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.
2,200 solutions
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: Where are the part-time remote coding jobs?
I really love writing, and over the years I've cultivated a respectable audience of readers. But the money in writing is abysmal, far too little to make a living. In years past, I supported my writing habit by taking on remote coding jobs, either as a part-time employee, or putting in part-time-like hours as a contractor. For almost a decade I coded in the mornings, and wrote in the afternoons. I tend to live inexpensively, so this approach was satisfactory. My last such part-time position wrapped up in mid-2021, and since then I've not seen a single part-time opportunity that matches my skill set (LAMP back-end, everything front-end). After months of looking, I had to break down and take a full-time coding job just to keep the bills paid. As a consequence I have very little time and energy left for writing--weekends are mainly spent caring for my kindergarten-age kid. The depr
Why it failed: I really love writing, and over the years I've cultivated a respectable audience of readers. But the money in writing is abysmal, far too little to make a living. In years past, I supported my writing habit by taking on remote coding jobs, either as a part-time employee, or
DamnInteresting
- startupShut down2024
Show HN: Free e-book about WebGPU Programming
I am excited to announce the launch of my e-book on Graphics/WebGPU programming! This project has consumed much of my spare time, during which I developed various tools to facilitate the publishing process, including a code playground and a static site generator that can reference sample codes. However, I'm feeling burnt out and ready to call it finished, even though it may not feel completely done. Avoiding another abandoned side project has been my primary motivation in reaching this point.
Why it failed: I am excited to announce the launch of my e-book on Graphics/WebGPU programming! This project has consumed much of my spare time, during which I developed various tools to facilitate the publishing process, including a code playground and a static site generator that can ref
billconan
- startupShut down2024
Show HN: Making GNU Make a better Task Runner
I know this could be considered blasphemous, but I constantly find myself using Make as a task runner. I have written my own task runner in the past, but somehow I always end up using make. I went, and I put together 3 quality of life snippets I use all the time and put it in a single makext.mk file that can be included in other Makefiles and wrote a basic readme for it. This is not meant to be a replacement for other task runners, but I do think it can be useful to some of you. https://github.com/mitjafelicijan/makext Check it out and see if it makes sense to you. Thanks for any feedback or comments. Cheers
Why it failed: I know this could be considered blasphemous, but I constantly find myself using Make as a task runner. I have written my own task runner in the past, but somehow I always end up using make. I went, and I put together 3 quality of life snippets I use all the time and put it in a s
mitjafelicijan
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: My brain is telling me to quit everything. What should I do?
I come from a household of strict parents, where if a non-optimal grade was brought home, you got punished, mostly emotionally but sometimes also physically. This pushed me to get good grades at all costs and it lead me to creative ways of doing that. I was on the 3rd grade while reading a lesson about the Earth and Nature and it took me a whole Sunday to just read one page. I didn't know it then, but I do know now, I had ADHD (inattentive type). Needless to say, it took me way longer to get anything done in comparison with my peers. Though, all the way up to the end of high school, I earned a 4.0. All of this I accomplished through relentless dedication to school work. It was at the time when I got a scholarship to study in the States. The first two years, I did ok, cause the classes weren't that bad. But in the subsequent two years when things got hectic, I broke down. I star
Why it failed: I come from a household of strict parents, where if a non-optimal grade was brought home, you got punished, mostly emotionally but sometimes also physically. This pushed me to get good grades at all costs and it lead me to creative ways of doing that. I was on the 3rd grade while
zer0sand0nes
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: Alternatives to Gumroad for "software licenses"?
I am looking for alternatives to Gumroad to sell “software licenses” / “activation codes” / “serial numbers” online. I have seen several similar platforms that focus on selling digital assets (files) but not activation codes. I could either upload a list of pregenerated codes to the platform, or have the platform generate the codes with an API to validate them. Both would be fine. I need that the platform acts as a merchant of record (to handle VAT in different countries). This basically means that the platform would be invoicing users, and I would be invoicing the platform. I would also need to be able to translate the product description to different languages (this is something that Gumroad cannot do — they force you to create different products) and also support EUR as a currency. What solutions have you worked with?
Why it failed: I am looking for alternatives to Gumroad to sell “software licenses” / “activation codes” / “serial numbers” online. I have seen several similar platforms that focus on selling digital assets (files) but not activation codes. I could either upload a list of pregenerated
grodriguez100
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: How do you develop and maintain a good note-taking habit?
I see a lot of people here talking about the importance of their respective note-taking systems for their life and productivity. I would like to gain the benefits of such a system but I run into a couple issues. The first is that when I do take notes, I over-write them. I’ll find myself nearly word-for-word copying the information I need. This is a habit from my years in education where I would basically transcribe lectures as a way to maintain attention as a strategy for ADHD. Therefore, my notes end up a muddled version of the source material and I’ll just use the source material for reference, making the initial note take a big waste of time from the standpoint of having an easy reference available. Another problem I run into is that when I’m very attentive to a task or piece of information and want to take some note on it or reference notes from elsewhere, switching contexts to my no
Why it failed: I see a lot of people here talking about the importance of their respective note-taking systems for their life and productivity. I would like to gain the benefits of such a system but I run into a couple issues. The first is that when I do take notes, I over-write them. I’ll find
gfourfour
- startupShut down2024
Show HN: Clace – Application Server with support for scaling down to zero
I have been building the open source project https://github.com/claceio/clace . Clace is an application server that builds and deploys containers, allowing it to manage webapps in any language/framework. Compared to application servers like Nginx Unit, Clace has the advantage of being able to work with any application, without requiring any dependency or packaging changes. Clace provides a blue-green staged deployment model for apps. Not just code changes, even configuration changes are staged and can be verified before being made live. Clace is not a PaaS solution, it does not support deploying databases and other auxiliary services. It does share the fact that it manages containers with PaaS solutions. Clace is different in that it builds its own reverse proxy, instead of depending on Traefik/Nginx. This allows Clace to implement features like shutting dow
Why it failed: I have been building the open source project https://github.com/claceio/clace . Clace is an application server that builds and deploys containers, allowing it to manage webapps in any language/framework. Compared to application servers like Nginx Unit, Cl
ajayvk
- startupShut down2024
ChatGPT Has Captchas Now
I am a paying customer of ChatGPT. Today it started to give me "Are you Human?" tasks/captchas, where you have to rotate objects so they are showing in the same direction as the hand of a mannequin. However these tasks are not as easy as they seem, because the objects shown have no clear "forward" direction, so it took me couple of tries to get it done. I am baffled by this. Not only, because I use the online website (= I am not using the API, like in a terminal), but also because I am logged in and a paying customer. Why am I getting asked if I am human? The way this is executed makes me believe that this is actually a training tho, and not a captcha (to get to know what people believe "forward" means with certain objects). https://imgur.com/a/aphJnMS
Why it failed: I am a paying customer of ChatGPT. Today it started to give me "Are you Human?" tasks/captchas, where you have to rotate objects so they are showing in the same direction as the hand of a mannequin. However these tasks are not as easy as they seem, because the obje
runxel
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: Lenovo encouraging Chromebook users to install Linux?
I was surprised to see that Lenovo has a guide to installing the Linux distro of your choosing on a Lenovo Chromebook device. I guess the cynic in me expects that companies want you to use whatever OS is bundled with the hardware rather than encouraging users to use the hardware the way they'd like -- or at least that they wouldn't want to make it easy to overwrite the ChromeOS install by providing a helpful how-to! Can anyone think of why Lenovo would do this? I would expect that this would potentially draw the ire of Google, but surely Lenovo has thought this through and maybe knows Google doesn't care enough? Just curious if anyone can speak to Lenovo's incentive calculus here https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/faqs/operating-systems/install-linux-chromebook/ (Ps: the guide is somewhat out of date -- for those curious, this seems t
Why it failed: I was surprised to see that Lenovo has a guide to installing the Linux distro of your choosing on a Lenovo Chromebook device. I guess the cynic in me expects that companies want you to use whatever OS is bundled with the hardware rather than encouraging users to use the hardware
vector_spaces
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: I got laid off and I want to showcase my skills, any suggestion?
I got recently laid off (the first time in my life ), and I have worked for around 11 years without being more than 2 days unemployed; I'm currently doing rounds of interviews and for the first time in my life, I have an extreme amount of free time. I can imagine people would recommend me to use this free time to follow my passions, get some rest, play videogames or do anything that is not working; but I'm not the kind of person that likes any of those things, I like to do something constructive, and I would like if this something can help me now or in future with my job search. I saw many job posts asking for a Github account to see what contributions I have done to open source, and unfortunately, my contributions amount to none, the companies I have worked for do not publish open source code, and with 2 hours of commute + 9 hours being in the office when I'm home I don&#
Why it failed: I got recently laid off (the first time in my life ), and I have worked for around 11 years without being more than 2 days unemployed; I'm currently doing rounds of interviews and for the first time in my life, I have an extreme amount of free time. I can imagine people woul
maury91
- startupShut down2024
Amazon offering $5 credit for old Cloud Cams
I recently purchased new security cameras on Amazon. I used to have Amazon Cloud Cams, but Amazon discontinued supporting them and essentially made them useless. I’m a tech hoarder so I kept them in my box of future projects I will never work on. I wasn’t too angry because they sent me free Blink cameras to replace them. See: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31531783 Anyway, I just wanted to highlight that Amazon offered me $5 to ship my old Cloud Cams back to them. Not sure what they are going to do with them, hopefully recycle them somehow. But I think it’s worth highlighting that companies SHOULD be doing this and collecting old tech to reduce waste. So kudos.
Why it failed: I recently purchased new security cameras on Amazon. I used to have Amazon Cloud Cams, but Amazon discontinued supporting them and essentially made them useless. I’m a tech hoarder so I kept them in my box of future projects I will never work on. I wasn’t too angry because they s
cyberlurker
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: How to deal with the AI-pocalypse as a regular guy?
I feel like there is a huge elephant in the room, and I'm sure I can't be the only one thinking about this currently. However, in the web dev community, which I likely follow a bit too closely for my own good, there is a lot of business as usual. People argue about all kinds of things like AI had never happened. Sure, everyone is regularly confronted with the rapid advances made by Copilot and the likes, but influencers on YouTube and X, as well as the very companies developing all these novel solutions, keep telling us: "there will always be a need for good (whatever that means) developers," "the rising tide lifts all the boats," or "the ones who adapt will be the ones who survive." And it seems obvious why each of those are making these claims. I'm just increasingly having a hard time believing any of that. I think pretty much everyone who h
Why it failed: I feel like there is a huge elephant in the room, and I'm sure I can't be the only one thinking about this currently. However, in the web dev community, which I likely follow a bit too closely for my own good, there is a lot of business as usual. People argue about all
elschneider
- startupShut down2024
AMA: I'm Dave Greene, an accidental expert on Conway's Game of Life
I drifted into the Conway's Life research community in 2001 when I won a small cash prize for a lucky discovery of something called a "boojum reflector". My involvement has gradually snowballed since then. Off and on I've helped maintain various Life-related mailing lists and blogs, the Life Lexicon, and more recently the conwaylife.com forums and LifeWiki. Another thing I stumbled into was helping Nathaniel Johnson complete an improbably thorough 480-page Conway's Life textbook, with end-of-chapter exercises and everything. The book could be used to teach a college-level class on the subject. https://conwaylife.com/book/ has a free PDF download for the book. So... I'm not the cleverest Lifenthusiast by a long shot, but for a random question about the Game of Life, I'm more likely to know something about it than at least 99.9999% of
Why it failed: I drifted into the Conway's Life research community in 2001 when I won a small cash prize for a lucky discovery of something called a "boojum reflector". My involvement has gradually snowballed since then. Off and on I've helped maintain various Life-related m
dvgrn
- startupShut down2024
I Hate VC's
I have started a number of companies. All self-funded. Some were successful and others were "experiences". My last company was almost acquired for tens of millions of dollars when the economy imploded in 2008 and the world froze. A few years ago I decided I could take some of the technologies developed for that business and apply them to a new domain: Energy Optimization. The idea was to support wide deployment of EV's. Today this has shifted to power-hungry AI data centers. I self-funded this hardware/software startup and got on with developing the products. The pandemic forced us to pivot in 2020. We developed an aircraft disinfection robot. We had a lot of interest from major airlines and a $50MM sales pipeline. When the vaccine was announced, interest evaporated. How you deal with the tough moments in life and business is important. You have to be resilient. In 20
Why it failed: I have started a number of companies. All self-funded. Some were successful and others were "experiences". My last company was almost acquired for tens of millions of dollars when the economy imploded in 2008 and the world froze. A few years ago I decided I could take s
robomartin
- startupShut down2024
I Worked Hard all my Life. I Regret it
I Worked Hard all my Life I Regret it. Harder than anyone I had ever known. Did it bring success? -No. I really wanna say "yes" to justify my hard work and push down those who didn't work hard, but can't lie to myself. These 3 things changed everything for me: 1. Kill me EGO. Back in the day, I worked hard, but in most cases, I was simply fighting with my own "intentional" mistakes. Most of the things I did came out of my ego. For example, I'd design things based on my personal taste rather than looking for this year's trend and adopting it. Why did I go for my own taste vs the current thing? because of my EGO. 99% of founders in my network make this mistake as we speak, I see it every day now, but I didn't see it in myself back then. Killing my ego led to becoming 2-5x more productive, which means I don't need to work as "hard"
Why it failed: I Worked Hard all my Life I Regret it. Harder than anyone I had ever known. Did it bring success? -No. I really wanna say "yes" to justify my hard work and push down those who didn't work hard, but can't lie to myself. These 3 things changed everything for me:
johnrushx
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: My company went bankrupt today and I have 2 options
I am a software engineer and entrepreneur, I have 5+ years of experience. During all of these 5+ years, I was building my startups (2 of my companies failed, and I currently have a small team where we develop in-house mobile apps, but we are not generating any revenue at the moment) while I was working as an engineer in software companies on a salaried basis. So you see, I had a "safe" entrepreneurship adventure. Today I got the news that the company I have been working for the last 1.5 years went bankrupt. They were operating in the fintech sector. From the very beginning, I always wanted to be a tech entrepreneur and I dreamed of one day quitting my salaried job completely and not coming back. I wanted to do this not because it was cool, but because I wanted to be the decision maker on the technology and business issues that I developed with my own team and I wanted to do gre
Why it failed: I am a software engineer and entrepreneur, I have 5+ years of experience. During all of these 5+ years, I was building my startups (2 of my companies failed, and I currently have a small team where we develop in-house mobile apps, but we are not generating any revenue at the mome
egesabanci
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: My Cofounder was diagnosed with cancer, what should I do?
My cofounder and I started the company 9 months ago. We are on 4 year 1 cliff vesting schedule. This coming June 2024, we'll finish the 1 year cliff. However he only commited 6 months out of this 1 year. And I can't blame him for that as none of us has expected this scenario. What should I do?
Why it failed: My cofounder and I started the company 9 months ago. We are on 4 year 1 cliff vesting schedule. This coming June 2024, we'll finish the 1 year cliff. However he only commited 6 months out of this 1 year. And I can't blame him for that as none of us has expected this sce
WatermelonSki
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: Digital Nomad Guide for International Phone Numbers
I’m looking for advice on how to select a phone number that works for someone who moves a lot. *Current state* - I move to a different country every 3-4 years & travel a lot - I have a UK phone number - I’ll move away from UK to somewhere else *Wants* - Single phone number - have it for rest of my life - Receive International SMS - need for banks + application login + 2-factor) - Works with Whatsapp & Telegram - Cost is cheap end (less than $15 per month) *Other Info* - Don’t need any data plans. I use AirAlo and buy eSim or Local Sim whenever I move/travel *Current Solution* *Pros* - I’m using a VOIP provider called Hushed - It says it doesn’t guarantee 2 factor, but it has worked with literally every single application & non North American bank. (My main bank is not in NA so doesn’t effect me) - I can get international SMS and calls - Cheap $7/mo - I can extend it
Why it failed: I’m looking for advice on how to select a phone number that works for someone who moves a lot. *Current state* - I move to a different country every 3-4 years & travel a lot - I have a UK phone number - I’ll move away from UK to somewhere else *Wants* - Single phone number -
doorknobguy
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?
I've been a decent mid-level dev professionally for a long time now but been in a sort of rut for about as long as I can remember. Outside of work (which is going fine), I just don't have anything programming related to do. I keep myself busy playing with new tools and languages when I can be bothered but if I really think about it, I just don't have any problems to solve with these tools. I could lock myself in an empty room for days and come up with nothing . I've been waiting for an "idea" to hit me for nearly 10 years, I don't use any open source software that I could contribute to at all, and I lack the creativity to come up with "just for fun" projects. I feel very stagnant and I just don't know how to move forward anymore. Am I just hard-wired to be mediocre?
Why it failed: I've been a decent mid-level dev professionally for a long time now but been in a sort of rut for about as long as I can remember. Outside of work (which is going fine), I just don't have anything programming related to do. I keep myself busy playing with new tools and
yungporko
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: How to survive as a homeless programmer in the winter (AB, Canada)?
I've been looking for a job/contract for 6+ months but last week I was evicted and lost mostly everything I own except my laptop, a few pairs of clothes, and a few Raspberry Pis. I was working at a nice company but I got "poached" after one saw my AGPL project, I decided to leave the nice place since new place looked like a better fit. Turns out they wanted to take advantage of my open-source work that I've poured my free-time into for 3+ years + seen interest from investors/VC firms. They tried to build their product from it and I wasn't able to tolerate that so I screwed myself by not continuing work with them + not having anything else lined up... I've been trying to get "social support" through Alberta's online social services for over a month now and I even went so far as to walk 5 hours (round-trip, I have no car/license)
Why it failed: I've been looking for a job/contract for 6+ months but last week I was evicted and lost mostly everything I own except my laptop, a few pairs of clothes, and a few Raspberry Pis. I was working at a nice company but I got "poached" after one saw my AGPL project
krowfooten
- startupShut down2024
I Track My Health Data in Markdown: Lessons in Digital Longevity
I’ve spent years tracking my sleep, diet, and exercise with apps and wearables. But here’s the problem: when an app gets discontinued or stops syncing, the data—and all the insights—disappear. That’s why I’ve adopted a “file over app” philosophy for health tracking. Instead of relying on apps, I save everything in open, accessible formats like Markdown or CSV. These files are local, portable, and universally readable—ensuring my data outlives any app or platform. Here’s how I do it: • Workouts, meals, and sleep logs go into plain text notes. • Trends and averages (e.g., weekly sleep hours) are calculated in Google Sheets. • Files sync to the cloud (Google Drive) and back up locally. For example, my sleep log might look like this: ### Sleep Log (December 2024) - 12/01: 7.5 hrs (11:00 PM - 6:30 AM) - 12/02: 6 hrs (12:30 AM - 6:30 AM) - Felt tired, adjusted bedtime. - 12/03:
Why it failed: I’ve spent years tracking my sleep, diet, and exercise with apps and wearables. But here’s the problem: when an app gets discontinued or stops syncing, the data—and all the insights—disappear. That’s why I’ve adopted a “file over app” philosophy for health tracking. Instead of re
biohackerking
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: Lost My Software Engineering Job, Now What?
I've always been passionate about coding. I earned my BSc in Computer Science, thrived in university, but struggled to find software engineering opportunities in my developing country. Freelancing kept me afloat for a while (mostly website development), but the pay and project flow were terrible. To make ends meet, I became a programming tutor. It wasn't my dream, but I was good at it. After two years, I finally landed a remote software engineering role at a US startup. It was challenging, well-paid, and a fantastic growth experience... until the startup failed, and I was laid off. Now, finding another job feels impossible. The market's brutal, especially for someone like me – aiming for remote work from a developing country. Plus, all the buzz is about AI. I'm at a crossroads: - Pivot to AI? Web development feels saturated, but is an AI shift the answer? - Get my Mas
Why it failed: I've always been passionate about coding. I earned my BSc in Computer Science, thrived in university, but struggled to find software engineering opportunities in my developing country. Freelancing kept me afloat for a while (mostly website development), but the pay and proje
OulaX
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: I think I'm done with tech. Burnout constantly. Now what?
I've been working in tech the last 5 years. This is a rant. I'm constantly burning out at my job now. I hate how shit the work is, fucking pushing shit features for a shit codebase that adds negative value to the world. There is no craftsmanship in anything anymore, just rush everything out the door full of bugs, everything is just money at the end of the day. No time to spend time making quality valuable products. Golden bloody handcuffs, earning a decent amount, but to what end? Constant layoffs, restructuring, bastard management and HR, no stability, no pay-rises, and no end in sight. As a worker I feel worthless. Treated like scum. I love computers. I love learning, I love the power of programming. I hate that this capitalist shit-hole we live in means that the only Software we build is software that makes money. Marketing automation!? Fuck me! What the hell do I do? I want
Why it failed: I've been working in tech the last 5 years. This is a rant. I'm constantly burning out at my job now. I hate how shit the work is, fucking pushing shit features for a shit codebase that adds negative value to the world. There is no craftsmanship in anything anymore, jus
purple-leafy
- startupShut down2024
Ask HN: How to secure website for public launch
Id like to launch a website project online. It has some functionality e.g. user can input search parameters to find specific locations using Goole maps API, and search based on device location. I'm concerned about my program not being robust enough from a security point of view, e.g. where user input occurs, I'm not confident I can manage malicious actors. How do you launch websites that use a front and back end, securely? I'm confident in launching static websites, reasonably experienced in python, PHP, (but only for localhost personal project work), this is really me taking the big leap from localhost projects to live. Are there third party services that give extra security, or is it a case of learning this side of software from first principles? Thanks in advance.
Why it failed: Id like to launch a website project online. It has some functionality e.g. user can input search parameters to find specific locations using Goole maps API, and search based on device location. I'm concerned about my program not being robust enough from a security point of v
smarri