tom_rath

16 ms·

91.
by tom_rath 18y ago
How could these folks think making their customers look and feel like idiots would benefit their business?
92.
by tom_rath 18y ago
I don't think there's any problem with third-parties putting together support forums, Q&A pages or the like. It's when they snatch the look-and-feel of a company's site to try and pass themselves off as an official part of that company
93.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Is that really Get Satisfaction's doing, or was it a 37signals fanboy who put that together without permission? Snagging the look-and-feel (graphics, colours, etc.) of a target's site is particularly sleazy and it seems very odd if Get Sati
94.
by tom_rath 18y ago
So, the village decided to use the tools and expertise already at their disposal to perform (at their own expense) a task they wanted to see completed in their community. What's the problem with that? Why did these people prefer to wait an
95.
by tom_rath 18y ago
I think the author is attempting to take the analogy a bit too far. If "computer wizards" and "programming rock stars" faced the same measure, I would expect them to teleport to their groupie-filled release-parties.
96.
by tom_rath 18y ago
...which likely explains the vendor's 'no' to a dll distribution as well. Crappy to have happen to the author, but I can understand the vendor's decision in this particular risk/reward choice.
97.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Was the vendor's concern that a customer of yours could just pull your royalty-free license out of your uncompiled source and then gain access to their product without paying for a license? So, you would be distributing their registration
98.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Currently Google Adwords (Google Search only) and Microsoft's Live.com. Those two are the only options I've found worth bothering with for B2B software at this time. We tried Yahoo: It's a complete waste of time and money. Ads were alway
99.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Atwood is starting to become Emmanuel Goldstein around here. Am I in time for today's Two Minute Hate?
100.
by tom_rath 18y ago
They've missed my favourite: Tagging groceries for automated billing. I'm going to love walking out of a store without needing to wait in line for a cashier first.
101.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Only as far as the carpenter's is knowing where the nail goes.
102.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Both cases describe a person who has not learned how to properly use the most basic tool for their profession. How could that be excused?
103.
by tom_rath 18y ago
I believe that corresponds with comfortable familiarity with and proper use of one's tools. I view a non-touch-typing hacker/coder much like a carpenter who drives nails using a hammer's handle. (The inevitable reaction from both camps: H
104.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Eleven months from empty text editor to 'ramen profitability'. Only one product was developed but about four others were considered before I focused on a clearly defined market filled with customers who were willing to pay for software. Th
105.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Yeah, probably. But while you're slogging through it remember this: It will get better. "The Greatest Generation" emerged from the Depression, the dot.com boom followed the Gen-X "McJob" years and the "something-something" will follow wha
106.
by tom_rath 18y ago
I went through similar crap when re-installing QuickBooks after a PC-Upgrade / Windows install. The registration key wasn't accepted by their server (different hardware) and I was instructed to call their support line. After a brief time o
107.
by tom_rath 18y ago
I paid around $150 for Jasc's Paint Shop over five years ago. It gave me 90% of the features of Photoshop at around 15% of the price. It's worked fine from day one through to today and I've not had to torture myself with mysterious config
108.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Personally, I'd prefer someone not be 'with it' whilst poking about my guts. Of the skills I'd be seeking in a surgeon, multi-tasking tweet-master is not among them. Aren't brief audio-notes (or a full video) enough reference for composing
109.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Checking the root http://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/ they're currently doing maintenance on their web site this morning. It looks like I could have chosen a more opportune time to submit this! If you're Canadian and looking to build a S
110.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Wait a second... Cringely is concerned about Microsoft screwing up Yahoo? Yahoo. The company which has been incapable of implementing business-friendly search advertising after more than a decade of trying? _That_ Yahoo?!? Heck, if Yahoo'
111.
Canadian Regional Boot Camp for Technology Start-Ups - March 2009(tradecommissioner.gc.ca)
4 points by tom_rath 18y ago|4 comments
112.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Getting equity is pretty spiffy. It also implies you're taking on risk to receive it. Would you be willing to forfeit your salary for a few months if things didn't work out and revenue dried up, or are you only interested in an arrangement
113.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Add an 'exclude weekends' option for reports on a given date range.
114.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Whatever the merits of that article, the ridiculous multi-page presentation makes it unreadable.
115.
by tom_rath 18y ago
The Dam Busters (1955 - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046889/ ) is excellent. You can see real-world examples of the hacker problem-solving mindset right from the start of the movie and it continues on throughout. (PC Warning: One of the
116.
by tom_rath 18y ago
If what you love is building finance-directed B2B desktop apps then, yeah, you're golden. I think the key is directing your passion in a broad enough way that you can satisfy an unaddressed market demand. If you love building challenging s
117.
by tom_rath 18y ago
...but it wasn't pessimism, the post was addressing motivation. One gains money as a side-effect of being successful at something in demand. You don't become successful by becoming a millionaire. If becoming a millionaire is the goal of yo
118.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Sorry snowflake, the world doesn't work that way. You'd think the inability of any of you to find a single real-world example of an entrepreneur working on someone else's payroll would confirm that reality for you, but I see you choose to
119.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Well, gee, if it's so awesome to empower one's staff to start their own business while working on your payroll, I'd expect employers of software developers would be trumpeting their fine examples from the hills to attract the best staff pos
120.
by tom_rath 18y ago
Good use of someone else's life-affirming stick-figure profanity! As The Man in this case, I feel totally stuck to, dude. I'm still waiting to read of even a single example of a full-time employee who is working on (not preparing for) a bu

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