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Ask HN: How did you find your great side project idea?

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Re: Ask HN: How did you find your great side project idea?

#81

Post by gschier »

brosky117 wrote: post #28
gschier wrote: post #8

I solved a problem that I had at work. I needed a tool to make interacting with HTTP APIs easier, and didn't like any of the existing ones, so I created Insomnia [ https://insomnia.rest/ ]. It took a weekend to build a proof of concept, then I released it to the public. As I improved it, the user base grew slowly. Then, a year later, I was able to quit my job to pursue it full-time. If you're curious, I have an Inter…

I use Insomnia everyday. Thank you for making it! I shared it with my coworkers and described it as the REST client I would make if I were to make a REST client. Happy to hear it's working out for you :)

You're very welcome :)

Re: Ask HN: How did you find your great side project idea?

#82

Post by dhruvkar »

_jdams wrote: post #75
dhruvkar wrote: post #18

Be naturally and deeply engaged in a community. This could be anything that you naturally find interesting - books, art, armadillos, roofing etc. Engage with other people that also find this topic interesting. It'll take several months, but you'll uncover more problems than you'll have time for. And the best part - you now get to pick a problem you care about, and build a solution for it.

Let's have a little fun and pick apart the first topic you listed. Books. What exactly is there still to be done in the realm of books? Publishing? There are big companies or now you can self-publish. There are many video tutorials, courses, and blogs all dedicated to self-publishing, so even the online education realm of things seems to be taken. Writing books? Ok sure you can write a book just like you can produce…

A) the question asks specifically how to find a "side project" idea, not necessarily a full fledged business all though it could turn into one.

B) The whole point of being involved in a specific community (e.g. fantasy books written by Terry Brooks) is that issues will crop up naturally that you, as a dev, may be in a position to solve. Theorizing on problems in this thread is the exact opposite of my suggestion.

C) The topics were half in jest (see 'armadillos'), and were just meant to kickstart the OP's thinking process.

The process of coming up with an idea shouldn't have to happen in a vacuum. The point it to solve problems you encounter and help solve them.

Re: Ask HN: How did you find your great side project idea?

#83

Post by gschier »

SirPereira wrote: post #30
gschier wrote: post #8

I solved a problem that I had at work. I needed a tool to make interacting with HTTP APIs easier, and didn't like any of the existing ones, so I created Insomnia [ https://insomnia.rest/ ]. It took a weekend to build a proof of concept, then I released it to the public. As I improved it, the user base grew slowly. Then, a year later, I was able to quit my job to pursue it full-time. If you're curious, I have an Inter…

I would be tempted to try it if you could name a few reasons it would be better than Postman. I know the "if it works for you, stick with it" saying, but I would really like to give it a go if it would have better features I may not be aware about! Congrats on the app and being able to work on it full-time! That's a big achievement!

I've been wanting to write a blog post on this for a long time, but have failed to come up with a concise way to describe the benefits. I usually say something like "Insomnia is better at being an HTTP client because that's all it does". If you use the less-HTTP-client-like feature of Postman like automated testing or mocking, and enjoy it, then Postman is the tool for you. However, if you don't need those features, Insomnia offers a better experience (my opinion) by means of a simpler, nicer, and easier interface. Oh, and Insomnia is also open source :)

Re: Ask HN: How did you find your great side project idea?

#84

Post by evanspa »

quickben wrote: post #70
evanspa wrote: post #48

I couldn't find a workout app that I liked. The ones I tried just didn't fit the flow-of-use I wanted. I just wanted something to track my weight lifting, and wanted it to be super simple. So, scratched the itch with Riker. https://www.rikerapp.com

Android planned anytime soon?

Yes - that's what I'm currently working on.

Re: Ask HN: How did you find your great side project idea?

#85

Post by gschier »

guyfawkes303 wrote: post #22
gschier wrote: post #8

I solved a problem that I had at work. I needed a tool to make interacting with HTTP APIs easier, and didn't like any of the existing ones, so I created Insomnia [ https://insomnia.rest/ ]. It took a weekend to build a proof of concept, then I released it to the public. As I improved it, the user base grew slowly. Then, a year later, I was able to quit my job to pursue it full-time. If you're curious, I have an Inter…

Wow, nice work. Just downloaded and tested it out, I'll definitely be using this.

Let me know how it goes :)

Re: Ask HN: How did you find your great side project idea?

#86

Post by treve »

quickben wrote: post #73
treve wrote: post #12

My side projects tend to be libraries for other programmers. I usually get ideas by using existing libraries but being unhappy with the interface / api they offer. I love designing good apis that express the underlying concepts well, while hiding implementation details, and while many niche libraries have a good solution for their problem domain, many are lacking in api / UX.

Any income from that? Beer money or car money a year?:)

It's been really in three categories:

1. Projects that yield nothing financially. 2. Projects that help me establish me as a .. idk.. thoughtleader(?) in certain specific niche fields. 3. I've written 2 libraries in particular that netted me a number of consulting gigs. For about 2 years I was able to travel around the world supporting myself with this, and I worked for companies on location in 4 continents. This was a pretty great time of my life, but I got bored working on a single project.

So definitely more than beer money for that last one, but it might have been a fluke. Generally it's not my aim to do this for my side projects. I make enough money, so I do it because I enjoy it.

Re: Ask HN: How did you find your great side project idea?

#87

Post by treve »

33W wrote: post #25
treve wrote: post #12

My side projects tend to be libraries for other programmers. I usually get ideas by using existing libraries but being unhappy with the interface / api they offer. I love designing good apis that express the underlying concepts well, while hiding implementation details, and while many niche libraries have a good solution for their problem domain, many are lacking in api / UX.

Do you have any revenue coming from these projects? From what sources?

Just answered this in another thread. One of these did get me a whole bunch of income allowed me to travel, but it's not why I do it today.

Re: Ask HN: How did you find your great side project idea?

#88

Post by BlackjackCF »

jqbx_jason wrote: post #58
BlackjackCF wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn't properly log in via Spotify :(

You need to have a premium account- was that the issue or is it something else I should look into? You can also try the 'click here to retry' button which should do the trick if you do in fact have Spotify premium.

Nope. I have a premium account. I retried multiple times as well :\

Re: Ask HN: How did you find your great side project idea?

#89

Post by mapster »

back in 93 i would cold call tech companies and get to speak with engineers. my goal was to get them to talk my ear off. oddly enough it usually worked. funny enough I didn't know enough tech at the time to understand 3/4 of what they spoke of. but if you are a problem solver with skills, you can certainly start by asking.
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