Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017?

#381

Post by alin23 » Mon, Jan 01, 2018, 12:49 AM UTC

anotherevan wrote: post #268

alin23 wrote: post #74

Quitting my full-time job to pursue my side-projects was the best thing I could have done for my health and sanity this year. I am now working on a bunch of ideas that I hope will help some people around here: 1. A Pocket-to-Kindle service that syncs (almost) instantly to your Kindle whatever article you save, formats it like a professionally edited book, cleans up ads and takes advantage of the new typesetting engin…

I would consider offering Instapaper as well as Pocket. I generally find Instapaper does a better job overall. The number of times Pocket just either redirects to the original article, or drops salient bits of text (in particular, unordered list items) is really annoying.

It already works with Instapaper too, I just explain it as a Pocket to Kindle service because that's what people use the most these days.

Personally I use Instapaper more for reading because of all the premium features being free and keep Pocket in sync using IFTTT for their good recommendations.

Re: Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017?

#382

Post by krapp » Mon, Jan 01, 2018, 12:52 AM UTC

sifoo wrote: post #337

krapp wrote: post #333

I made a lot of smoke, but not a lot of fire. Two years ago I said I was going to clone Berzerk as my second game dev project, and made my first commit[0]. This year I basically tore the entire thing apart several times and wound up just working on general framework and game development code[1]. Some of it still doesn't work. Most of it is probably crap. I also worked on, and have given up on, a HN-like forum written…

Sounds like you're preparing/triangulating to me, give it a few years and I can almost promise it will all make sense. Just accept that you're not in control and follow your intuition and all will be fine :)

Thanks.

I feel slightly less embarrassed at having spent three months and counting on Pong.

Re: Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017?

#383

Post by Kapura » Mon, Jan 01, 2018, 12:52 AM UTC

I started this year making tools for the team, then I got put on a project where I mocked up an AR experience using VR hardware ("AR in VR").

Then I programmed the Lightsaber combat in an officially licensed Star Wars AR game. Pretty good on the professional side this year.

Re: Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017?

#384

Post by jcadam » Mon, Jan 01, 2018, 12:53 AM UTC

I spent a good deal of my spare time on a side project in 2017: https://www.contabulo.com

I'm actually removing all the "Coming Soon" verbiage from the landing page tonight. It's (at least in a mimimally viable sense) ready to go now :)

Re: Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017?

#385

Post by superted » Mon, Jan 01, 2018, 12:55 AM UTC

After a 10-years-or-so hiatus I finally got back at composing music, and completed 29 songs and 4 albums, this fall only: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4nxDh1lPq0EclBPMNXnYa3 and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgNm_EwMyLBrKp_kmdU3XoA. Doing this in parallel to going through a divorce with three kids has been quite a ride.

Re: Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017?

#386

Post by alin23 » Mon, Jan 01, 2018, 12:58 AM UTC

diweirich wrote: post #201

alin23 wrote: post #74

Quitting my full-time job to pursue my side-projects was the best thing I could have done for my health and sanity this year. I am now working on a bunch of ideas that I hope will help some people around here: 1. A Pocket-to-Kindle service that syncs (almost) instantly to your Kindle whatever article you save, formats it like a professionally edited book, cleans up ads and takes advantage of the new typesetting engin…

What did you do to prepare for leaving your job? Do you have another source of income?

I don't have any other source of income. I had a pretty good paying job for the past year and managed to save one year worth of savings. I can survive with what I have until June (I think). I'm doing my best to create something that helps at least a few people, and maybe get some money from that too. Even if I don't, I have already learned and practiced so much more skills than I could if I had a full time job and that makes it worth it.

Re: Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017?

#387

Post by exikyut » Mon, Jan 01, 2018, 1:01 AM UTC

devscreen wrote: post #273

Started working on my first side project! It's an alternative way to screen developers that I think is better than anything that's currently out there. I'm interested in hearing feedback on the idea. You provide JSON data that will be exposed through an API which candidates will use. They are given instructions on how to parse and manipulate the data. Then they POST the response to you. If the response is 200 OK - th…

This approach shifts the effort on constantly changing the source JSON data and specification on how it needs to finally look to the client. Lazy devs will inevitably post solutions online.

This approach also requires the client to implement ratelimiting, but you could fix that by having the data POSTed to your servers instead.

I unfortunately can't remember the name of it, but a service was presented on here a while ago that presented a series of security challenges then connected successful applicants with employers and managed the whole process. Methinks that's the right way to do this kind of thing.

Re: Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017?

#388

Post by Stuart-Williams » Mon, Jan 01, 2018, 1:02 AM UTC

armini wrote: post #138

We’ve been working on a mobile app that helps people connect locally to conversations. https://imgur.com/a/lJnLe We would love to get a few early adopters and happy to pay people for their contributions. If you value connectivity, commerce & trade we would love to work with you Pilot program application form https://goo.gl/forms/9S7jopCiIVrbiMdt2

I completed the registration process. Can you explain more about what the app does?

Re: Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017?

#389

Post by adpirz » Mon, Jan 01, 2018, 1:03 AM UTC

olalonde wrote: post #353

jesperlang wrote: post #341

I quit what many would consider a successfull job in programming and had a sabbatical year. Moved to a smaller town and down sized everything in spending to the point where I pay $600 per month for housing, food and bills, so living of my savings haven't been an issue at all. I have focused on things like reading (read +40 books in 2017, up from 1-2 per year), wood working, sketching, running and skiing. To keep up m…

> I pay $600 per month for housing, food and bills Is that in the US? Sounds really low...

>smaller town and down sized everything

You can very much pull that off in lots of small towns in the US, but yeah, you're living a close to thread bare lifestyle.

Re: Ask HN: What did you work on in 2017?

#390

Post by ray-hollands » Mon, Jan 01, 2018, 1:06 AM UTC

armini wrote: post #138

We’ve been working on a mobile app that helps people connect locally to conversations. https://imgur.com/a/lJnLe We would love to get a few early adopters and happy to pay people for their contributions. If you value connectivity, commerce & trade we would love to work with you Pilot program application form https://goo.gl/forms/9S7jopCiIVrbiMdt2

What do you need from the early adopters who register?