"evidence for good ideas can only be obtained by actually implementing the thing and throw it in the hands of customers." Only if your measure of "good" is wha

"evidence for good ideas can only be obtained by actually implementing the thing and throw it in the hands of customers." Only if your measure of "good" is what customers accept or want (at the moment you present the idea to them). This is a common measure for business people, who value profit over all other concerns. But it's certainly not the only way of measuring value. It's also important to note that what customers accept may have little to do with the idea itself but rather be a matter of sales and marketing. Take a look at Java, who many on HN loathe with a passion, and yet it's achieved great market share, and many people accept and use it daily. Does that mean that Java is good? I think a lot of confusion can be avoided by talking about "market success" (as measured by profitability, market penetration, etc). Even people who hate Java can probably agree that Java has been a market success. But that doesn't mean it's better by every measure. Going back to ideas, it's clear that just because an idea may be "good" by some measure, doesn't mean it will inevitably become a market success. To do that requires many other factors such as implementation, sales, and marketing.