the same company performing the actual manufacturing this whole time I do not know. We typically place orders consisting of 3 forty foot shipping containers at a time. The typical terms of the agreement are that we pay for containers #1 & #2 up front, #1 is manufactured and sent to us, we pay for #3, and then #2 and #3 are sent to us. The justification for this is that they had to purchase raw materials for the entire order in advance. This seems reasonable to me. Whether or not that is actually done I do not know. It typically takes us about 18 months to work through 3 containers of inven
Why it failed: Sorry for the rambling disorganized story.... I've been having some goods manufactured in China for several years now. We have always worked through the same contact, let's call her "Zoe". Zoe was recommended to us by a Chinese friend (let's call him Lee) of my business partner.
mistermann
- startupShut down2011
Internet's DNS infrastructure been under attack for days. Anyone else noticed?
This is an email I received from my DNS hosting provider after reporting an unusual spike in number of queries for one of my zones that has been being hit steadily by nearly 140k queries per day since November 29th. Since November 29th, 2011, about 150,000 domains in [DNS hosting provider name] management have been under an ongoing DNS attack. This is not an attack on [DNS hosting provider name], but actually attack on specific domains. We have confirmed this since we have moved many of these domains to different providers and the attack traffic has moved with it. These attacks represent about 15% of all domains under [DNS hosting provider name]. These attacks tend to come for a few hours and then go away; but they do come back, and they are everyday. These DNS attacks are actual queries to live domains that [DNS hosting provider name] is authoritative for. Once again, these are an attac
Why it failed: This is an email I received from my DNS hosting provider after reporting an unusual spike in number of queries for one of my zones that has been being hit steadily by nearly 140k queries per day since November 29th. Since November 29th, 2011, about 150,000 domains in [DNS hosting
gabriele
- startupShut down2011
HN Meetup: Beijing
Since the last one was a really good time, we're organizing another Beijing HN meetup, at 8:00PM on Saturday, May 7th. If you'd like to come, drop a line to eric.meltzer@gmail.com, and I'll send over the details about where we're meeting once we know how many people are coming!
Why it failed: Since the last one was a really good time, we're organizing another Beijing HN meetup, at 8:00PM on Saturday, May 7th. If you'd like to come, drop a line to eric.meltzer@gmail.com, and I'll send over the details about where we're meeting once we know how many people are coming!
emeltzer
- startupShut down2011
Consider your naming schemes - a cautionary tale
Recently we had a contract for a large company that required the code be put in escrow. This isn't unusual, we're in an industry where if you have fewer than 10,000 employees you're regarded as small and a risky proposition. We have succeeded despite that perception because we're very good at what we do. So an agent for the appointed escrow company comes in to vet the software, check that we can do a full and complete build from the source provided, and then are about to take away the copy to put in safe storage. It'll never be seen again unless we fail to meet our (fairly reasonable) obligations. Then the agent doing the vetting asks for a break. He goes away and makes a phone call. Then another. Then another. Finally he comes back and says that he has a legal responsibility to report us to the authorities. Why? We use a package called "upskirt" - https://github.com/tanoku/upskirt - and
Why it failed: Recently we had a contract for a large company that required the code be put in escrow. This isn't unusual, we're in an industry where if you have fewer than 10,000 employees you're regarded as small and a risky proposition. We have succeeded despite that perception because we're
ColinWright
- startupShut down2011
Show HN: Sparkmuse, story and beta of my side project
TLDR: The beta of my my site, Sparkmuse, has begun. Please join me at http://www.sparkmuse.com/invitation/Hacker-News . The Story: Well here it is, the beta of Sparkmuse. I'm pretty happy to "get there", but I'm really just relieved. Don't get me wrong, I'm F'ING STOKED to get this in front of some more valuable eyeballs, especially the Hacker News crowd. Right now though, I'm just leaning back in a rickety old chair thinking "I did it." Several months ago I was pretty down on myself. I wanted to get out there and meet new people, do cool projects, explore new technologies, and just jump into a swimming pool full of what I love. Some people call it passion and maybe that is cliche, but what is passion if it sits on a couch all night? But it was just a dream, I worked the 9-5 at an enterprise job, put in an extra hour here and there, and then came home to waste time on the tube. I love my
Why it failed: TLDR: The beta of my my site, Sparkmuse, has begun. Please join me at http://www.sparkmuse.com/invitation/Hacker-News . The Story: Well here it is, the beta of Sparkmuse. I'm pretty happy to "get there", but I'm really just relieved. Don't get me wrong, I'm F'ING STOKED to get th
netmau5
- startupShut down2011
Inspire HN: Persistent determination
YC deadline is soon, so I just wanted to give some inspiration to all YC applicants. Hope this will help, or at least, you’ll find it worth reading. First, ask yourself a question: if you failed, then how do you know if you failed because it’s impossible or because you just wasn’t determined enough? Well, really, how do you know that? Every real life case falls into two possible categories: either someone succedeed or not. If he or she falied then there is always a lot of obvious reasons for that, because it’s easy to judge when you’re looking into the past. From formal, scientific point of view one can’t prove something is impossible just because someone who tried failed. I challenge you with the hypothesis that the only reason you can fail is insufficient determination. The great Russian mathematician Andrey Kolmogorov discovered evolutionary epistemology principle. It says that humans
Why it failed: YC deadline is soon, so I just wanted to give some inspiration to all YC applicants. Hope this will help, or at least, you’ll find it worth reading. First, ask yourself a question: if you failed, then how do you know if you failed because it’s impossible or because you just wasn’
bloodcarter
- startupShut down2010
Ask HN: What should I do about potential patent trouble?
==== Edit: I thought keeping this pseudo-anonymous would make it less of a drama post. A few friends have suggested otherwise: http://backtrackapp.com is my app. It's a location tracking app with a web front end and social features. I only built this for the realtime web component, which hasn't been implemented yet. You'll read about this (and why) below. http://glympse.com is the app filing for the patent. ==== Dear HN, A few weeks ago, I launched my first iPhone app. I am new to the mobile space and to ObjC, so I figured this would be good, fun exercise in building something I wanted to use myself and turning into a product. With ios4 out, the main premise behind the app seemed like a good idea, and nobody else was doing it yet. So I found a trusted friend, and we built the app and companion website in just under three weeks, part time. We waited the standard two weeks to get approved
Why it failed: ==== Edit: I thought keeping this pseudo-anonymous would make it less of a drama post. A few friends have suggested otherwise: http://backtrackapp.com is my app. It's a location tracking app with a web front end and social features. I only built this for the realtime web componen
nphase
- startupShut down2010
Tell HN: I just haggled away 90% of my transactions fees
Admittedly, we are a niche case, we have low volume high dollar amount incoming payments and high volume low dollar amount disbursements. Going back and forth we started out at $149 set up fee, $25 a month, 1% + .25c per transcation in coming and 55c outgoing. This is all ACH. In less than an hour going back and forth with a couple places My final deal is $25 a month, $1.30 flat incoming, 25c outgoing. That will save us ~1500+ a year assuming no growth. The last time I set one of these up, it didn't even cross my mind to haggle.
Why it failed: Admittedly, we are a niche case, we have low volume high dollar amount incoming payments and high volume low dollar amount disbursements. Going back and forth we started out at $149 set up fee, $25 a month, 1% + .25c per transcation in coming and 55c outgoing. This is all ACH. In
eof
- startupShut down2010
Ask HN: Finally have loose change and spare time, but no sense of purpose. Help.
(Apologies in advance for the rantish nature of this.) 24, programmer at BigCo for several years, and I'm lost. I've socked away enough coins to maintain my current lifestyle for the next 10 years, longer if I scale back a few things. (Believe me, it's pretty easy to do considering that I've never had car, house, or girlfriend -- and I plan to keep it that way for the forseeable future.) I've also freed myself of most of my other obligations that previously consumed my evenings and weekends. I should be excited about this but I'm not, and I don't know why. What I do know is that my current situation is unsustainable for long. I'm sick of corporate America and all its bureaucratic shenaningans, where I'm only learning the wrong way to get things done. I want out. But I don't know what's next. I'm not in shape to start a company because I don't have any sort of overarching passion that wil
Why it failed: (Apologies in advance for the rantish nature of this.) 24, programmer at BigCo for several years, and I'm lost. I've socked away enough coins to maintain my current lifestyle for the next 10 years, longer if I scale back a few things. (Believe me, it's pretty easy to do consideri
groaner
- startupShut down2010
Founders who can't code
An advise to founders who can't code If you are a business/idea guy and looking for a technical co founder, stop. Stop right now. Take 6 months off and go learn how to code (day and night, weekends including). Most web apps do little besides save, show and update data. No, You will NOT become an engineer, programmer, or web developer, but you will be able to put a prototype of your idea together and maybe get one or two beta users for feedback. At this moment it will be much easier to recruit a technical cofounder. The reason why most technical cofounders can create great products is not because they have a deep domain knowledge or they are great hackers. The reason is (beside passion for the problem) their cost is time. Your cost is money. They can spend one year working after hours to create a product. Can you pay someone for one year to create a product? They can fail 23 times and sti
Why it failed: An advise to founders who can't code If you are a business/idea guy and looking for a technical co founder, stop. Stop right now. Take 6 months off and go learn how to code (day and night, weekends including). Most web apps do little besides save, show and update data. No, You wi
rokhayakebe
- startupShut down2010
Ask HN: What to do about "grand ideas" in fields you have no expertise in?
Assume you have a great idea in a field you have no expertise in. Of course, almost all people who are in this situation really don't have a great idea, but for the sake of this thread, let's assume that the idea is indeed great. That is, great in the sense that if people with expertise and a proven track record in the field, and with connections in the industry, and with a lot of hard work, etc, could turn into something valuable. e.g. a dentist having the idea for Tivo years before Tivo was out, or a computer programmer coming up with a design for a better propeller for oil tankers. It seems to me that there is almost nothing you can do in this situation. Breaking into the TV/entertainment business, or the oil tanker business, or similar large industries is close to impossible for outsiders with no expertise in the field. On the other end of the spectrum, I'm always fascinated by how e
Why it failed: Assume you have a great idea in a field you have no expertise in. Of course, almost all people who are in this situation really don't have a great idea, but for the sake of this thread, let's assume that the idea is indeed great. That is, great in the sense that if people with ex
sendos
- startupShut down2010
Ask HN: Lack of self-discipline driving me hopeless. Tips?
Dear Hacker News, I am a longtime member here. I would never think I would be one of those writing this but here it goes. I have a terrible problem with focus and discipline. I simply cannot manage to achieve both for any prolonged period of times. For the last five years, I have tried very conciously to become disciplined and no matter what, after a few days or weeks at best, the pattern breaks and I am back to my unproductive, terrible self. I also cannot really enjoy or focus on anything or anyone for too long. This is the most scary part. I cannot be in a relationship for more than a week or two before becoming very ambivalent after the initial high. I cannot continue working on projects--all of them I would say I enjoy--for more than a few weeks at most. I am 23 and finishing up school(took some time off to do failed startup). Much of this could be accepted during my teen years and
Why it failed: Dear Hacker News, I am a longtime member here. I would never think I would be one of those writing this but here it goes. I have a terrible problem with focus and discipline. I simply cannot manage to achieve both for any prolonged period of times. For the last five years, I have
Damnit
- startupShut down2010
HN Petiton: Get Google to support SSL on all of its APIs
As a security-conscious developer, I have started switching over my apps to be served over only SSL. Whilst this might end up being a costly exercise (e.g. having to proxy images in user generated content), the added privacy and security for my users is justification enough for me. Unfortunately the biggest pain in migrating to SSL are the external API providers — very few of them support or even encourage the use of SSL. And, surprisingly, Google is one of the biggest culprits. I say surprisingly as Google have been very vocal on the use of SSL and have done the most significant real work in reducing the technical overheads of using SSL, e.g. see the awesome work by Adam Langley, an extra-ordinary Googler: http://www.imperialviolet.org/2010/06/25/overclocking-ssl.html I've had to resort to various hacks in order to support various Google services, e.g. * Using server-side API calls inst
Why it failed: As a security-conscious developer, I have started switching over my apps to be served over only SSL. Whilst this might end up being a costly exercise (e.g. having to proxy images in user generated content), the added privacy and security for my users is justification enough for m
tav
- startupShut down2010
Ask HN: 2011 Predictions
As we near the end of the year, one realises how busy 2010 has been. There is already a post to show off what has been done, but I am interested in what changes and trends you predict will happen in -the general IT fields (mobile hardware, net neutrality and other broad topics) -your domain specifically (ie, what disruption can we expect where?) -your life (what are you working on?)
Why it failed: As we near the end of the year, one realises how busy 2010 has been. There is already a post to show off what has been done, but I am interested in what changes and trends you predict will happen in -the general IT fields (mobile hardware, net neutrality and other broad topics) -
zmmz
- startupShut down2010
Ask HN: We're building a real-life, location-based MMORPG. Will you play?
Dear HNers, Here's what we intend to have when we're ready - a game that borrows elements from World of Warcraft, Foursquare and Mafia Wars, playable through the browser and eventually via a mobile device. No graphics engine for now, we're thinking compelling visuals + text. Chapter 1 - Architecting the world: We pull in your check-ins from a popular location based service (Foursquare/Gowalla/Facebook) and reward you for checking in (with virtual currency and 'artifacts'). We build a mystical, medieval universe atop these real places. You then compete to purchase these venues and start upgrading them, fortifying them for the impending onslaught. (Yup, this bit has certainly been inspired by Booyah's MyTown, but it's also pretty much where the similarity ends). [Status: Nearing completion] Chapter 2 - Learning the ropes: You begin exploring the universe through your check-ins. Play simple
Why it failed: Dear HNers, Here's what we intend to have when we're ready - a game that borrows elements from World of Warcraft, Foursquare and Mafia Wars, playable through the browser and eventually via a mobile device. No graphics engine for now, we're thinking compelling visuals + text. Chap
amithgeorge
- startupShut down2010
Ask HN / Review my startup: DocuHarvest
DocuHarvest extracts data from documents (PDFs only for now) in a way that is accessible to nontechnical users and economical for small workflows or one-off jobs. https://docuharvest.com The original launch announcement is on my blog here, which provides more background: "Getting valuable data out of documents should not require an I.T. staff, outside consultants, building or buying software, or an up-front investment of hundreds or thousands of dollars, regardless of how many documents and how much data is involved." http://muckandbrass.com/web/x/CwBi To answer probably the three most common questions: 1. Yes, we have a HTTP API coming, probably along with client libraries for some subset of {Java, Python, Ruby, PHP, C#/.NET, ...}. 2. More job types are incoming. As noted in the announcement and on the site's front page, imaging-related jobs are up next. Lots more in the works after tha
Why it failed: DocuHarvest extracts data from documents (PDFs only for now) in a way that is accessible to nontechnical users and economical for small workflows or one-off jobs. https://docuharvest.com The original launch announcement is on my blog here, which provides more background: "Getting
cemerick
- startupShut down2010
Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
Hello Hn'ers, What hobbies do you have? What do you do to wind down when you're afk?
Why it failed: Hello Hn'ers, What hobbies do you have? What do you do to wind down when you're afk?
jacquesm
- startupShut down2010
Ask HN: Save my dying Startup
Dear HNers, I am writing this post in hopes of getting some help on saving my startup which is slowly decaying before my eyes; countless hours of work, tens of thousands of dollars spent, and a ton of sacrifice just dying. There is a wealth of knowledge that exists at HN and I’m hoping some folks can steer me in the right direction with my dying startup because at this point I’m not sure what to do? About three years ago, my friend and I thought up an idea for creating a "social network for traders." He had worked in finance for one of the biggest forex brokers and was a trader of foreign exchange. A few months into his work, he realized that this company, with its millions of clients, was missing a critical component that clients constantly kept asking about "can I communicate with other clients regarding certain positions or trends in the market?" Coming from a web development/IT backg
Why it failed: Dear HNers, I am writing this post in hopes of getting some help on saving my startup which is slowly decaying before my eyes; countless hours of work, tens of thousands of dollars spent, and a ton of sacrifice just dying. There is a wealth of knowledge that exists at HN and I’m
traderjoe
- startupShut down2010
Ask HN: After almost 30 years the romance is over - What now?
For the first time since graduating, I've recently had the possibility to escape the constant mental treadmill that comes with working in most IT departments, and had a look at what life and the world have become in the past 10 or so years. And I've discovered that the main focus of pretty much all of my life fails to excite me anymore - my honeymoon with computers and IT seems to be over. And I'm left asking myself: What now? Let me explain where I'm coming from: Probably like most of you, I've been exposed to computers at an early age. My first conscious memory of using a computer is playing the original Pong on a black and white TV at a friends house when I was 6 or 7. Since then I've been hooked. When my father got an Amstrad CPC when I was 10 or so I could spend hours on end playing on it, playing with it, reading up on how it worked, later on copying code listings from magazines an
Why it failed: For the first time since graduating, I've recently had the possibility to escape the constant mental treadmill that comes with working in most IT departments, and had a look at what life and the world have become in the past 10 or so years. And I've discovered that the main focus
what_happened