eragnew

I'd love to run some of these ideas by you too

'incoherent, mumbling ghosts everywhere' -> great metaphor!

maybe because it works? i'm not sure what you mean by 'hilarious'.

I am going to try to build one of these. Thanks for sharing this!

I would argue that innovation and trying new things are always a net positive. If you give it enough time (i.e. on a long enough timeline). Because new standards and best practices emerge. New standards and best practices that are better than the previous standards and best practices. Yes, it requires effort and debate to get to that point. But it's better than becoming stale and irrelevant, IMO.

In fact, I think a new set of best practices is already emerging in mobile app development. You just have to know where to look.

what the hell do these phrases mean? especially in regard to the article above? -> capitalist "pig" column -> darwinian startup culture

are you sure you're not projecting your own beliefs onto the article? just sayin'

Wow. This is one of the more powerful essays I've read in a while. If you don't get why that is, please just think about it some more. Think about what you are telling yourself about it.

Nice article. It's just what I needed to read today :)

Damn it, guys, this is very close to the idea I've been working on for a few weeks. Now I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board :)

But at least you have a well-documented API, so maybe I can build something on top of Gimme Bar. Anyway, looks great and can't wait to try it out

That's awesome man! I think I'm about to follow in your footsteps :)

While in principle I agree, I think you may also want to consider the fact that most people do not have formal training in engineering (or anything technical, for that matter). Most HN readers probably do, but what if the article wasn't written specifically for HN readers? So this way of thinking systematically is new/unfamiliar for a lot of people.

I would argue that 'common sense' needs to be consciously considered and validated before it becomes common sense <em>to you</em>. So in that regard, since it's so obvious already, I doubt the author had you in mind when he wrote the article :)

After attending the Seattle Mini Maker Faire this past weekend, all I can say is that I agree 100% with OP. You internalize the lessons much more thoroughly when you actively (rather than passively) participate in the learning process.

The kids were the happiest people at the Faire, because they hadn't convinced themselves yet that they couldn't build these things. They were excited. It was great to see.

Pessimism is for suckers :)

I'm learning it right now. Looking specifically at Haskell web frameworks like Snap and Yesod.

Exactly! Many people seem to have a lot of trouble with what the word 'average' means. It depends on the context!

I think you may want to examine the assumptions in 'but if the sales are diverted to a for-profit, ultimately beneficiaries will not enjoy it.' Is that the truth, or is that what you think the truth is? There is an important difference between the two.

Congrats Meteor. That's awesome!

Not trying to be argumentative, but I think you may be misreading what the headline is really saying. The idea is an 'alliance', which by definition requires more than one person. Multiple 'hackers', not just 'hacker'. Some of us 'hackers' would like to work with other 'hackers' in order to build things that we cannot build alone.

Perhaps our understanding of the word 'hacker' is evolving to the word 'hackers'. And given your presence and comment here, aren't you by definition a "Hacker News reader"? Just sayin'

Nice! I'll apply tonight, after I get home from work :)

Is this open to individuals? I've got a ton of ideas, and I'm a hacker. I just need some help with being able to leave my current job.

See, I think we can find whatever meaning we want in the Facebook IPO. In a way, Facebook reflects what we think of ourselves.

Re: second point: interesting. I just wonder to what extent Facebook has matured since it was founded. Maybe Zuck's true genius is hacking the maturity algorithm... Or maybe not. ?

Is there a CouchDb mug?

You have no idea how much I appreciate this post. I've been researching Python web development for a few weeks now and have been forced to evaluate all the different options on my own without really knowing what I'm looking for. (Since I'm starting from scratch, I'd prefer to use Python rather than having to internalize Javascript syntax just to be able to start the project). Have to agree, Django is way too cumbersome for what I need. But I had to figure that out on my own. Having it laid out clearly like this is really helpful, and now I can pick and choose the parts that will work for me. Thanks for sharing this. I'll plan on sharing the love as soon as I get my stack figured out :)

I'm starting to believe that people who disagree with your sentiments described here simply don't get it yet (I, for one, agree with just about everything you said). I don't mean that as a put-down and I don't mean that condescendingly. We're all learning at our own pace. But I think you are correct. Thanks for sharing this.

I don't disagree that this might be accurate description of what's available now. But that's just a snapshot, and the situation is dynamic. It changes every day. Things get easier every day.

Software and virtual goods are getting more abundant and easier to access every day. I think the next big step will be applying those same lessons to the physical world. Freeing ourselves from scarcity.

(yes, I watched a documentary on Ray Kurtzweil recently and may be extrapolating and getting ahead of myself. But that doesn't mean it can't be true)

I'm starting to think that the key is to help the unemployed, the '99%', the 'others', to learn how to build their own businesses, their own livelihoods. To stop depending on someone else to provide a livelihood for them. That's where we're heading, in my view. That's the only way out of the current mess. Not to get too hippie-ish, but it's about combining self-interest with empathy for others.

Absolutely agree. But what if the next big wave is making physical 'content' abundant instead of scarce? 3D printing, the internet of things, etc. That's what I'm starting to think about...

Clojure is currently #2 on my to-learn list, after some Python tools like Pyramid and Flask. Clojure looks simply fascinating, from what I can tell.

Alex, thanks for posting stuff like this. I'm going to look through your archives as well to see what I can learn. Might just have to make a trip to St. Louis in September for Strange Loop :)

Light Table looks amazing. Simply amazing.

Agreed. It reminds of when the iPhone introduced people to the idea of an on-screen touch keyboard. Many people said they didn't like it and would keep using their Blackberries. How's that working out for RIM these days?

The point is that if the technology works (which is the important question, IMO), then users will adapt and embrace it.