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.
2,800 solutions
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: How did you find joy in life?
I can't find joy in life. Nothing interesting. When I think rationally I am excepting myself as whom I'm. Yes, for example, friends talk to me passionately about something (music, events, chess, etc..). I'm just like, "yeah, interesting". I never feel excited about anything deeply. I admire people like Feynman who are passionate and curious about science, life, to learn. I want to feel like them but nothing triggers that type of feeling. In the end, I'm just passing my days. Naval says in his book something like " we will be forgotten 100000 years from now. There is no meaning". this is not the case for me. I don't want to be remembered or make something useful for people, for the world. I just want to be curious, and passionate like Zorba (Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis), like Feynman. Without curiosity, man is nothing. If you had exper
Why it failed: I can't find joy in life. Nothing interesting. When I think rationally I am excepting myself as whom I'm. Yes, for example, friends talk to me passionately about something (music, events, chess, etc..). I'm just like, "yeah, interesting". I never feel exc
jamilaghasiyev
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: How did you switch to part time?
I currently work a full time week for a small ~10 person dev agency. I want to switch to a 3 (or even 4) day work week - reduced hours, not compressed. I’m unsure how to best pitch this. Would love any advice, stories about how you made it work (or failed to), etc. I’m most interested in people who’ve just reduced their existing full time role to part time, but would also love to hear other solutions - switching to contracting, switching jobs, increasing holidays, anything really. As an agency we bill hourly so it’s hourly salary * markup - I.e me working fewer hours = less cost but less profit. That’s why I’m struggling to see how to make this appealing.
Why it failed: I currently work a full time week for a small ~10 person dev agency. I want to switch to a 3 (or even 4) day work week - reduced hours, not compressed. I’m unsure how to best pitch this. Would love any advice, stories about how you made it work (or failed to), etc. I’m most inter
throwaway1178
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: How to overcome regret by missing out on opportunities to get rich?
I definitely had some character flaws that I didn't fully overcome until my late 20's. Basically, I was incredibly insecure and this led me to always try to do things on my own. This didn't really change until I started jiu-jistu. Anyways, I was able to get my first job out of college at a top university. I met some amazing people there. But really held back from socializing much, because I wanted to do well at my very menial job. A couple times colleagues tried to include me on projects, but I politely just focused on my work. Now many of them are leading very successful startups that I could've likely been an early employee at. I ended up working at 2 failed startups (I got from cold applying), and have failed about 20 times building a side hustle of my own. I feel like I needed to go through some struggle, but I can't help but regret my choices. I need a win b
Why it failed: I definitely had some character flaws that I didn't fully overcome until my late 20's. Basically, I was incredibly insecure and this led me to always try to do things on my own. This didn't really change until I started jiu-jistu. Anyways, I was able to get my firs
highwayman47
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: Have anxiety, need help with live coding interviews (funny hat dance)
I don't have the live coding problems skill (funny hat dance). I've failed 4 live coding interviews so far, which has been my wake-up call that I need to learn this skill. I do question funny hat dances value in the real world... I learned a different funny hat dance 8 years ago called white boarding. I questioned its real world value back then too, but had no choice, it's what people wanted to see. I'm not saying I'm the best engineer in the world. I'm saying I've provided tons of value for the companies I've worked at and my salary reflects that. I've had an above market rate salary for the last 3 years. No, the company I work for isn't dumb, in fact, it's often seen as tackling some of the hardest problems in computer science (decentralized cloud storage). I know I provide value and I know I'm a good engineer. However, I also
Why it failed: I don't have the live coding problems skill (funny hat dance). I've failed 4 live coding interviews so far, which has been my wake-up call that I need to learn this skill. I do question funny hat dances value in the real world... I learned a different funny hat dance 8
amozoss
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: How do you overcome feeling completely lost in life?
I feel a bit ambivalent posting this on HN. On one hand, I keep coming back here because it's one of the only places on the internet that I trust and that makes sense to me. On the other hand, most people on here seem to have their sh* together, so to speak, and in that respect I feel like an outsider. Admittedly, these days I come to HN more for self-help than tech news. Reading through the recent threads on loneliness have given me some courage to reach out and be vulnerable, so here goes. I'm a software developer quickly approaching 30 with no direction in life, no hobbies, no friends, no family, and no idea what I even want to change. I've somehow floated through 30 years of life like this. I've had a few highs and a few more lows, but what's been constant is just this deep sense of emptiness. Like a longing for something I don't have and maybe never wil
Why it failed: I feel a bit ambivalent posting this on HN. On one hand, I keep coming back here because it's one of the only places on the internet that I trust and that makes sense to me. On the other hand, most people on here seem to have their sh* together, so to speak, and in that resp
adantical
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: What's the best way to monetize actual programming?
I feel that I was lucky early in my career. I got a job at an early-stage startup which bootstrapped with agency-style work. I got a generous share in the company, so pumping out high quality work products very much directly contributed to my own interests. I worked a lot, but at the end I was rewarded very well for this when we had an exit. Since then I have failed to find an incentive structure which actually rewards programming. I've worked inside of standard agile teams, and typically I can handle the tasks which management can prepare for work within a matter of a couple days if not a number of hours. I'm not incentivized to excel in these environments, since I'm not rewarded more for producing output faster than the rest of the team, and there's social consequences for making other programmers "look bad" and increasing management expectations. In princ
Why it failed: I feel that I was lucky early in my career. I got a job at an early-stage startup which bootstrapped with agency-style work. I got a generous share in the company, so pumping out high quality work products very much directly contributed to my own interests. I worked a lot, but at
throwaway34135
- startupShut down2022
Tell HN: Never Trust 'Lifetime' Licenses
I guess a lot of people here already know this, and in general I don't expect a lifetime license to be actually 'lifetime', but I saw the worst example I've seen so far today. Just over a year ago I bought an emojipicker for mac (getmumu.com) that claimed to have a 'lifetime license'. It's a neat little tool and I've used it daily. Now I got a new mac and I tried to transfer it over, only to find out that it's rebranded from "Mumu" to "Mumu X" and 5x'd in price. After hunting through the website I found the tiny "get old version" in the footer. I entered my license key and was told it was already used. I wrote to the support email and was told that "Mumu" was discontinued and "Mumu X" was a new app that I'd have to buy it again. > And note that “lifetime” means it would work on the
Why it failed: I guess a lot of people here already know this, and in general I don't expect a lifetime license to be actually 'lifetime', but I saw the worst example I've seen so far today. Just over a year ago I bought an emojipicker for mac (getmumu.com) that claimed to h
sixhobbits
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: Are Microsoft development stack and Azure a dead-end career path?
I had a recent, lengthy, conversation with a recruiter. He said two things: 1) Microsoft dev stack is really a dead-end, any new startups or even large corporations starting new initiatives are more and more are moving away from any kind of MSF tech or Azure cloud development, and 2) no developer really wants to work with MSF tech. I have lived in the Microsoft world my entire career, although MSF is increasingly open source/polyglot. Also, I spent a couple of years doing node.js, react, salesforce dev and integrations, Heroku, etc. I found it a breath for fresh air in some ways but lacking in others. And I have to say that I do 'like' working with C# and Azure and the rest, but I am at the point in my career, and with the market the way it is, that I could still possibly make a move and not take a major hit salary-wise, but I probably not for too longer. For context I am
Why it failed: I had a recent, lengthy, conversation with a recruiter. He said two things: 1) Microsoft dev stack is really a dead-end, any new startups or even large corporations starting new initiatives are more and more are moving away from any kind of MSF tech or Azure cloud development, an
a_brawling_boo
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: Where to publish a critical work with potentially offensive content
I have a publication on Medium https://medium.com/luminasticity where I publish some critical works, some poetry, some science fiction, humour etc. I have been pushing around writing a piece that might end up being quite long on Mark Twain and Racism, as it pertains to Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, and Pudd'nhead Wilson. And of course in writing this there are some well known racial slurs (and some antiquated, unfamiliar ones) that will have to be quoted and referred to, which I expect would probably end up getting my account automatically banned. The article will be showing Huckleberry Finn and Pudd'nhead Wilson as anti-racist works, so don't suggest any actually pro-racism sites. I suppose this is an argument for hosting one's own blog, but I do have a lot on my plate already. So just is there a platform for this kind of thing
Why it failed: I have a publication on Medium https://medium.com/luminasticity where I publish some critical works, some poetry, some science fiction, humour etc. I have been pushing around writing a piece that might end up being quite long on Mark Twain and Racism, as it pertain
bryanrasmussen
- startupShut down2022
Tell HN: Social media made me a worst person
I have been an insider in one of the widely reported news item in my country, and it was a news item I would under normal circumstances take at face value, since it's politics and it's the people I support, or at least did, if not for their unequivocal support for something that I know to be not true, but reported as if, for political purposes. If I wouldn't be familiar with the details I would be inclined to believe what is reported myself. It's not that I have been unaware that such bias can occur, I catch inaccuracies all the time when it comes to my own profession. I however realize that politics created a blind spot for me, along with social media, which I now increasingly rely on for news, because it's fast, and there are no nuances, like in a longer analysis, and because it's social. There is nothing like being surrounded by people who agree with you
Why it failed: I have been an insider in one of the widely reported news item in my country, and it was a news item I would under normal circumstances take at face value, since it's politics and it's the people I support, or at least did, if not for their unequivocal support for somet
Comevius
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: Will consumers ever have a use for 10Gbit internet
I had this discussion with a friend. While 10Gbit Ethernet seems to be slowly dripping in to consumer hardware, it seems much less clear if users will ever actually have a use for 10Gbit networking. If we look at the biggest network uses for consumers right now, its mostly video streaming and games. A 1 Gbit connection can already stream video at well above the maximum desired quality we will likely ever want. And better codecs are coming out which reduce the networking requirements even more. For video games it seems that large games would go with an asset streaming model like microsoft flight sim which can easily be done with 1 Gbit. Are there any future developments that might make 10Gbit desirable in the consumer space?
Why it failed: I had this discussion with a friend. While 10Gbit Ethernet seems to be slowly dripping in to consumer hardware, it seems much less clear if users will ever actually have a use for 10Gbit networking. If we look at the biggest network uses for consumers right now, its mostly video
Gigachad
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: Alternate Email hosting to G Suite
I have been using at Suite with custom domain for my email since 2010. Now google is shutting down g suite and forcing a paid Workspace subscription. I only need to keep my email and domain. By accident, I deleted my g suite but still have access to admin console and the domain registration. Is there a recommended email hosting I could simply transfer to?
Why it failed: I have been using at Suite with custom domain for my email since 2010. Now google is shutting down g suite and forcing a paid Workspace subscription. I only need to keep my email and domain. By accident, I deleted my g suite but still have access to admin console and the domain r
mrbonner
- startupShut down2022
Famous outages along with deep postmortems?
I just finished reading the Roblox outage postmortem (trending on HN: https://blog.roblox.com/2022/01/roblox-return-to-service-10-28-10-31-2021/). I learned a lot reading about it and found myself thinking "surely there's other well-written postmortems that are a doozy". Does anyone know a good resource where I can find a compilation of such outages? If they're classified/tagged then even better :)
Why it failed: I just finished reading the Roblox outage postmortem (trending on HN: https://blog.roblox.com/2022/01/roblox-return-to-service-10-28-10-31-2021/). I learned a lot reading about it and found myself thinking "surely there's other well-written
fizwhiz
- startupShut down2022
Stripe updates pricing on cross-border fees between UK and EU
I just got an email from Stripe: --- Hello, We’re writing to let you know that we’re making some changes to cross-border fees in Europe and the UK starting 1st July 2022. Based on your Stripe transaction history, this change won’t impact [Company], and all other pricing will remain the same. You can review the most up to date fees for international transactions on our pricing page. You can contact us, and find more details about this pricing update, managing or closing your account, or any other next steps, on our dedicated support page. - The Stripe team --- Of course they don't actually mention what the changes are, but looking at the pricing page [0], it seems like there is now an additional 1.1% (making it 2.5% in total) for EU companies taking UK payments and for UK companies taking EU payments. I imagine this is related to Visa and Mastercard price increases post-Brexit? [1] [
Why it failed: I just got an email from Stripe: --- Hello, We’re writing to let you know that we’re making some changes to cross-border fees in Europe and the UK starting 1st July 2022. Based on your Stripe transaction history, this change won’t impact [Company], and all other pricing will rema
aosaigh
- startupShut down2022
Tell HN: A disabled 40-year-old person founded a startup and makes a living
I am Michael Cao. I am from Viet Nam. I suffered the polio disease and became disabled when i was one year old. When covid 19 pandemic hit the world. All people has suffered a lot. I and my friend, Canadian guy, decided to cofound 2HAC Studio because we thought that we need to do something to help people. We don't want to hire any employees to keep the cost at minimum (only spend 9.99$ per year for domain). I keep my job at American company in Viet Nam and my cofounder also still worked at a Bank of Canada. We spent our free time to implement and marketing our products We have been developing the Google workspace addons. Out technology stack are App Script, VueJS for addons. Hugo for our website. We hosted our website in Google Cloud. Paypal is our payment system. Tawk for customer support. All of them are free. At 2020, we had a pain point in Viet Nam because health official requir
Why it failed: I am Michael Cao. I am from Viet Nam. I suffered the polio disease and became disabled when i was one year old. When covid 19 pandemic hit the world. All people has suffered a lot. I and my friend, Canadian guy, decided to cofound 2HAC Studio because we thought that we need to do
michaelcao
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: Why has the quality of discourse on HN gone downhill?
I know - this is probably the thousandth time you have heard this complaint, but please hear me out. I have been lurking and reading on HN since 2016 (I never actively commented til 2019), and the spirit of discussion was outstanding then (2016-2020). The amount of high quality posts and discussions about the technical and operational sides of technology and the tech industry was astounding! Yet, something seems to have changed with the culture on this site since 2020 - it feels as if the site has become a parody of itself, with “edgy” hot takes, cargo culting around supposedly conventional knowledge, and the insane amount of “stanning” of certain figures gossip and a handful of companies. The increase in political content as well has been a massive change on this site as well, and as this is a discussion board it is fair game for everyone to have a say assuming civility. Yet this civili
Why it failed: I know - this is probably the thousandth time you have heard this complaint, but please hear me out. I have been lurking and reading on HN since 2016 (I never actively commented til 2019), and the spirit of discussion was outstanding then (2016-2020). The amount of high quality p
alephnerd
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: How can I work less?
I leetcoded to get a big boy job and now I’m paying the price. My team runs lean and the work is complicated. As a result, I’ve been working long hours and supplementing my days with stimulants to maintain interest and focus to keep up. Not only do I end each day with extreme exhaustion, but I do this in a cyclic fashion each day leading to cycles of apathy, depression and excitement. Problematically, I now live like this habitually and sort of forgot how to be a human. I need to figure out how to feel comfortable working less in ways that don’t mentally feel like it’s impacting my work while also figuring out how to live my life outside of a screen. Additionally, this makes me very boring at parties.
Why it failed: I leetcoded to get a big boy job and now I’m paying the price. My team runs lean and the work is complicated. As a result, I’ve been working long hours and supplementing my days with stimulants to maintain interest and focus to keep up. Not only do I end each day with extreme exh
renaissance_tea
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: Is living in NYC worth it?
I live in SF but location flexible and considering making a move to NYC. Biggest issue is obviously cost. I’m shocked even living in what is considered a high cost of living area by the rent prices I’m seeing in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. I’m seeing fairly basic 1 bedroom apartments being listed that are $5k+ not including utilities or brokers fees which can be as high as 15% of the annual rent, and most likely not rent stabilized meaning they can raise the rent however much they want after the lease ends. Outside of rent the cost of entertainment and eating out is not surprisingly on the higher side relative to other cities though I would not say it’s as wildly expensive as the rent is. The upside is that there’s an energy to the city that is lacking here, and you don’t need a car to get to most places within the city (though to be fair I don’t have a car in SF either). For people
Why it failed: I live in SF but location flexible and considering making a move to NYC. Biggest issue is obviously cost. I’m shocked even living in what is considered a high cost of living area by the rent prices I’m seeing in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. I’m seeing fairly basic 1 bedroom a
tempsy
- startupShut down2022
Warning – Google suspended GCP services for 'verification', lost my business
I operate multiple apps which were providing my entire livelihood, and I wake up one day to realize it's all gone. Long story short, Google froze my Google Pay account which is used to pay for anything related to Google services, including GCP. This was done as they need to temporarily suspend me to 'verify' me. The GCP team couldn't help me since it was an issue with Google Pay. Not to mention their chat support is useless and doesn't have any power to look into cases. Now I login to find out my Google Pay account is 'temporarily suspended' since I need to verify my account. I go ahead and add my drivers license and fill out their form, but while they verify details they suspend your ability to pay for any Google services. So now I can't pay for GCP usage (firebase) and all my authentication, database, cloud functions, are all not usable since the
Why it failed: I operate multiple apps which were providing my entire livelihood, and I wake up one day to realize it's all gone. Long story short, Google froze my Google Pay account which is used to pay for anything related to Google services, including GCP. This was done as they need to
alirsgp
- startupShut down2022
Thank HN: Five months ago, I was feeling like a loser, now I am opposite
I posted this a few months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29709273 I thought I hated programming and was ready to quit or even divorce my wife. I was not able to have a normal conversation with anyone. I was burned out but I thought I was having midlife crisis. My wife wanted to buy a big house and I kept blaming her for the stress. My job was easy and I had a lot of control over my time, work location, etc. I didn't think it could be the job that was causing me feel depressed. What I didn't realize while my work gave me freedom on work schedule, it didn't give me any real freedom to make important decisions. We were checkmark driven company. I was forced to do a lot of compliance and security related tasks which added zero benefit to our service. After my post, I decided that I either move into management at my last company or get a new job. I wo
Why it failed: I posted this a few months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29709273 I thought I hated programming and was ready to quit or even divorce my wife. I was not able to have a normal conversation with anyone. I was burned out but I thought I was having midlife
ac2022
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: Have You Burned Out?
I am looking to discuss / talk to people who have burned out, whether or not you feel you've recovered. I just got turned down for another job and I am at the end of my mental and emotional rope. Tomorrow I have a second interview at a local retail store. I've been a web developer or software engineer for a decade but increasingly painful failures have ruined me as a person and I am lost and without purpose in life. I think I just need to give up on software, I no longer feel welcome or wanted. I have read that burnout can take up to five years to be resolved, I'm about in year three at this point. It's kinda like a recession you can't see it coming but looking back its easier to see when it started and its root causes. Even with resources (supportive wife, limited family, therapist) recovery is slow, difficult, confusing and not a straight path. I need a jo
Why it failed: I am looking to discuss / talk to people who have burned out, whether or not you feel you've recovered. I just got turned down for another job and I am at the end of my mental and emotional rope. Tomorrow I have a second interview at a local retail store. I've been
dirtybirdnj
- startupShut down2022
Show HN: Sqwok – A social chat alternative to Twitter and Reddit
I previously did a Show HN late Dec 2020: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25470672 That was a great experience and in the past year I continued to develop the site to bring it to a level of stability and maturity that I felt necessary for it to have a chance to succeed. Sqwok is all about answering the question: Can we have better open conversations on the internet? I wasn’t satisfied with the existing means of discussing topics such as culture, history, politics, and technology through threaded comments, and was simultaneously impressed with Slack bringing the IRC experience to the browser for a more general but enterprise focused audience. I wondered why not create an open Slack-like chat app for general discussion? Not gamers or enterprise but rather for people to have open, kitchen-table discussion on the matters of the day (or just for fun!). I set out to build t
Why it failed: I previously did a Show HN late Dec 2020: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25470672 That was a great experience and in the past year I continued to develop the site to bring it to a level of stability and maturity that I felt necessary for it to have a chance t
holler
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: How do you deal with getting old and feeling lost?
I am turning 35 years soon and I feel like I haven't achieved much, both personally and professionally. I have held jobs in small and big companies for mostly for 1-2 years each, traveled and lived in different countries, had 2 failed startups, and have about $500k in savings. I am single and haven't had a serious relationship for many years now. As time went on, I started feeling less excited about everything, personal or work related. I used to be excited about new technologies, but not these days. I feel like I've seen most things before, and it's all just different iterations of the same. I increasingly wish I could go back to my 20s. Now I feel too old to go to festivals, bars and clubs and make new friends that way. This has been a recent change for me. When I was ~30 I still considered myself young and able to do anything I could do when I was in my 20s. But no
Why it failed: I am turning 35 years soon and I feel like I haven't achieved much, both personally and professionally. I have held jobs in small and big companies for mostly for 1-2 years each, traveled and lived in different countries, had 2 failed startups, and have about $500k in saving
trendingwaifu
- startupShut down2022
Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?
I realize this is somewhat of a taboo topic but I feel like if there is anywhere we can have a real discussion on mental health it's going to be HN. I have been struggling with depression for as long as I can remember. Life has taken me on ups and downs but as far as I can can tell I'm fairly lucky, well-off and have every reason to be happy. Unfortunately I'm not. I wake up with a pit in my stomach that I carry around all day and no matter how hard I try I just can't shake it. It also gets really bad in waves to the point where I nearly can't function but most of all it makes me procrastinate on almost everything. I usually end up using all my effort just to be a functional member of my team at work. The sad part is that I know that if I didn't have this condition and I was able to sleep when I wanted to I could be many times more productive, not only at wo
Why it failed: I realize this is somewhat of a taboo topic but I feel like if there is anywhere we can have a real discussion on mental health it's going to be HN. I have been struggling with depression for as long as I can remember. Life has taken me on ups and downs but as far as I can c
jpgvm