To call Mike Lee a huge dope head would be an understatement.
Appsterdam: A Haven for Indie App Makers?
21–30 of 57 posts
Re: Appsterdam: A Haven for Indie App Makers?
#22There were some interesting discussions here on hacker news before about alternatives for startups in Europe [1], [2].
I don't quite understand the part about Berlin, though - why not raise a family in Berlin (especially if the alternative is not some rural area but other large cities)? I found the side-stab against Ireland a little weird as well, wouldn't have considered Dublin to be "in the middle of nowhere", or was that about attracting developers to join your startup in Dublin being hard? (Never tried that, could well be the case). The last time I was in Amsterdam 10 years ago I thought it would be a nice place to live, but I feel the same about Ireland and I am living in Berlin right now, so ... )
To put it short: I think all 4 cities are worth taking into account and it depends a lot on your particular situation. Seeing startup funds like this pop up is awesome and I hope more places in Europe will follow :°)
[1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1565375
[2] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2573513 (link-baity title though)
Re: Appsterdam: A Haven for Indie App Makers?
#23Instead of promoting Appsterdam with vague stories about how awesome Amsterdam is, I like to see more concrete and specific information. I understand that its just starting up, but this would be nice to have in the (near) future. Like: - Average cost of living is X - Developers can earn X-Z salary - Tax burden for companies is X - You can find apartments in the range of X-Y at site Z - X companies joined this initiat…
well, NL is pretty expensive to live in if you're earning USD; the tax burden is high if you're used to the US (though there's some offset because that tax includes what would be private medical insurance in the US); and people are forever grumbling about how hard it is to find places to live in Amsterdam. So maybe there's a reason for that. The meeting on 6th July in their event planner is labelled as 'weekly' thoug…
I lived in The Netherlands (right outside Amsterdam) for 6 years. It is a nice country with a lot to do and see when it wasn't raining. But the Dutch tax the heck out of you on everything. On the flip side you get an 8% holiday bonus mandatory by the government but most companies already compensate this into your salary already.
If you are an entrepreneur I would recommend never to hire a fulltime employee and only hire contractors or be absolutely certain on who you hire. We had such big problems with a few employees and the government would not let us fire them. Our company had to pay them compensation and help find them a new job?!?! We also had another employee that became to stressed with the workload and the Dutch government told us we had to pay his salary until he returns for up to 2 years.
Finally the nail in the coffin for me was the weather. I couldn't take wind and rain for what seemed like months straight and summer lasting for sometimes only 1 month.
I wish Appsterdam success but for me I prefer lower taxes and better climate. Malta or Switzerland anyone?
Re: Appsterdam: A Haven for Indie App Makers?
#24What about the language barrier? Is English prominent enough in Amsterdam to easily get through everyday interactions or would you need to learn an entirely new language in order to truly enjoy the city?
Yes, to the point that learning Dutch on the fly is hard because nobody will try to speak it with you when they are so good with English.
If you approach someone in Dutch speaking with a (non-middle eastern) accent, people will switch to English without asking. It's horribly annoying really, learning the language (and thus really picking up the oh so important subtleties in professional and private life) is made really difficult this way.
People often explain it as kindness, but it's really just plain rude laziness: for many Dutch people, speaking slow and clear Dutch requires a lot more energy than upspeed English. Let alone listening to and trying to understand broken Dutch.
Re: Appsterdam: A Haven for Indie App Makers?
#25There were some interesting discussions here on hacker news before about alternatives for startups in Europe [1], [2]. I don't quite understand the part about Berlin, though - why not raise a family in Berlin (especially if the alternative is not some rural area but other large cities)? I found the side-stab against Ireland a little weird as well, wouldn't have considered Dublin to be "in the middle of nowhere", or w…
I think the point about Dublin is that it is a bit further away if you are in mainland Europe. It's not that far though, and it is closer to the USA.
Re: Appsterdam: A Haven for Indie App Makers?
#26> "The conclusion I came to was that Amsterdam was the most livable city in the world." Before publicly stating that idea I would have waited until I had lived in the place for a few years. I've been to Amsterdam and about 50 or so other cities in 30 countries(sorry for the humble brag here). I would never come to that conclusion for one reason: the winter weather. I personally love the Northern California climate an…
He was here this winter and I can tell you it was pretty cold, so he already experienced it.
From my personal point of view I can tell you that it's bearable. I biked all winter long and I can bear it. That's not the only way to move of course, and a lot of people take public transport during the winter, even though a good percentage still bikes.
Moreover I like much more changing seasons and I'm not really a fan of hot weather. That's why I love the summer here, it's more like a long spring.
Anyway, weather really comes down to personal preferences. I know people here that don't like the weather and others that live with it very well. Here I learned not to care that much about the weather, and it works for me.
Re: Appsterdam: A Haven for Indie App Makers?
#27Instead of promoting Appsterdam with vague stories about how awesome Amsterdam is, I like to see more concrete and specific information. I understand that its just starting up, but this would be nice to have in the (near) future. Like: - Average cost of living is X - Developers can earn X-Z salary - Tax burden for companies is X - You can find apartments in the range of X-Y at site Z - X companies joined this initiat…
I wish there was a list like this for every city.
Ages ago I used to work for Employment Conditions Abroad, they have type of info, but I'm not sure how they sell it now (back then it was about selling CD-ROMs)
Re: Appsterdam: A Haven for Indie App Makers?
#28The guy in the article is using Amsterdam too much as the reason for Appsterdam; in the end the _community_ will make it what it is, whether it's the best city or not won't matter if the community is a success.
That being said Amsterdam has enough of the ingredients to make that happen, and I think it's a wonderful initiative, keep it going!
Re: Appsterdam: A Haven for Indie App Makers?
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, to the point that learning Dutch on the fly is hard because nobody will try to speak it with you when they are so good with English.
If you approach someone in Dutch speaking with a (non-middle eastern) accent, people will switch to English without asking. It's horribly annoying really, learning the language (and thus really picking up the oh so important subtleties in professional and private life) is made really difficult this way. People often explain it as kindness, but it's really just plain rude laziness: for many Dutch people, speaking slow…
Well, I've never looked at it that way. Next time I will be more thoughtfull.
Re: Appsterdam: A Haven for Indie App Makers?
#30Pfff, Appsterdam - I say Apperlin http://twitter.com/#!/fractality/status/85371377254809600
Join the movement to make Berlin the new Sillicon Valley.