felipe

The problem with OpenLaszlo is exactly the fact that it supports both flash and ajax, and therefore it settles to the lowest common denominator of both platforms. Flex has richer components because it settles on only one technology (Flash) and therefore it leverages Flash to its full capabilities.

Another advantage of Flex over OpenLaszlo is the Flex IDE (aka Flex Builder). It's a great product! (Note: Flex Builder is closed-source, and a bit expensive -- $500 I believe)

Despite the fact that Flex is Flash-only, I think they did a great job integrating it to the web stack. For example, Flex uses CSS to define the component styles. ActionScript also feels pretty much like Javascript. As a matter of fact, when I started using Flex I had no Flash experience whatsoever and was up-and-running very quickly.

Here is a related post: http://news.ycombinator.com/comments?id=11777

I have used this store in a previous project (about 2 years ago): http://www.casamariaint.com/

A bit expensive, but the shirt quality is great, and the logo came out perfect. FYI, I ordered the model #8527 for the guys and #8526 for the girls (under Golf Shirts, page 2)

UPDATE: I forgot to mention -- The reason we ended up choosing this particular store was because they did not have a minimum quantity requirement (that's why they're more expensive)

We rent a coworking space in SF, and it was very beneficial. A bunch of startups share the same space, and we are constantly exchanging information, ideas, contacts, etc... I think that's the most important thing about coworking: It's not much about the space itself, but about the community formed around the shared space.

Seems to me that your problem is not making your to-do list more efficient, but actually more effective. Any to-do list system (rememberthemilk, GTD, Outlook, etc...) will help you with the efficiency part, but not with the effectiveness part.

I highly recommend you the book First Things First, by Dr. Covey: http://www.amazon.com/First-Things-Learn-Leave-Legacy/dp/0684802031/

This claim is quite misleading. How many of those 100 million users are actually using OpenID? I suspect a majority of those are AOL accounts. Is AOL actively promoting OpenID among its users?

UPDATE: I just noticed kmt (post above) asked the same question, sorry for the double comment.

I love the OpenID concept, but here are three major problems IMO:

1) Will users remember an URL? Users already have enough problems remembering their own email addresses! And I don't think the "users are familiar with URLs" assumption is true: I've seen over and over non-tech users actually using Google as an address locator (that is, typing "Yahoo Mail" on the Google search box to access Yahoo Mail).

2) The phishing issue is a show-stopper, and convincing users to download a plug-in or install a client cert is simply not feasible. I don't see how they will fix this issue, unless if they convince Firefox and IE to provide an out-of-the-box fix (like a pre-installed plug-in or an open id CA cert)

3) It's not like user management is a huge pain from an implementation standpoint. And right now the risks of outsourcing user management to OpenID is higher than doing it in-house.

Years ago I faced the same issue. I decided to tell my boss and he actually supported me with advice and mentorship (he ended up convincing me not to quit, but that's another story...)

The first question that comes to my mind is: Do you really need to quit? Having an income while you moonlight is a huge advantage, as you can survive until your start-up is sustainable (and then quit your day job)

Second: Do you have enough savings to survive a year on your own? If not, keep your current job, build your savings and then quit.

Third: Are you in good terms with your immediate manager? If yes, then do tell him/her -- You might be able to even negotiate an alternative deal, like part-time, contracting or something else. If not, then tell him/her only if asked. In any case, it's certainly better to learn the news through you than through someone else.

Obviously, what I wrote in this post does not apply if you and your employer have a conflict of interests. If that's the case, I'd talk to a lawyer.

What exactly would you do in CA that you are not able to do in your location? I'd come to CA only if I have some idea of what to do: College? First find out which one and apply. Tech Job? First send your resume. Find co-founders? You won't find them in the coffee shops, trust me! (at least not the busy ones...)

Talking in front of crowds? That'd be a good reason. Lots of events going on over here. But first you need an app to show off :)

I love CA, don't take me wrong! I'm just saying that a bit of planning would make your 10k last longer.

I'd recommend your friend to attend to as many start-up events as possible. First, many start-ups use such events to recruit. Second, he may be able to find a matching partner looking for his expertise. WorkIt.com is an excellent resource if your friend is in Bay Area.

Another idea is to tell your friend to provide contracting services for start-ups. That way, he/she can test-drive the company while making a few bucks on the side.

I've never used Grails, but I've used JBoss Seam in a couple of projects and I love it!

http://labs.jboss.com/portal/jbossseam/

I heard that a LLC can be converted to a Corp when you get funded. I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not 100% sure about it.

The Triumph of the Nerds http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115398/

Revolution OS http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308808/

Startup.com http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0256408/

- Start with more than one business idea

- Identify an unmet business, social or consumer need

- Why the need was not already being met?

- Can you assemble the competencies to solve the need?

- Can you get the resources to bring the product/service to the market?

Disclaimer: Those are my notes from a great presentation by Antony Awaida: http://www.startleap.com/

I actually write ALL my ideas down! I probably have a hundred by now. But you are right, there's always one or two ideas that keep nagging at me, and right now I'm pursuing an idea that although it wasn't mine, right now I simply cannot not put it aside.

My filter for writing it down is simply if an idea represents an actual problem that a real person is facing. In other words, I don't write down an idea that I simply think it's cool, but when I hear about someone facing a real problem.

No, I wouldn't! Your users are telling you how they want to use your app. Besides, there is nothing more inspiring than having users actually using your software!

See "Let a hundred flowers blossom": http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/02/the_art_of_rain.html

The caveat of that concept is if users are using your software on a way that is impossible to capitalize...

No night-life in MV? C'mon, how about Molly McGee?? :)

I totally agree with the concept that speed does not really matter because hardware is cheaper than programmers. And I never understood the criticism towards Ruby being slow... If it improves my productivity, who cares?

However, the REAL problem I see here is that apparently the very features that make Rails productive must be thrown away for the application to scale. If that's the case, then that's a huge issue and even a show-stopper if you ask me.

I think the problem lies on how clustering is usually implemented in Rails. I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that Mongrel distributes the load across multiple web servers, right? If that's the case, then the bottleneck becomes the database, and that's the key issue IMHO (and the hardest one to solve).

In Java (more specifically JBoss), clustering is implemented at the application logic level: The app server manages the state of the application and then it caches and replicates the state whenever necessary.

I really don't see how Rails will solve this problem unless with some kind of application-level communication across the servers... And that's a tough one. Suffice to say that the Java community took like 10 years to come up with something effective!

Note: Please don't take me wrong: I'm not trying to start a Rails vs. Java war here! I'm just sharing my experience on how Java solved this issue...

IMHO the article in the PDF is highly biased, like for example when it takes the "Sixteen Decisions" completely out of context. The article also makes a number of claims without mentioning any sources at all. The only piece of reference provided is the infamous 2001 WSJ article, which was already extensively debunked way before the Nobel Prize.

There is no feminist agenda. Grameen lands mostly to women based on their own experience showing that: 1) Women are more likely to pay the loan back; and 2) Women tend to invest the loan in long-term basis (ex: buying a cow to sell milk). The fact is that women are highly marginalized in developing countries, and men magically starts to listen to them when they somehow are able to make decisions without the men's approval. Women have a vested interest in the loan, and therefore they tend to be better payers.

Don't believe on such "experts" -- If their theories were right, developing countries would be prosper by now :)

I think it depends on the focus of your startup. My perception is that SF is more media-centric, with lots of designers and media professionals, while South Bay is more "nerdy" and enterprise-centric, with lots of hardcore hackers.

Regarding "where to live": I currently live in Mountain View, but I would move to SF if I could afford (although MV is not that cheap either!). SF is an awesome city.

Turns out microcredit banks need hackers! There is a huge cost involved in keeping track of all those tiny loans manually, and thus they need inexpensive and effective technology to manage their operations.

Mifos is an open-source microcredit banking system, and they need volunteers: http://www.grameenfoundation.org/what_we_do/technology_programs/mifos_initiative/

When an individual gets a loan, the village itself is sort of "co-signing" it. If the person defaults or runs away, the entire village's "credit score" is affected.

This is not theory: Millions of loans were granted worldwide, and in fact the default rate is actually lower than traditional banks in developed countries.

Note: My comments above are about microcredit in general, and not specifically about Kiva (which I don't know much about it)

We've been using plain paper & pen to create mock-ups, but it's kind of hard to collaborate online (many interactions of scan-email-comment).

So far I liked this one: http://www.mockupscreens.com . There's another one called Axure, but it's quite expensive: http://www.axure.com . I tried Denim a while back (http://dub.washington.edu/denim/ ), but it's a pain to use with a mouse (Denim was designed for tablet-pcs). Drawing tools are ok, but they do not have ready-to-use UI components like buttons, drop-downs, etc... Visio has UI components, but it's expensive.

Are you using any tools for web app mock-ups?

Yes, you can! Save enough for six months to a year in basic living expenses -- that's your seed fund. While you save, keep moonlighting on your project. Your seed-fund will empower you to make the right decision when the time comes (i. e.: When your project gets traction). And you can always do consulting gigs if you need more money.

In Java, I have used Prevayler in a previous project (about 2 years ago), and I really liked it:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/prevayler/

The reason I'm not using it right now is because Hibernate makes OO mapping so easy and trivial that I honestly don't see the need. But it still a good solution if using a DB is an overkill.

I believe there's a Prevayler port for Ruby.

I'm under my wife's health insurance, but otherwise I would be paying out of pocket. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Individual health insurance. Try http://www.ehealthinsurance.com or http://www.integra-insurance.com

2) Group insurance via a professional association. For example, IEEE: http://www.personal-plans.com/product/ieeeinsurance/ It's quite expensive, but the coverage is excellent

3) If you're incorporated or LLC, you might be able to get a small-business plan through Costco or some other provider

IMHO "100% freedom" is utopia. You don't have 100% freedom even on a start-up. In a corp like Google you have managers, and in a start-up you have customers...

Having said that, if you work for a big high-tech corp (like I did, although I never worked for Google per se), you will find that it is hugely difficult and frustrating to push your own idea through the system.

Skype uses Qt, not Mozilla: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=skype+qt&btnG=Google+Search

I agree that a Javascript-based client-app might not perform as well as a native C/C++ app, but I would not say "could never be developed"...

Adobe Apollo does generate a compiled package (aka "air"). I believe Apollo also generates a native executable file after the app is installed.

PS: I'm not an Apollo evangelist. I just wanted to point out that web-based client apps are not about off-line features.

I think people in general are missing the point about rich-client web-apps. It is NOT about offline access, but about leveraging web-app skills (HTML, Javascript) to access hardware resources that otherwise would be blocked by the browser.

Web-based apps and RIA are here to stay, but there's still space for client-side apps. Example: Skype and iTunes.