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.
3,400 solutions
- 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
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
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
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: 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: 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: How do you deal with after work fatigue?
I started working in programming 3 years ago. Ever since I got into 8h/days programming, I feel really tired after I come home. I'm not able to do the meaningless task, and sometimes I just get into bed at 7 and sleep. I suppose that the nature of our jobs depletes our will and maybe that's why I'm like this. I tried doing some push-ups, going by bike to work, quitting smoking, but didn't solve much. So if anyone was in the same position and found a way to get by, I would really appreciate some advices. I feel I live only during the week-ends.
Why it failed: I started working in programming 3 years ago. Ever since I got into 8h/days programming, I feel really tired after I come home. I'm not able to do the meaningless task, and sometimes I just get into bed at 7 and sleep. I suppose that the nature of our jobs depletes our
zuzuleinen
- 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: Any HN stats analysis been done?
I was just thinking of some questions about HN discussions - things like what does the average discussion look like? How long between replies is common / polite (I seem to let the other end hang for hours) I don't particularly care about best time to post (that's defined by me as when I am struck by something) but there are many interesting questions one could ask the corpus (Which leads to the other question - is there a good way to get hold of the corpus?)
Why it failed: I was just thinking of some questions about HN discussions - things like what does the average discussion look like? How long between replies is common / polite (I seem to let the other end hang for hours) I don't particularly care about best time to post (that's d
lifeisstillgood
- 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
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Bootstrappers, what do you do during down time?
I wish things were always busy. By busy I mean, I'm getting inbound leads, I'm having conversations via email or phone, I'm selling, I'm quoting, I'm fixing stuff on the product. Then it goes from crazy busy to suddenly quiet. I just don't know what to do with the down time. I get super uneasy and anxious. I try to do some content marketing but I make so little progress, it's hard to see any result very quickly, so I switch to optimizing the web or landing page and then get see how my PPC campaigns are doing and then reading HN or listening to podcast on bootstrapping etc. I feel inefficient and spread thin. I feel terrible when things are quiet. I have an urge to start cranking out updates and new features on the product but I stop myself, as I only decided to create features that enough paying users request. I have a terrible habit of playing counters
Why it failed: I wish things were always busy. By busy I mean, I'm getting inbound leads, I'm having conversations via email or phone, I'm selling, I'm quoting, I'm fixing stuff on the product. Then it goes from crazy busy to suddenly quiet. I just don't know what
curiously
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: My tools broke, and I am broke, what now?
I am from Brazil, that is having a economic hard time right now, also I don't have a regular income for almost an year (and my last real job was many years ago). I got some small freelancing work to do, I was going to deliver a milestone tomorrow, I was using my startup old workstation that was left on my house (after the startup ran out of rent money) to work on that, but the HDD failed about one hour and a half ago, and the diagnostic tools that come with OSX say that it is impossible to salvage. I am broke, almost literally, in Brazil you cannot ask for bankruptcy as individual, if I could I would ask, I am in debt, have no income and I am struggling to pay rent and food. And the work I had to do requires an OSX, I also own a laptop in its last throes (several parts of it already failed or are randomly working only sometimes) but it is one of those that came with a stupid bios lo
Why it failed: I am from Brazil, that is having a economic hard time right now, also I don't have a regular income for almost an year (and my last real job was many years ago). I got some small freelancing work to do, I was going to deliver a milestone tomorrow, I was using my startup old
speeder
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Can you give me some advice on writing essays?
I am trying to learn to write some interesting essays/blog post, and I need some advice, because I'm completely stuck. I have had trouble coming up with things to talk about my whole life. I read a lot, and I feel like I know a lot of things, but when I sit down to write my mind goes completely blank, I have nothing to say, or rather I feel like there's nothing worth writing about. I don't have anything to say to people who know less than me, because explaining obvious things seems boring, and I don't know what to say to people on HN/LessWrong, because I feel like they are smarter than me and already know everything I am about to say. For example when I read Eliezer Yudkowsky's essays, I think that I already know a lot of the things he is talking about, so before I've read them I had this information in my head, information that could be turned int
Why it failed: I am trying to learn to write some interesting essays/blog post, and I need some advice, because I'm completely stuck. I have had trouble coming up with things to talk about my whole life. I read a lot, and I feel like I know a lot of things, but when I sit down to writ
rayalez
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: What do you wish you knew in your early twenties?
I ask this question to people in my life who, by my standards, "made it". It's usually a person who successfully sold his startup, is leading research field expert or otherwise distinguished in his career (e.g. a president of huge corporation). The question is vague for a reason - to not bias the person. I am interested to hear about everything: technical, financial, social, professional, etc. My thesis is that while we cannot look forward in time (well, not yet) it is easy to look backwards and connect the dots. Hence, I ask this question to learn what's ahead and get prepared for it now. There are few things that usually come up, for example: be humble, work backwards from end-goal, hard work is basis for most things, it's often worth scarifying short term goals for a longer term pay-off, learn to appreciate simple things in life. So, HN audience, what do you w
Why it failed: I ask this question to people in my life who, by my standards, "made it". It's usually a person who successfully sold his startup, is leading research field expert or otherwise distinguished in his career (e.g. a president of huge corporation). The question is vagu
AndriusSutas
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Has the HN Community changed for the worse?
Increasingly I have felt a hesitation to post my thoughts on HN as it seems that more often now than in the past my comments are down-voted because of a disagreement with my opinion rather than a reflection on the quality or "rudeness" of my comment's content. Sometimes I can be rude, and down-votes are not unexpected in those cases of course. Some possible reasons for this are: 1. I've become more sensitive. 2. The quality of my comments have gone down. 3. More people are using the down-vote privilege to express simple disagreement. Of course, this is not a complete list. #1 is unlikely, I am doubtful that my personality has changed much over 3 years. #2 is possible, as I get more comfortable on HN I am more likely to post poorly thought out or emotional comments. My theory behind how #3 could be the reason is that the type of user that is gaining the down-vote privi
Why it failed: Increasingly I have felt a hesitation to post my thoughts on HN as it seems that more often now than in the past my comments are down-voted because of a disagreement with my opinion rather than a reflection on the quality or "rudeness" of my comment's content. Some
wuliwong
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: How do you deal with professional jealousy and getting older?
I'm a 26 y.o. software dev working on going indie. All my life, I've struggled with procrastination. I find it very hard to sit down and work on a project without an external motivator, and on many nights I end up vegging out in front of the TV or aimlessly clicking around on the internet. As a result, even though I am successful on an absolute scale — CS degree from a top-10, worked at a startup and a large company, enough savings to last a few years of solo development — by my own metric of success, I am crippled by the feeling that it's "too late". Every day, I read an article by some hot-shot young dev who has a handful of fancy projects behind his belt (not to mention a great website and design sensibility) while I have exactly zero — and he's half a decade younger than me! How will I ever be able to catch up? Experience-wise, I'm still a junior de
Why it failed: I'm a 26 y.o. software dev working on going indie. All my life, I've struggled with procrastination. I find it very hard to sit down and work on a project without an external motivator, and on many nights I end up vegging out in front of the TV or aimlessly clicking aro
tastyface
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: The struggle to stay motivated
I'm an engineer at $LARGE_SOFTWARE_CO. I'm just shy of 10 years in the workforce. With some skill and lots of luck, I find myself as the lead for a prominent product with a large, established user base. I've run this project for a couple years and enjoy a lot of creative freedom and influence over its future. The project itself is successful and growing fast. The team is smart and effective. I make great money in this role, which is really the only way I'm able to eke out a decent lifestyle (married, kid on the way) in my hometown, $INCREDIBLY_EXPENSIVE_US_CITY. I set my own schedule, and I never work 40 hours. I carry a pager, but it's not much of a burden. By all accounts, it's a top-notch job and I'm lucky to have it. Problem is, I can't stand it anymore. I'm constantly stressed; I have no motivation to complete anything; when I'm in t
Why it failed: I'm an engineer at $LARGE_SOFTWARE_CO. I'm just shy of 10 years in the workforce. With some skill and lots of luck, I find myself as the lead for a prominent product with a large, established user base. I've run this project for a couple years and enjoy a lot of cr
pupsocket
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: I don't know how to launch; I'm scared to. How do I follow through?
Long-time reader, adequate poster, but obviously shy. I'm very young (early 20s) and I haven't hit any homeruns, gone to school, or even finished a course online - ever. My back story is quite interesting, and is the reason for why I am where I am. Do I regret it? No. Would I like to change some things? Yeah, in a way. Regardless, and perhaps thankfully, I've always been curious enough to learn how things work, and how to make them work in my favor. I have two products (web) that I have completely finished, tested, and have developed the site, its content, done the FAQ/KB, setup a helpdesk, payment gateway is ready to go, ToS/PP are written, all that stuff. One of them will take off like a rocket and I'm convinced of it -- I've never been more convinced of anything in my lifetime actually. The other one is a longer-play and will take some time to develo
Why it failed: Long-time reader, adequate poster, but obviously shy. I'm very young (early 20s) and I haven't hit any homeruns, gone to school, or even finished a course online - ever. My back story is quite interesting, and is the reason for why I am where I am. Do I regret it? No. W
scaredtolaunch
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Any luck with Stackoverflow careers (employer side)?
I've published an ad for a developer position on stackoverflow careers, but the response has been a bit underwhelming so far... We are offering competitive salary and we do not deviate much from mainstream technologies, so I was definitely expecting more and better candidates. I'm now thinking about shutting down the ad and go for a more traditional route (monster, indeed, ...), which is a pity because I liked the idea of finding quality developers through the SO platform. Did some of you ever try to advertise a position through SO careers? And how was your experience?
Why it failed: I've published an ad for a developer position on stackoverflow careers, but the response has been a bit underwhelming so far... We are offering competitive salary and we do not deviate much from mainstream technologies, so I was definitely expecting more and better candidate
andrea_s
- startupShut down2015
Ask HN: Real odds of making a living off a web app
My goal is to make a webapp that makes a middle class income. It does not have to be Bay Area middle class, but say 100k a year. What is the real probability this can happen? Or is it a fool's errand? I'm from a non-software field in my 30's, but I'm tired of grinding it out with a salary that can barely cover the expenses. I'd like to work remotely and live somewhere more affordable. I don't expect anything to happen right away, but over the next 5 years. Because I don't see myself saving my way to retirement, owning a business where you control your time is the only end game I can see. I like building apps and take pride in my work, so it seems like a good avenue for me. Thanks.
Why it failed: My goal is to make a webapp that makes a middle class income. It does not have to be Bay Area middle class, but say 100k a year. What is the real probability this can happen? Or is it a fool's errand? I'm from a non-software field in my 30's, but I'm tired of
savorypiano