Congratulations to the streak.com team. This is a great product.
*
This brings another point: There is a need for a better business email application that is as easy to use as Gmail, but is not owned by any of the big 4 (MS, G, APPL, Y!).
>Submitting an objective, or factual story is fine, but when the sole intention is to tarnish the reputation, then the "bury hatchet" comes out.
Such is the reason HN thrives. Though experience has led me to reason that such behaviour is applied to anyone who sets out to tarnish someone else's reputation. Not only YC people/startups.
>I've even seen high karma members get completely banned because of submissions about Curebit and AirBnB.
Karma is not a good indicator of anything. One can easily gather "karma" by writing useless blog posts that rhyme with the general schools of thought (or thought patterns). I think karma is used here as a tool to promote valuable links that add to the conversation, rather than a tool that measures social hierarchy.
Karma does not measure a poster, but the post itself. If you post anything that violates the rules (which are sensible and permissive), then you have proved, without a doubt, that you original intentions were not inline with the "belief" behind HN (information that are interesting to hackers (though inflamatory posts are not interesting)).
>When you come to one persons house, you can't argue if some ground rules are set.
We are also born with gravity wrecking havoc around the universe. What good does bad-mouthing gravity do? =)
I meant that just to underscore the point that (from my observations) PG doesn't care if you have been a long standing community member at HN. I perhaps should of said account age in the many years.
And I agree with this perspective. People who from the first line in their article set out with the intention of just sensationalizing some innocuous or accidental lapse in judgment by a startup clearly are just doing it:
>) For their own gain
>) Aren't trying to create objective discussion
>) Just want to disrupt the startups positive vibe by publishing damaging news about them.
Some things are clearly in the public interest... and should be written about, but some times I've read stories whcih are just beating a horse while it's down, and has been totally unneccessary. I totally disagreed with the way DHH handled the Curebit episode. Curebit were clearly wrong (by direct linking to assets), but the obsenities that he was throwing around so willfully on Twitter just made him appear like a kid who had had his candy stolen.
>I meant that just to underscore the point that (from my observations) PG doesn't care if you have been a long standing community member at HN.
I agree with your point. A man who has written such a collection of essays cannot be a hypocrate. PG is one of the few authors that have provided insight into my own self.
But that has consequences for him: I hold him to the highest of moral standards and expect him to adhere to them. I think he will not fail to meet them.
>Someone has to make an alternative to word that is as easy to use but doesn't allow you to do all the stupid stuff. Enforce styles, make references and other data-connections easy, smooth and reliable and provide a good diff.
That is why I'm building (actually finishing the ALPHA release) of a little FOSS app named Paste Box.
It is a paste bin/simple word processor with one click saving ( to a db ), syntax highligthing, user accounts, one button search feature, anonymous pasting, and a simple (but easy on the eyes) UI.
It also features a simplified install process, to keep the IT dept. from going postal.
The first release is a PHP/sqlite version, then a .NET version will follow (desktop and ASPX versions), and then a RoR version.
After those are done, I plan (if people actually use the thing) to add simple text formatting features with JS.
--
I came up with the idea after realizing that office people have a pretty bad workflow when dealing with text files.
They have to open up Word (which depending on their system, can take up to a minute), then they have to save the document, but not without deciding on a name. Worse if they have to create a directory to store the file into. This does not take into account all the different options that Word offers in terms of file types (which most people don't understand.
I just want to save people time (and whats left of their sanity).
The git repo for the project is over at github/codepockets.
All the code in there is just prototype (read: ugly, non-working)(I follow TDD).
Once the thing is ready and tested, I shall announce it to the community. Deadline is the last day of February.
I've developed a simple set of questions to avoid these types of pointless interviews.
It was last tested about two weeks ago when I was casually talking with the founder of a local startup who wanted me to join his team. I politely declined the offer.
Here are the questions:
1. What is your product?
If the answer to this is marketing talk, they fail the test.
2. Who is your customer?
Same with #1, but add "everybody!".
3. What is your development setup/rules/guidelines?
No source control? Bye.
Testing on production servers? Bye (this startup did that, and wondered why their app failed to work).
No workstations? You mean that I will use my personal computer at your office? Bye, Bye!
What language/framework/technology do you use? If the answer is PHP/in house MVC then I'm out. I dont mind PHP/MVC, but most are hacked up pieces of crap that can't compare to symfony or even code igniter/cakephp.
This allows me to consider working with people who know what they are doing, instead of wasting time with people who want to test me on what they think I know.
This simple test was developed after an interview with a local startup. The interviewer was the "software engineer", and he had pulled questions from project euler to test me. After realizing this, I ended the interview quickly.
Their product? A web app for realtors to showcase their listings. Yeah, that required developers that were able to solve advanced project euler exercises.
You better start believing it, I've seen it... If you doubt my anecdata, check TheDailyWTF.
It seems to me that the problem is too many people see software development as linear and quality as monotonically increasing, i.e. just save your work and back it up.
I started tinkering with computers at age 8, so I can relate to you very well.
At your age, I would start by installing a Linux distro of your choice (if you haven't done that first). Ubuntu is pretty easy to setup if you are a complete beginner.
Why use Linux?
You should start tinkering with Linux, because it is the most common development environment used.
Using Linux will allow you to learn basic troubleshooting and debugging. Those two skills are necessary if you desire to build any kind of application.
Linux will also allow you to try out different languages with a simple command (such as sudo apt-get install clojure1.2 (which I did two hours before writing this post)).
Then you can pick a language to learn the basics. By basics I mean how to write variables, functions, etc. A nice language to learn this is python, because it has a very simple syntax (syntax is how a language is written (like the difference between written English and written French)).
After learning how to write the basics, you should decide on a simple project to work on. One project that I reccomend beginners is to do a simple Rock/Paper/Scissors game. Focus on making it work, then focus on making it play against itself.
This exercise will allow you to see your code work, and will keep you busy for a couple of days.
After that, you should head out and build a web app. Anything is fine, but a good project to start with a simple blog. You can use Python, but PHP is simpler to run, and is super simple to setup on your computer, thanks to a program called XAMPP (look it up, and install it).
With PHP you can do all sorts of things. From calculators, to message forums, to whatever you desire.
You can also pick an existing app and try to copy it. One fun project would be to copy hacker news, and adapt it to whatever topic you'd like.
Or even build your own basic facebook, or a simple search engine. Try and build existing stuff.
One great thing about web apps, is that you can also learn to code various languages that interact with each other. You can mix PHP (or any other server side language) with javascript ( client side language (client means that it runs on your web browser and not on the server)).
At this moment, you should be pretty good at the basics, and may be ready to explore other more complex stuff. Maybe pick up a LISP-type of language. Or maybe you could try an polish your javascript skills. Who knows?
Here are some other pointers:
You should not limit yourself to one platform, one language.
Learning how to program takes years, not because writing the code is hard, but because designing real applications that work is quite difficult. This is the engineering side of it (and where most people fail, and/or quit).
Don't be afraid to try new (to you) things. You broke Linux/Windows? Who cares! Re-install and try again.
I started to tinker with computers at age 8. Took me years before I could even write coherent code (though I still wonder if my code is coherent). Yet, I'm here, enjoying it.
One final note: Don't quit. Quitting will make the biggest diference in your life. Keep going, even if slowly. You will get it.
Thank you so much for giving me such a detailed reply; and as you said, you started tinkering with computers at an early age. I am already learning python using a free open couseware from MIT using iTunes U. I have also learned the basics of javascript(using codecademy) and am applying it to HTML. I have a frind whose dad told me to start with HTML making web apps. He told me that app developement was to comlex for a beginner like me. I came to hacker news to learn more about what I should start with and what I should use to make simple but usefu applications
>I have a frind whose dad told me to start with HTML making >web apps. He told me that app developement was to comlex >for a beginner like me.
I understand why he would reccomend HTML, and I partially agree with that statement.
HTML is fun for a beginner, because it allows the person to see changes done in the code without much hassle. Want to change the background from purple to blue? Just change the css property:
body{background-color: #123456} /* not an actual color number */
and hit F5.
I'm teaching my niece how to build simple web pages with HTML, so I understand the value it provides to a beginner.
You see, one thing us older hackers forget, is that beginners tend to think in terms of higher levels. Higher levels means that thinking about how the web app will look, feel, and work, rather than thinking how the code will be structured inside of it.
This, because beginners do not have understood the engineering side of programming yet.
Although I'm not quite comfortable with someone who tells a 12 year old that something is too complex for them. I don't agree with such thing.
Here is why?
You were born after the internet became mainstream. You view information as something that is readily available. Learning something is just a click away. There are hundreds of tutorials to learn anything from cooking to painiting, and you can easily find them by doing a web search.
On the other hand, I was born in 1979. The internet back then wasn't known in my country. Fact is that we got telephone service during the late 1980s, and cable TV during the late 90s. I first logged into the internet in 1998, but I had learned how to write simple programs from the user manual of my first computer, and from college level textbooks (that we had at home in a small library my mother kept). Learning for me took months.
Why am I telling you this?
Your dads friend is an old dinosaur like me. He does not understand how a modern young mind (like yours) has adapted to the mountains of information readily available.
Of course you can do iOS apps, but the question is: should you?
Should you limit yourslef to one platform (while learning)?
My answer would be no. Learn as much as you can from everything. Sure, building an app would be fun and get you some attention, but building libraries, and or useful programs for your house/yourself/school/chruch/etc. would benefit fit you much more in the long run.
Well, it seems that by answering your questions I feel that I'm trying to answer the questions I had back then. Sorry for that.
One last thing:
Don't let someones opinion of your abilities turn into your reality. You are you, and not even you know how deep those abilities are. Go ahead and explore them with no fear in sight.
I started out from zero, and have slowly been able to get to the point where I can build small robots. Its been challenging, but enjoyable. Electronics is unlike software, where you can code and code libraires without an end product (the library itself). Electronics require you to have some kind of end goal (a trinket!).
1. Find a pen.
2. Find a paper or notebook.
3. Sit down for 5 minutes.
4. Write whatever idea comes to my mind in those 5 minutes.
5. Review ideas.
6. Pick the one I like best.
7. Design it.
8. Code it.
9. Test it.
10. Ship it.
*
This brings another point: There is a need for a better business email application that is as easy to use as Gmail, but is not owned by any of the big 4 (MS, G, APPL, Y!).