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.
3,100 solutions
- startupShut down2016
Apply HN: Jobinder – checkr meets match.com meets career builder
jobinder.com Problem: The job search procedure is monotonous and job seekers are impatient, they despise the ineffectiveness of most job boards because of the fact that they spend hours on the computer searching without the assurance of a fairly good job coming their way. Employers are overwhelmed with the amount of unqualified candidates they get and look for ways to cut that number down without spending an arm and a leg because hey, they still have to spend on background checks and other essentials for the hiring process. Solution: So we came up with Jobinder a match system to combat the time consuming employment process by utilizing resume matching and the four steps in the hiring process (Personality test, Reference verification, Interview and Background check) PRIB. Job seekers simply upload their resume and instantly get matched to employers looking for their specific skills and qu
Why it failed: jobinder.com Problem: The job search procedure is monotonous and job seekers are impatient, they despise the ineffectiveness of most job boards because of the fact that they spend hours on the computer searching without the assurance of a fairly good job coming their way. Employe
adesuwa
- startupShut down2016
Love My Company but Feel Like My Salary Is Low
Like the title says, I love my company and everyone that works there. It's a company with about 20 of us who are mostly developers. I generally really like it - I feel like I could be more challenging work (but I think that's a bit of the grass is always greener). My friends in tech are giving me crap because they know I only make around 50k and I'm entering a mid level of experience as a Front-End Dev. My skill set looks like this: high levels of knowledge with OO Javascript, Angular.js/Backbone/Ember.js, Ruby on Rails, Postgres/Mysql, Grunt, Less/SCSS. I've been here for 4 years now. I'd rather have better quality of life than get paid a lot but I can't help thinking that 50k is feeling a little low for the Portland, OR area. Any stories of a good balance between salary and quality of life? Or in a similar situation?
Why it failed: Like the title says, I love my company and everyone that works there. It's a company with about 20 of us who are mostly developers. I generally really like it - I feel like I could be more challenging work (but I think that's a bit of the grass is always greener). My fr
spellsadmoose
- startupShut down2016
Followup: Ask HN: Struggling to pay rent this month. Can I help you with a gig?
Original: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10813746 I wanted to share with HN what happened, since a lot of these "hey, help me" posts go unanswered. I was able to successfully pay rent thanks to a few quick gigs that came my way. I was able to work about $2k, a comfortable position while I decide what my next move is. Said invoice remains unpaid. I'm now a debt collector. There are options to consolidate, but the amount is in excess of $25k which makes things difficult. I do have contracts in place, and counsel I can lean on, but it’s an incredibly exhausting and lengthy process. As a 24-year-old dev-shop founder I have learned my lesson. I'll require pre-paid invoices from here on. There’s more to the story, but in short, I've wound things down after my co-founder (design/sales) unexpectedly left us in early Q2 2015. The response was ove
Why it failed: Original: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10813746 I wanted to share with HN what happened, since a lot of these "hey, help me" posts go unanswered. I was able to successfully pay rent thanks to a few quick gigs that came my way. I was able to work a
_whynow
- startupShut down2016
Suggest HN: Studies based on small sample sizes shouldn't be on HN
Reading about studies based on small sample sizes has in total misinformed me. I've been convinced of many surprising things based on a trust that the research was well conducted, and that published results are on average true. The building replication crisis has shown that this faith was misplaced, particularly in certain fields. For instance, it's now clear that I would have believed more true things and fewer false things if I had not heard about a single result from social psychology. I'm still rooting out beliefs that I came to based on bad research. (Unfortunately my mind doesn't maintain an index of beliefs by source. I wish I could request this feature.) I'm rightly bitter about this, and I see the problem continuing. For instance, this submission is worse than worthless: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13144483 . It's impossible
Why it failed: Reading about studies based on small sample sizes has in total misinformed me. I've been convinced of many surprising things based on a trust that the research was well conducted, and that published results are on average true. The building replication crisis has shown that
syllogism
- startupShut down2016
Microsoft is closing all old bug reports they couldn't fix
That's a letter I received today: This notification was generated for feedback item: <...> which you submitted at the Microsoft Connect (http://connect.microsoft.com) site. Thank you for taking the time to report this problem. This problem was reported two years ago. In an effort to focus our resources on the most impactful problems, we are closing old Connect issues. If this problem is still important to you, please go to https://community.visualstudio.com and follow the instructions there to file a new report.
Why it failed: That's a letter I received today: This notification was generated for feedback item: <...> which you submitted at the Microsoft Connect (http://connect.microsoft.com) site. Thank you for taking the time to report this problem. This problem was reported two ye
ianderf
- startupShut down2016
Ask HN: Is Apple about to kill the Macbooks?
With no announcements in sight for new MBPs and Apple pushing iPads as replacement for full laptops, are MacOS and Macbooks going to be discontinued in the near future? Will we end up programming on an iPad if we want to program for their products?
Why it failed: With no announcements in sight for new MBPs and Apple pushing iPads as replacement for full laptops, are MacOS and Macbooks going to be discontinued in the near future? Will we end up programming on an iPad if we want to program for their products?
rreyes1979
- startupShut down2016
Need a raise, how to ask?
This is probably a very simple question that a simple Google query can answer, but I'd like to get some opinions on the matter. About me: - 3 year exp software engineer - 84k/year salary - Ruby on Rails, JS, CoffeeScript, MySQL, HTML/CSS (currently the UI guru..) - Oversee 2 folks on the US side (we also have offshore folks) and we all work under 1 App Architect - Company is based out of Boston - I live and work remotely outside of Boston. The company has always been fast-paced. I work on everything for the front end. This means: 7 different Rails apps (internal & external), 5 different Rails engines, ~10 in-house built gems, and I also delegate work to 2 folks under me as a tech lead for a new project. According to Payscale.com (including perks, etc): - Boston rankings: 38th percentile @ 84k/year - Where I live/work remotely: 75th percentile @ 84k/year
Why it failed: This is probably a very simple question that a simple Google query can answer, but I'd like to get some opinions on the matter. About me: - 3 year exp software engineer - 84k/year salary - Ruby on Rails, JS, CoffeeScript, MySQL, HTML/CSS (currently the UI guru..) -
djmill
- startupShut down2016
Apply HN: Anonymous P2P therapy phone calls (going through a rough time?)
What we do: We like to think of it as a ‘Anonymous User to User therapy sessions’. We are building a mobile app that allows users who are going through a rough time in their life to be connected to a random person around the world to have a real phone call with. Why: We all go through rough times. It can be school, love life, or not getting into YC fellowship (hint). Some of these things are very tough to talk about with people you know IRL (judgmental, embarrassing, they don’t care, ect). And we all know for a fact that talking it out with someone and getting advice is a great way to fix problems. This is done much easier when it’s an anonymous person on the other end so you can be 100% free. How it works: Imagine you just got denied from YC fellowship. You’re there lying in bed all embarrassed and sad, but you can’t tell anyone about it because you’re just not that close to someone els
Why it failed: What we do: We like to think of it as a ‘Anonymous User to User therapy sessions’. We are building a mobile app that allows users who are going through a rough time in their life to be connected to a random person around the world to have a real phone call with. Why: We all go th
yshajahan16
- startupShut down2016
Private Internet Access: We Are Removing Our Russian Presence
To Our Beloved Users, The Russian Government has passed a new law that mandates that every provider must log all Russian internet traffic for up to a year. We believe that due to the enforcement regime surrounding this new law, some of our Russian Servers (RU) were recently seized by Russian Authorities, without notice or any type of due process. We think it’s because we are the most outspoken and only verified no-log VPN provider. Luckily, since we do not log any traffic or session data, period, no data has been compromised. Our users are, and will always be, private and secure. Upon learning of the above, we immediately discontinued our Russian gateways and will no longer be doing business in the region. To make it clear, the privacy and security of our users is our number one priority. For preventative reasons, we are rotating all of our certificates. Furthermore, we’re updating our c
Why it failed: To Our Beloved Users, The Russian Government has passed a new law that mandates that every provider must log all Russian internet traffic for up to a year. We believe that due to the enforcement regime surrounding this new law, some of our Russian Servers (RU) were recently seize
radiorental
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: What startups were refused from YC but became successful?
Alternatively, what startups did the YC partners failed to see become successful, but did so?
Why it failed: Alternatively, what startups did the YC partners failed to see become successful, but did so?
mw67
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Implementing a graph database using Postgres tables for nodes and edges?
After hearing/reading about the negative experiences many people have had with upcoming graph databases, I am wary of jumping into a graph db. But almost any modern application has things that will be suited to a graph representation. So I am considering a workaround to use a graph structure, but represent the underlying data in a reliable rdbms, in particular postgres. The approach is: 1. Make two parent tables: node and edge. 2. Make separate tables for all "objects" (like people, places, things, etc.) which would be inherited from node, so they would all have a unique node ID. 3. Make separate tables inherited from edge which would be used to represent the many many relations. So each relation has an edge ID, and each table inherited from edge can be thought of as representing a specific kind of relation (like person lives in place, or person is friends with person). On
Why it failed: After hearing/reading about the negative experiences many people have had with upcoming graph databases, I am wary of jumping into a graph db. But almost any modern application has things that will be suited to a graph representation. So I am considering a workaround to use
arunnanda
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Examples of startups that failed due to moving slowly?
Conventional startup advice is to 'move fast' and 'pump out features.' Are there any startups that created a great new thing that was growing and then failed because they were improving too slowly? How slow is too slow?
Why it failed: Conventional startup advice is to 'move fast' and 'pump out features.' Are there any startups that created a great new thing that was growing and then failed because they were improving too slowly? How slow is too slow?
fooshint
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Clothing for a lazy programmer
At the moment I cycle between about 40 tees from H&M in either navy blue or navy blue. I recently went off to purchase a couple extra to discover they have discontinued the style and replaced it with a thin nylon stretch type. Wasn't there a couple of startups in this space? Ideally they should deliver to the UK.
Why it failed: At the moment I cycle between about 40 tees from H&M in either navy blue or navy blue. I recently went off to purchase a couple extra to discover they have discontinued the style and replaced it with a thin nylon stretch type. Wasn't there a couple of startups in this sp
mrkmcknz
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: What was your biggest life lesson in 2015?
Hey All, I want to know what you have learned in 2015 that you never realised before. I am going to start with my self, I learned one thing: 1. Identifying people who really matters in life is super important. We generally don't think like this but when the person is not around you, you will realise how the person was in your life. And don't forget to show your gratitude you never know when it's the end. I would really like to know your life lesson. May be some of us learn from other and can use in 2016. Thanks in advance.
Why it failed: Hey All, I want to know what you have learned in 2015 that you never realised before. I am going to start with my self, I learned one thing: 1. Identifying people who really matters in life is super important. We generally don't think like this but when the person is not aro
aforarnold
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: In what order did the best and worst periods in your career come?
edit: I like that a modest amount of people have upvotes this, and thank you to the people who did respond, but just a very quick post mortem on 2 tine periods would be very helpful. If you are a founder, employee, student, unemployed whatever, what moment or timeframe was would you say: "Fuck Yes, I am/am close to my definition of success" and "the sick to your stomach, cold sweat, vomit in a trash can before work, abject failure monent/s in your life" what order did they come.
Why it failed: edit: I like that a modest amount of people have upvotes this, and thank you to the people who did respond, but just a very quick post mortem on 2 tine periods would be very helpful. If you are a founder, employee, student, unemployed whatever, what moment or timeframe was would
vonklaus
- startupShut down2015
View – Enjoy for 30s – Next – Repeat (No Going Back)
Hey guys, that pretty much describes the app that my friend and I've been working on for a while. We call it "FlipFeed", because you flip through a continuous feed of ephemeral photos and messages. You get 30s to enjoy, and then the moment disappears, and you move on. The idea actually came from what one of my friends always did on Instagram. Check out a photo, like, and move on. And that's what humans do, right? We are interested more in what's coming up next than what we've already seen - and this is exactly what FlipFeed wants to target. Any FlipFeed user (FlipFeeder?) can upload photos and messages (status, rant, general info, love note, quotes, or anything you like), and all these photos and messages submitted to FlipFeed are lined up and shown in a sequence. There's no filtering! So, it doesn't matter if you upload from New York or California
Why it failed: Hey guys, that pretty much describes the app that my friend and I've been working on for a while. We call it "FlipFeed", because you flip through a continuous feed of ephemeral photos and messages. You get 30s to enjoy, and then the moment disappears, and you move
kandarp
- startupShut down2015
Amazon interviewed me about my Amazon fake reviews detection app
Here's how it went down. So last April-May, I built a chrome extension that detects fake reviews on Amazon. It analyzes a combination of factors about the linguistics of the review (part of speech tags, unigrams and bigrams analysis), the reviewer metadata (rank, percent helpful reviews, number of reviews...), and the overall product reviews statistics (standard deviation, percent one time reviewers... etc). At the end the reviews quality are scored on all these factors to give the product reviews a letter grade rating where "F" means that the product is very likely to have gone through a reviews bombing campaign and an "A" grade is for a product that contains mostly reliable reviews from reliable reviewers. On the side I've been applying to Amazon jobs, and the last one I applied I included in my resume that I made such an app. About a couple of weeks later
Why it failed: Here's how it went down. So last April-May, I built a chrome extension that detects fake reviews on Amazon. It analyzes a combination of factors about the linguistics of the review (part of speech tags, unigrams and bigrams analysis), the reviewer metadata (rank, percent hel
vumania
- startupShut down2015
Letter to a startup, from an employee
Dear startup employer, It's a workday, but I'm not at work. I'm pretending to work from home. Company policy says I should file for PTO, but I won't. You'll never know; I'll feel guilty. But I need this day. You took a lot from me. I didn't hesitate for a second when I dropped all my weekend plans and rushed to fix what was broken. I worked all weekend, late into the night. I was there first thing Monday morning, and again on Tuesday. Then I stayed up all night Tuesday because it was release night. I didn't do any of this because you pay me to. I did it because I take pride in my work. Things were broken. I'm responsible for them. Now I'm taking time to eat a meal. I'm having the day I should have had last weekend. I'm breathing. The stress is ebbing away. I'm recharging so I can do great work for you again tomorrow. Startu
Why it failed: Dear startup employer, It's a workday, but I'm not at work. I'm pretending to work from home. Company policy says I should file for PTO, but I won't. You'll never know; I'll feel guilty. But I need this day. You took a lot from me. I didn't hesi
exhaustedworker
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Am I the only one outraged by Twitter shutting down share counts?
Even Mashable is broken: http://i.imgur.com/utjkzuh.png
Why it failed: Even Mashable is broken: http://i.imgur.com/utjkzuh.png
tkfx
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Struggling to pay rent this month. Can I help you with a gig?
Hi HN, long-time contributor with ~1500 karma; throwaway for obvious reasons. When I used to see these posts, I always was thankful for the position I was in. I never hesitated to send a personal message with my regards and best wishes, and most of the time I'd include a small bit of help. I'm hoping this all comes full-circle, because I desperately need it. Let's not make this about financial planning (it's otherwise pretty good) but a client has just told me (after telling me they were waiting on a third-party...) they're unable to pay their invoice this month and it's put a strain on me. About 2 years ago I had an excess of $100k in my bank account. As someone in their early-mid 20s, I was doing very good. I don't live lavishly or have super nice things; I'm pretty frugal and basic. But after some hospital expenses and some very bad luck, I'
Why it failed: Hi HN, long-time contributor with ~1500 karma; throwaway for obvious reasons. When I used to see these posts, I always was thankful for the position I was in. I never hesitated to send a personal message with my regards and best wishes, and most of the time I'd include a sma
_whynow
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Feeling pressured to accept startup job offer quickly
Hi, I recently got offered a startup job at a nice little company in SF. Everything seems OK with the company and job. After going back and forth a little on the compensation we came to an agreement. However, they are pressuring me to take the job asap because they have a short list and who ever says 'yes' first gets the job. I've never encountered this situation before. Is this normal? Here's something else that makes me suspicious: I'm a terrible interviewer and not a great programmer and am suspicious that there's a company that will accept me. The interview process was a bit long and through with a phone screen and an office visit and a follow up interview. Maybe this is the interview I finally just nailed after many failed interviews. I can't really tell. I'm a little worried about leaving my current job because now I'm wondering if this
Why it failed: Hi, I recently got offered a startup job at a nice little company in SF. Everything seems OK with the company and job. After going back and forth a little on the compensation we came to an agreement. However, they are pressuring me to take the job asap because they have a short l
yahth
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Average savings per month?
Hi, I usually read about devs making 110-130k in the West Coast, and generally less in other states... But I'm curious about how much on average do they end up saving at the end of the month. I know it differs a lot depending on the lifestyle, but how much is the norm? (For a single, with no kids, to simplify things) A simple breakdown of the main expenses would be greatly appreciated, i.e. taxes, rent, food, health, services, leisure, rest=savings. What percentage of your salary do you end up saving? Thanks! (Answers from other countries would be interesting too, for a richer comparison!!)
Why it failed: Hi, I usually read about devs making 110-130k in the West Coast, and generally less in other states... But I'm curious about how much on average do they end up saving at the end of the month. I know it differs a lot depending on the lifestyle, but how much is the norm? (For
molmalo
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Techniques for surviving a job you loathe?
I would love to get some advise from people who have been in less than ideal situations and how they got through it. I would love to know techniques for dealing stress, mundane work environments, and not being challenged. I was involved in a startup for a year that ended early last year because the person funding it got cold feet - it was his idea. As a result, I basically took the first job I could find, which is in the finance industry. My roles to date have largely been around management of people and architecture. My home town is literally at the bottom end of Australia. Beautiful place but there are very few development jobs and no paying startups here. I have a child with another on the way. My partners salary is insufficient for us to live on. My job is a dev at a medium size company (around 300). The development in this company is appalling, non scoring on the Joel test and the w
Why it failed: I would love to get some advise from people who have been in less than ideal situations and how they got through it. I would love to know techniques for dealing stress, mundane work environments, and not being challenged. I was involved in a startup for a year that ended early la
trevaa
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Losing interest
I learned how to code in University and did pretty well at it after an initial struggle. I studied EE but felt like being a programmer matched my interests better so I got a job in that. I've been working a few years at the same place. I write Python REST APIs at the moment. The other person on my team does UI work, which I started out doing and still do sometimes. I've built the whole back end system from scratch so I feel like I have a good understanding of how everything works and the ability to work on any level of the stack, though I know the most about the back end. I have been feeling disinterested in what I'm working on. My team is only 2 people and we don't work together on much of anything. I find this other person difficult to talk to. A couple of friends from Uni work there but all 3 of us are different projects. My company seems to have issues hiring peop
Why it failed: I learned how to code in University and did pretty well at it after an initial struggle. I studied EE but felt like being a programmer matched my interests better so I got a job in that. I've been working a few years at the same place. I write Python REST APIs at the moment.
thebigspacefuck