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Ask HN: Hackers House in Dallas, TX?
I'm in the process of starting my own company and will be leasing some office space soon. The office space is way too much than I need, so I wanted to create a Hacker's House in Dallas, TX.
Let me explain my idea of a Hacker's House: I essentially want a place where high school/college kids can hang out in a technological environment that can provide things they otherwise may not have access to. This would include desktop/servers, computer science library, other developers to shoot ideas off of, etc. Basically, a geek heaven. It's kind of like a Users Group, but can discuss anything technological/just hang out with other geeks. Come and go as they please, etc.
Is this something developers would enjoy? I know when I was in high school and college, I'd love to have a place where I could go hang out with other developers other than school. It would be a place for kids to do CS research, develop their own ideas, work on their own startups, etc. I wouldn't ask for anything in exchange, if someone develops the next million dollar idea while hanging out there, best for them.
Initially, I would provide as many computers as I could afford (probably 5 or so) and a server. I would look for angel investors to invest in other aspects (I've estimated I'll need about $12,000 to start and my business would continue to pay for the continuation of the Hacker's House).
Any feedback is appreciated it. You're more than welcome to contact me at vmc@leftnode.com if you have other questions/ideas.
Thanks!
- Radix 18y agoI would drop by. I havne't had much luck in meeting people like you describe, the only drawback would be that I might not know enough myself. :)
- ram1024 18y agosounds like a sweet plan. i'm currently starting up an android project and would love being able to visit your place and connect with "geeks" :D
- RobGR 18y agoI'm in Austin and could not participate directly, but I think it is a good idea and you should try to do it. My advice would be to not spend money on servers and computers. Hackers can find their own computers, and set up a cast-off as a server, etc. Internet, electricity, and space will be enough. There are a lot of potential drawbacks to this, and you should be aware of them so that you can handle them appropriately. It can be a distraction from your main, more important money-making activities. People you don't know can start wandering in and out at all hours and stuff might start to disappear. People with unpleasant personalities can start camping there and drive all the good apples away. Be on the lookout for things like that. Maybe have a paid membership with laminated cards to give them a sense of ownership and have them keep up the environment; there could be a free "candidate" level, because high school students won't have much money. A lot of projects such as this are awesome for a time while one core person, or maybe two or three people, are fanatical about it and they are also doing all the work. At some point the person who does 90 percent of the effort burns out, and the project collapses. Perhaps you should guard against this by making a strict time-and-money budget of what you will put into it, and accept the fact that it might not be as big and as cool as it could be, but be sure to preserve your own effort for a longer time.