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Poll: Where do you work?

news.ycombinator.com

171–180 of 197 posts

Re: Poll: Where do you work?

#173
post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ugh, yep I did - edited. Thanks for the catch :) it's late and I've been typing a report for the last 5 hours or so ;)

TPS?

Heh, no thank goodness. 10,000 word systems engineering essay. An attempt at getting more edification in my spare time :)

Re: Poll: Where do you work?

#174
post #25

Wow, I didn't expect so many (max right now) votes for Non-web company. It'd be nice to hear more about these companies for a change. Who are you guys and what companies are you running?

Workflow systems for defense contractors (awfully vague, sorry).

Re: Poll: Where do you work?

#175

A Semiconductor company (mxim)

Heh, I used to work at one time for someone whose products were cordially detested in the semiconductor industry because they were considered (with some reason) to be bug-ridden ad-hoc implementations of things the semi industry thought they absolutely needed :)

Re: Poll: Where do you work?

#177

Sigh, these poll options seem to confirm to me just how myopic many HN and startup people are about the software world. Believe it or not, there is a LOT of software that gets written that either is not "web", or related to a startup. Additionally, the people that write it do find the content at HN relevant and interesting. I found myself at a party in SF on New Years at an apartment that housed a startup as well as…

That's why the "hacker" in Hacker News disturbed me at first. I believed this was more of a technical community and not a forum for future millionaires :)

But with some cognitive filtering it's not that bad ...

Re: Poll: Where do you work?

#178
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am almost certain that non-web software brings in much more revenue than web software. There is a lot of niche WinForms stuff out there from no-name vendors that rule a given industry and companies pay a lot of money for that, and that's not even counting revenue from office suites, operating systems, financial management, and other desktop software that sits in every business. There are a few glaring exceptions li…

Close your eyes. Pick a direction randomly. Point. What are you pointing at? You're pointing at something that took over a billion dollars of software to get to your door. Software at the exchange, at the bank, at the office, at the factory, on the loading dock, on the ships, controlling the trucks, in the supply chain, running the register, in your car. No, web is not the last refuge of software, and $20/mo. is not…

nor is free/month; yet FB has a $50B valuation.

Re: Poll: Where do you work?

#179

Sigh, these poll options seem to confirm to me just how myopic many HN and startup people are about the software world. Believe it or not, there is a LOT of software that gets written that either is not "web", or related to a startup. Additionally, the people that write it do find the content at HN relevant and interesting. I found myself at a party in SF on New Years at an apartment that housed a startup as well as…

Would you wager there is more software written that is not web related and that it collectively makes more money than the stuff that is?

Sure. But its labor-intensive. Like running a coalmining operation, vs finding a diamond on the beach. Where's the glamour in slogging along for years with a team, many of whom you've never met?

Face it, this is a rock-star-wannabe site, and unapologetic.

Re: Poll: Where do you work?

#180

Sigh, these poll options seem to confirm to me just how myopic many HN and startup people are about the software world. Believe it or not, there is a LOT of software that gets written that either is not "web", or related to a startup. Additionally, the people that write it do find the content at HN relevant and interesting. I found myself at a party in SF on New Years at an apartment that housed a startup as well as…

I recently had a (current) YC founder approach me online about interviewing for a job. He messaged me on Quora soon after I'd posted a spate of answers for a chic programming topic.

We set up a phone screen the next day and then he silently hung up halfway through my answer to the first question. He'd asked "so are you a dev or a designer or what" and I guess "I configure and integrate custom enterprise software packages" was the wrong opening for me to use.

I'm going to have to assume we wouldn't have been a good match.

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