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 down2014
Ask HN: How do you balance being a dual-income household with a baby?
For background, my spouse and I both work. We never considered one of us being a stay-at-home parent since we both need the feeling of accomplishment that comes with working and put a lot into building our careers. And thankfully, our jobs are understanding when we have to leave early or stay home because our young daughter is sick, daycare is closed unexpectedly, etc. However, we always end up feeling guilty about it and worry their patience will wear thin soon. Additionally, it seems like we only have enough time to barely keep our heads above water at home, never mind be able to enjoy the few hours a day we get with our daughter. (We haven't cleaned our house or mowed our lawn in over a month, and only read to her 2 or 3 times a week.) Life feels like one long, never ending to-do list where we can never perform well in any area of our life (work, being parents, home, etc), and we
Why it failed: For background, my spouse and I both work. We never considered one of us being a stay-at-home parent since we both need the feeling of accomplishment that comes with working and put a lot into building our careers. And thankfully, our jobs are understanding when we have to leave
mh5
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: A 19 year old, what should I do?
Hello HN people, I'm feeling lost for a while and all the local people who I've tried getting in contact with, well, they all say the same thing over and over again. I want to drop college. The big problem is that everyone is trying to make me feel bad about this, as if this would be the end of the world, as if there are only 2 choices in life: college or be a bum. For me this feels wrong. I mean, I've started programming for fun at a really young age, and I've managed to get my first (full-time) job in the summer break after 10th grade and continued until I finished my high-school. Since then I've worked with a different company and in my spare time I've tried starting various projects of mine. As I've said, I've started programming out of pure pleasure, and I consider that I've learned a lot like that, and now it feels like the only way to g
Why it failed: Hello HN people, I'm feeling lost for a while and all the local people who I've tried getting in contact with, well, they all say the same thing over and over again. I want to drop college. The big problem is that everyone is trying to make me feel bad about this, as if
coolsebz
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: living and working in US
Hi everyone, I wanted to ask for your comments. I'll try to keep this as short as I can. I'm a 26yo enterprise Java dev and the sole provider for my little family (wife and toddler). We're EU citizens. We spent the last 8 years in UK, and have recently moved to Belgium looking for a change. And change we got, but not the good kind. So want to move again. My wife keeps saying we should move to US, perhaps California. She thinks we'll finally have some sunshine, lots of affordable fresh food, perhaps live in a house with garden, beautiful nature close enough to actually go camping for the weekends, and friendly and approachable people. And she's probably right about these, but I'm a little scared about what we'd be giving up. Namely, 40h workweek 5 weeks of holiday a year free/cheap health insurance free/cheap education up to university level fo
Why it failed: Hi everyone, I wanted to ask for your comments. I'll try to keep this as short as I can. I'm a 26yo enterprise Java dev and the sole provider for my little family (wife and toddler). We're EU citizens. We spent the last 8 years in UK, and have recently moved to Bel
seminole
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: I am a good developer but have a serious gaming addiction
Hi HN, I made this throw away account because I am shamed to post with my main one, and also I really need help. I am a great full stack developer who struggled with procrastination all my life and despite it I managed to do some great things. Lately I have quit my well paid job just because I wanted to start my own business. Things are not going that bad, I got a gig consulting for a big company and also got a potential client to sell the project I am working on. Now here is the main problem. Things are going really slow mainly because I lose focus really fast and end up spending most of my day playing(I started with LOL, now playing Heartstone and Diablo). I promised the client a MVP in like 3 weeks because I already had a lot of stuff done, but I managed to do almost nothing in the last month. The thing is I start working and after like 30 minutes- 1 hour I get bored and start playing
Why it failed: Hi HN, I made this throw away account because I am shamed to post with my main one, and also I really need help. I am a great full stack developer who struggled with procrastination all my life and despite it I managed to do some great things. Lately I have quit my well paid job
gameraddict
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: Sick of your bank? Want to build a open source, non-profit, online bank?
Hey there, I'm Irish, and here our banks are shady and private. The government owns most of them (through bailouts) yet still there's little to no transparency - they act as the please, grabbing as much profit off their customers as possible. Most people here hate their bank and would gladly move to a half decent alternative, but of course there is none. It's identical in most countries nowadays, including the US. I think we can all agree that fundamentally, the finance industry is backward, greedy and corrupt. It needs to change. Here's the idea: An open source, upfront, transparant and humane bank driven not by profit but by the passion to simply create a bank that people like and enjoy using. A few key ideas or keystones might include: * Transparant/Open Source * Non Profit * Great Customer Support * Few and fair fees * Great User Experience * Mobile First (cl
Why it failed: Hey there, I'm Irish, and here our banks are shady and private. The government owns most of them (through bailouts) yet still there's little to no transparency - they act as the please, grabbing as much profit off their customers as possible. Most people here hate their
niallpaterson
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: We are looking to “adopt” Android apps
Hi HN Community! We are currently working on a mobile analytics project focused on the Android platform. In the spirit of the lean startup philosophy, we want to be able to run live tests of our assumptions with real users, and iterate really fast. Given that a lot of applications that were developed are now abandoned for a lot of reasons (did not grow big enough, developers moved on to other projects), we thought this might be a good opportunity for us to "adopt" one or more of these apps for us to play with. The applications that would be the most relevant for us are apps that are already developed and have a considerable, organically attracted, number of daily active users (over 1000). These apps are general purpose and keep the user engaged for a longer than average period of time (for instance a news reader app is better for us than a one time use BMI Calculator). If anyon
Why it failed: Hi HN Community! We are currently working on a mobile analytics project focused on the Android platform. In the spirit of the lean startup philosophy, we want to be able to run live tests of our assumptions with real users, and iterate really fast. Given that a lot of application
kiberstranier
- startupShut down2014
OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on
http://www.openbsdfoundation.org/donations.html and http://openbsd.org/want.html
Why it failed: http://www.openbsdfoundation.org/donations.html and http://openbsd.org/want.html
openbsddesktop
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: (meta) How do you find real hacker news?
I used to love Hacker News. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy its simplicity and straight-forward approach, but increasingly it doesn't seem to really be about small startups and experimental hacks. What I used to enjoy about Hacker News was the focus on awesome things coming out of small teams -- an awesome mix of creative tech, smart people, business advice, and inspiration from their tiny beginnings. But more often today, "big news" stories get submitted and then upvoted like crazy because they're from companies we already know about. For example, the current top 25 HN stories include the likes of Microsoft, Vice, ArsTechnica, EuroGamer, Aljazeera, Valve, Apple, and Comcast. Sure, those companies and efforts are part of the larger tech landscape, but it's just not what I was looking for (read: there are lots of other places to read those stories). So, sin
Why it failed: I used to love Hacker News. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy its simplicity and straight-forward approach, but increasingly it doesn't seem to really be about small startups and experimental hacks. What I used to enjoy about Hacker News was the focus on awesome things
akumpf
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: Post-Mortem for "Who wants to be hired"
I wanted to get some feedback form those of you that saw the "Who wants to be hired" thread [1] posted last Friday. While dang mentioned [2] that he didn't feel this should be set up as a recurring whoishiring sponsored thread, I wanted to see if there would be some value in someone setting this up on a semi-recurring basis (every few months, once a year, etc.), and to discuss some of the concerns he and others had on that thread. Some thoughts I think would be valuable to gather: - For those posting their resume: How many people reached out, and were they relevant, or even great fits? - For those looking for candidates: Did you find it valuable, and were you even able to find good fits for your organization? - For others in the HN community: Did you find it interesting, or did you use it to find fits for opportunities you were aware of? - For everyone: Outside of the abov
Why it failed: I wanted to get some feedback form those of you that saw the "Who wants to be hired" thread [1] posted last Friday. While dang mentioned [2] that he didn't feel this should be set up as a recurring whoishiring sponsored thread, I wanted to see if there would be som
jader201
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: Quit my job. Company coming after me
I moved my family from Denver to the Bay Area to work for a medical device startup. The pay was very good. After about 4 months, I decided to part ways with them for personal reasons. The timing was unfortunate as I quit the day after I received a performance award. I did finish up a major project before I quit though. The day I announced my intention to quit, my manager asked me to reconsider my decision. After I stuck to my decision, he had the VP of HR talk to me. This was when things became a little unsettling. HR manager advised that I pack my belongings and leave the building before either VP A or VP B found out about my decision to leave. I was also told that I would not find any positions in the Medical Device Industry in the Bay Area. Towards the end of our conversation, HR lady mentioned that her mental state was transitioning towards anger. Due to these comments, I thought it
Why it failed: I moved my family from Denver to the Bay Area to work for a medical device startup. The pay was very good. After about 4 months, I decided to part ways with them for personal reasons. The timing was unfortunate as I quit the day after I received a performance award. I did finish
sriram_sun
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: Show us your abandoned (and probably incomplete) side projects
I think most of us have some abandoned projects collecting dust on Github. Post them here so others can work on it or you even get enough motivation to start working on it again. For example, I started an user mode network stack in Python: https://github.com/fotcorn/pynetworkstack which responses to ping requests, but nothing more.
Why it failed: I think most of us have some abandoned projects collecting dust on Github. Post them here so others can work on it or you even get enough motivation to start working on it again. For example, I started an user mode network stack in Python: https://github.com/fotcor
fotcorn
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason
I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason except being told that "our plans changed". I joined as employee #1 of a YC startup. I spent a week working with them before joining. They liked me, and I liked them. I officially joined as the COO. Deal was to work remotely, till we all figured out the visa. And then, suddenly I was told over a ‘catch-up call’, that they have to rethink the hiring decision because they really needed someone with a different skill set. The conversation was friendly and polite. Now finger snap - just like that – I am out! Specifically, I was politely asked to leave. Its the strangest experience of my life. They keep reiterating that its not performance related. I believe it. The problem is: - I let all job offers go (I had a few good ones) - Told my friends/family about the job, and that I will be moving to America - Reached out to all my co
Why it failed: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason except being told that "our plans changed". I joined as employee #1 of a YC startup. I spent a week working with them before joining. They liked me, and I liked them. I officially joined as the COO. Deal was to work remo
guybrushT
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: What ever happened with the TrueCrypt shutdown?
I haven't heard anything since the first few forum posts. Did we ever figure out definitively if it was a hack, information operation, canary, dead man's switch or what?
Why it failed: I haven't heard anything since the first few forum posts. Did we ever figure out definitively if it was a hack, information operation, canary, dead man's switch or what?
Tech1
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: Chances for Restarting a Career in CS @ 30+ ?
i studied literature and philosophy @ a german university. after my master, i joined an it-startup - and as so many of them, we failed (but i don't regret learning so much within that time). even though, i got some interviews within the last ~7 months, i still can't find an avg. job to be able to finance a small room + living expenses. now, i'm 31. i did some cs certificates offered by edx/coursera within the last 12 months (MitX: Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python, Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science; BerkelyX: Engineering Software as a Service; HarvardX: CS50...). and i'm totally addicted to coding - even when i notice my lack of math skills. i spent the nights trying to understand cs concepts and couldn't sleep or stop before i found a solution (sometimes i did not sleep the whole day). sorry for the long pro
Why it failed: i studied literature and philosophy @ a german university. after my master, i joined an it-startup - and as so many of them, we failed (but i don't regret learning so much within that time). even though, i got some interviews within the last ~7 months, i still can't fin
d33d33
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: What was the startup that got customers with failed payments back?
I remember seeing it here. I am looking for a service that mailed customers on my startup's behalf after they have failed to make the payment on time and has stopped using my startup.
Why it failed: I remember seeing it here. I am looking for a service that mailed customers on my startup's behalf after they have failed to make the payment on time and has stopped using my startup.
amitu
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: How can I prevent getting 'ousted' from the company that I co-founded?
I am the technical co-founder in a New York based company. ‘Company’ is just a way to say it, we are just two guys with a good idea and an already finished MVP that I built myself in a four months period. The idea guy is not technical at all, he knows his away around in all business related matters, and coming from an ivy-league school, he has a lot of connections. Four months ago he approached me with the idea, which I liked, and I started working on it. I like to do stuff, and I started working on it as a side project. I have a very well compensated job in a local startup and I would like continue to do that in the short/medium term. As I said, we have a really good idea and a working product. Is not crazy to say that my co-founder could raise a couple hundred thousand dollars from investors in our current state. My concern is that so far everything, my equity, and possible future
Why it failed: I am the technical co-founder in a New York based company. ‘Company’ is just a way to say it, we are just two guys with a good idea and an already finished MVP that I built myself in a four months period. The idea guy is not technical at all, he knows his away around in all busin
newbiecofounder
- startupShut down2014
How can I help my local government as a developer / designer?
I am soon taking a whole year off from client-work (a kind of "sabbatical") and I've been looking all over the interwebs for ways to help my local government / city through my skills as a front-end developer and designer... I'm stuck! Does anyone know where to start finding problems that a local government might be facing and would like solutions (prototypes)? Has anyone tried this and would be willing to share their experience? Sidenote: I recently got the chance to sit down with the Head of Social Service & Care of the city I live in (2nd largest city in Denmark, Aarhus) who was "mindblown" about the fact that developers and designers actually would want to help out their communities and the local government. She said that they had many issues they could list publicly for anyone to jump on. That made me think; I could make a non-techie-friendly pl
Why it failed: I am soon taking a whole year off from client-work (a kind of "sabbatical") and I've been looking all over the interwebs for ways to help my local government / city through my skills as a front-end developer and designer... I'm stuck! Does anyone know whe
Lichine
- startupShut down2014
My Kickstarter is going to end in failure today. What went wrong?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/samuelfine/newbee-central-command-for-new-parents My Kickstarter for Newbee, an app I'm building for new parents, ends this afternoon, and it will fail. I've received nothing but positive feedback on both the concept itself, and on the Kickstarter project, from individuals ranging from 20-something techie dudes to 60-something mothers of 5. Everyone loves it, in theory. I got a great write-up on Brit + Co, a weird one on Boston.com, tweeted about by people with 100k+ followers, and I even had the chance to pitch my app to Mark Cuban on Good Morning America this morning. https://gma.yahoo.com/video/39-shark-tank-life-39-125534906.html And yet. Finding backers has been like squeezing blood from a stone, even after nationwide exposure on the #1 morning show. Positive feedback across the board, millio
Why it failed: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/samuelfine/newbee-central-command-for-new-parents My Kickstarter for Newbee, an app I'm building for new parents, ends this afternoon, and it will fail. I've received nothing but positive feedback on both the
54mf
- startupShut down2014
How did you go from being an adequate to exceptional programmer?
I'm new to web development and am primarily self-taught. I know enough to get my own site live, make it look good, and make somewhat nuanced decisions about its architecture and the best method for accomplishing X task. But now I feel stuck. I just started working full-time as a software developer (!) and was hoping this experience would help me learn a ton--however, for whatever reason, work is relatively slow and I end up doing what I already know or am left out of any "teaching" going on. I'm a little nervous I'm stuck when it comes to my skills and don't know what to look/ask for next. What experience/situation allowed you to learn the most? Was it an awesome mentor, a great freelance project, some course you took? Is it something I could find at work or does real learning come when you're working on your own projects?
Why it failed: I'm new to web development and am primarily self-taught. I know enough to get my own site live, make it look good, and make somewhat nuanced decisions about its architecture and the best method for accomplishing X task. But now I feel stuck. I just started working full-time
lunarprose
- startupShut down2014
Ask HN: How can i help my dad?
My father has been working as a networking engineer for almost 40 years. He is exceptional at what he does. The problem is we live in a country, where things like perfection, attention to detail mean nothing. Also he is old, which is a big problem for most employers. 3 years ago he quit his job, because the owner of the company hadn't payed him for 7 months. My father didn't care for 5 months, continued doing his job, as if he was getting payed twice as much. After 7 months passed he brought the project to an end and the firm maid a substantial amount of money because of his work. He then resigned. My Dad didn't care if he wasn't getting payed, his work matters most to him and he proved it. It pains me to see him today (3 years later), still searching for jobs and going crazy, because he can't do what he loves the most. He started developing projects on his own,
Why it failed: My father has been working as a networking engineer for almost 40 years. He is exceptional at what he does. The problem is we live in a country, where things like perfection, attention to detail mean nothing. Also he is old, which is a big problem for most employers. 3 years ago
eagerNewb
- startupShut down2014
Ads are disgusting.
I´ve used AdBlock for years. One of the first things i learned when i was introduced to the internet was about ad-blockers. Nowadays i use a number of them, including disconnect, adblock and a number of other extensions that make my browsing faster and my life easier. But what about people who don´t care / don´t know about these little helpers who destroy all those intrusive little things? A while ago i went to my grandpa´s home, and at a certain moment i asked to use his computer to check my mail. I ended up going to several webpages because it was late at night and i was bored, and what i saw was devastating. Ads were cluttering my screen and restricting me from closing them. New windows were minimizing themselves and playing sound, and my favourite websites were telling me i was the 1.000.000th visitor and asking me to claim my prize. I would say just the fact that i had to see a
Why it failed: I´ve used AdBlock for years. One of the first things i learned when i was introduced to the internet was about ad-blockers. Nowadays i use a number of them, including disconnect, adblock and a number of other extensions that make my browsing faster and my life easier. But what ab
redxblood
- startupShut down2014
Spanish lobby that made Goggle News to shut down now asks for EU intervention
In less than 24 hours, which is quite funny. AEDE, which is the organisation that lobbied to create the "Google Tax" in Spain that made them shut down Google News, is now asking Spain and EU authorities intervention to avoid it. In their words "they are willing to negotiate with Google" [1] The announcement of shutting down Google News has been previously discussed in HN, just this morning [2] with a good summary in English from the top comment [3] [1] http://www.abc.es/medios/20141211/abci-aede-editores-google-news-201412112017.html (sorry, in Spanish) Google-translated here: https://translate.google.ie/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.es%2Fmedios%2F20141211%2Fabci-aede-editores-google-news-201412112017.html&edit-text=&act=url [2] https://news.y
Why it failed: In less than 24 hours, which is quite funny. AEDE, which is the organisation that lobbied to create the "Google Tax" in Spain that made them shut down Google News, is now asking Spain and EU authorities intervention to avoid it. In their words "they are willing to
jaimebuelta
- startupShut down2014
$300 Billion Broadband Scandal (2009) [pdf]
In the previous thread there was a discussion to give the details of how the phone companies were able to charge customers excess profits and get tax perks that were supposed to be used to upgrade the networks. This book -- link attached --- has a description of how we calculated the numbers -- though it was written in 2004 - the 20th anniversary of the break up of AT&T.<p>We have a new book coming out where we update most of the stats, but essentially, the phone companies were able to claim -- en mass --that they were going to replace the copper wires with fiber starting in 1991, and from 1993-to about 2005 they did nothing (with some exceptions) but they were able to get state laws changed to do funding of the upgrades. No state ever went back and examined the commitment and got refunds—so all rate increases are based on the original ‘commitments’—and changes in the law.<p
Why it failed: In the previous thread there was a discussion to give the details of how the phone companies were able to charge customers excess profits and get tax perks that were supposed to be used to upgrade the networks. This book -- link attached --- has a description of how we calculated
kushnick
- startupShut down2014
Spreading a little Christmas job-hunting hope
I'm 32+, live with my parents and have failed at 4 different startups in the past 10 years, two since I left my last paying job in 2012. In 2014, I had $0 taxable income (due to being unemployed) and was rejected by the following companies: Google* (third time in 3 years) Twilio* (x2) Smartling* Samsung* Amazon+ Facebook Cloudflare AppDynamics* DigitalOcean Placemeter* E.W.Scripps* Hatch AppNexus* OpenX ThoughtWorks* Roost ... several others I can't remember ... several others I can remember, but mutually decided the fit was wrong ... MANY others to whom I submitted a resume and never heard back * = rejected after in-person interview + = withdrew, sensing impending rejection else, rejected after phone screen In addition, I took the GMAT and was rejected by the following schools: MIT Sloan Stanford Business School Columbia Business School Harvard Business School If you're t
Why it failed: I'm 32+, live with my parents and have failed at 4 different startups in the past 10 years, two since I left my last paying job in 2012. In 2014, I had $0 taxable income (due to being unemployed) and was rejected by the following companies: Google* (third time in 3 years) Tw
throwawaybcporn