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Dropbox comment. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224

by Carrok 2y ago

sidcool 2y ago
This will always be the best example of HN.
- pavlov 2y ago
  Yes, in the sense that it’s someone providing useful and concise feedback on a YC application, which is what the original poster (the Dropbox founder) explicitly asked for.
  - paulddraper 2y ago
    What part of the feedback was most useful to Dropbox? * That it didn't solve a problem for Linux users? * That it ultimately relies on some internet connectivity? * That it is not very "'viral' or income generating"?
    - pavlov 2y ago
      Useful feedback doesn’t mean saying something that will seem insightful 15 years later. Setting the bar so incredibly high just means you’re going to lose out on the majority of feedback, and that’s a net loss for a fledgling project. The benefit of early and unstructured feedback (like what you can get from a Show HN) is that it prepares the recipient to answer those questions down the road again. That’s why the Dropbox comment qualifies as useful. “Is this viral” sounds silly now, but in 2007 it was a question that the founder undoubtedly faced again and again.
mdgrech23 2y ago
I remember reading this comment at that point. I totally agreed w/ the author, at least on point number one. A lot of us here where already paying for web hosting and using FTP clients to upload our files and like mentioned Linux, which had the time meant Ubuntu for most of us had it so nicely integrated into the file system. In someways we/Ubuntu were just ahead of the OneDrive. Honestly the only difference between OneDrive and the aforementioned setup at the time was it required you put in a host, username and password to set it up.
- paulddraper 2y ago
  > at least on point number one Point number one is > I have a few qualms with this app: 1. For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself Thus objecting to this Dropbox idea on the basis that it was redundant to 2% of desktop users.
  - talldayo 2y ago
    For enterprise customers, this is an entirely fair objection. You could do this, and many places do. The companies I've worked for use NAS a lot more than they use Dropbox, I can tell you that much for sure in 2024.
    - paulddraper 2y ago
      Lol, HN cannot ever accept the L.
      - talldayo 2y ago
        Nor disrupt B2B storage, apparently.
    - isbvhodnvemrwvn 2y ago
      How about all the Dropbox competitors/clones such as OneDrive?
      - talldayo 2y ago
        OneDrive fucking sucks. If they didn't advertise it constantly through Windows I don't think anyone would know it exists. Google Drive gets used sometimes, but only slightly more frequently than Dropbox. In SOC2 compliant orgs it's really not very common to store your files with BigCorp. At least, it's one of the no-nos they try to impress on you pretty early.
JimDabell 2y ago
It’s worth reading dang’s comment on this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27068148 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27068148
- bigfatfrock 2y ago
  For all the times I've seen the quote reposted, I have never seen this context added - it should be perma-pinned as the first reply to OP! Thanks for the historical color.
- qingcharles 2y ago
  Wow, like my sibling poster, I've never seen this and it adds so much context completely changing my perspective of the original comment.
- paulddraper 2y ago
  This explanation doesn't add any context. > When BrandonM wrote "I have a few qualms with this app", he didn't mean the software. He meant their YC application. Of course. Criticism #3 (arguably the funniest one) was about monetization: "It does not seem very 'viral' or income-generating." -my sides- > The criticisms he was raising turned out not to be problems in hindsight, but were on point in 2007 They weren't really on point then, were they? --- This comment isn't an example of "ha ha, low IQ" it's an example of "ha ha, humans can be hilariously bad at recognizing opportunities."
  - Teever 2y ago
    Yeah I agree, dang's comment doesn't really address any of the issues that I or other people have with the original comment that we're talking about. Dunno why dang felt hte need to write that comment. No one felt the need to write the same kind of comment from Commander Taco regarding the iPod.
    - paulcole 2y ago
      > Dunno why dang felt hte need to write that comment. Who writes the checks that keep the HN lights on?
paulddraper 2y ago
This is the canonical HN comment.
flessner 2y ago
I always forget how young I am, just for HN to remind me :)
ldjkfkdsjnv 2y ago
I still see this comment referenced once a month or so on random parts of the internet (twitter, reddit)

Dropbox comment. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224

by Carrok 2y ago

Dropbox comment. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224

sidcool 2y ago

This will always be the best example of HN.

pavlov 2y ago
Yes, in the sense that it’s someone providing useful and concise feedback on a YC application, which is what the original poster (the Dropbox founder) explicitly asked for.
- paulddraper 2y ago
  What part of the feedback was most useful to Dropbox? * That it didn't solve a problem for Linux users? * That it ultimately relies on some internet connectivity? * That it is not very "'viral' or income generating"?
  - pavlov 2y ago
    Useful feedback doesn’t mean saying something that will seem insightful 15 years later. Setting the bar so incredibly high just means you’re going to lose out on the majority of feedback, and that’s a net loss for a fledgling project. The benefit of early and unstructured feedback (like what you can get from a Show HN) is that it prepares the recipient to answer those questions down the road again. That’s why the Dropbox comment qualifies as useful. “Is this viral” sounds silly now, but in 2007 it was a question that the founder undoubtedly faced again and again.

mdgrech23 2y ago

I remember reading this comment at that point. I totally agreed w/ the author, at least on point number one. A lot of us here where already paying for web hosting and using FTP clients to upload our files and like mentioned Linux, which had the time meant Ubuntu for most of us had it so nicely integrated into the file system. In someways we/Ubuntu were just ahead of the OneDrive. Honestly the only difference between OneDrive and the aforementioned setup at the time was it required you put in a host, username and password to set it up.

paulddraper 2y ago
> at least on point number one Point number one is > I have a few qualms with this app: 1. For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself Thus objecting to this Dropbox idea on the basis that it was redundant to 2% of desktop users.
- talldayo 2y ago
  For enterprise customers, this is an entirely fair objection. You could do this, and many places do. The companies I've worked for use NAS a lot more than they use Dropbox, I can tell you that much for sure in 2024.
  - paulddraper 2y ago
    Lol, HN cannot ever accept the L.
    - talldayo 2y ago
      Nor disrupt B2B storage, apparently.
  - isbvhodnvemrwvn 2y ago
    How about all the Dropbox competitors/clones such as OneDrive?
    - talldayo 2y ago
      OneDrive fucking sucks. If they didn't advertise it constantly through Windows I don't think anyone would know it exists. Google Drive gets used sometimes, but only slightly more frequently than Dropbox. In SOC2 compliant orgs it's really not very common to store your files with BigCorp. At least, it's one of the no-nos they try to impress on you pretty early.

JimDabell 2y ago

It’s worth reading dang’s comment on this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27068148 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27068148

bigfatfrock 2y ago
For all the times I've seen the quote reposted, I have never seen this context added - it should be perma-pinned as the first reply to OP! Thanks for the historical color.
qingcharles 2y ago
Wow, like my sibling poster, I've never seen this and it adds so much context completely changing my perspective of the original comment.
paulddraper 2y ago
This explanation doesn't add any context. > When BrandonM wrote "I have a few qualms with this app", he didn't mean the software. He meant their YC application. Of course. Criticism #3 (arguably the funniest one) was about monetization: "It does not seem very 'viral' or income-generating." -my sides- > The criticisms he was raising turned out not to be problems in hindsight, but were on point in 2007 They weren't really on point then, were they? --- This comment isn't an example of "ha ha, low IQ" it's an example of "ha ha, humans can be hilariously bad at recognizing opportunities."
- Teever 2y ago
  Yeah I agree, dang's comment doesn't really address any of the issues that I or other people have with the original comment that we're talking about. Dunno why dang felt hte need to write that comment. No one felt the need to write the same kind of comment from Commander Taco regarding the iPod.
  - paulcole 2y ago
    > Dunno why dang felt hte need to write that comment. Who writes the checks that keep the HN lights on?

paulddraper 2y ago

This is the canonical HN comment.

flessner 2y ago

I always forget how young I am, just for HN to remind me :)

ldjkfkdsjnv 2y ago

I still see this comment referenced once a month or so on random parts of the internet (twitter, reddit)