This is a bit like saying "I have a great idea for a painting. Will you paint it for me, and then give me half the money you get from selling it?"
Actually, that is almost exactly how the fine arts painting gallery circuit works.
I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?
81–90 of 104 posts
Re: I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?
#82If you're not planning on paying, and want to create a team, you'd better learn how to program. I was in your same position several months ago. I tried looking for programmers, and those that I found were turned off by the fact that I had no programming knowledge/experience. So, I got fed up and decided to learn how to program. I started with Python, dabbled in some SQL, and am currently trying to refine my Django sk…
Are there books you suggest i read, or tutorials to start with?
Django may not be the way to go for a someone new to web development, for the simple reason that there is exactly ONE place to get any documentation, and that source is less than excellent.
If for some reason you dislike ruby on rails (my first choice), I would say learn PHP. All you are trying to do is develop a web app, take the easiest path.
Finally,when your app gets complex and you need to hire programmers, you will thank me for this advice
Re: I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?
#83Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problem is unless you're guy kawasaki, kevin rose, or some serial entreprenuer/misc luminary what proof do you have that you can outsell someone who can program? (hypothetically if this is the case:) it's really hard to convince someone of your value if you can't even sell it to an angel or vc, and have cash as proof
Have you ever seem most programmers give a presentation? Enough said I think. :-)
Have you ever seem most managers give a presentation?
Enough said I think. :-)
Re: I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's complete bullsh!t. It is execution that matters. Ideas are a dime a dozen. What google did was excellent execution of an non-original idea (there were lots of search engines at that time). Look at the UConnect vs. Facebook. vs. that other dude that that the same idea. Facebook was able to execute much faster and better and got traction, while Uconnect is just crap, and they have to resort to lawsuits. Sure, if…
Maybe thats true if the idea is "lets make a better search engine" but thats not much of an idea. If the idea is "lets make a better search engine that uses a unique ranking system based on links to estimate the popularity of any given page" then I'd say the idea is worth something. The probable difference between ConnectU and Facebook? Facebook spammed all of Harvard to get its initial traction, ConnectU didn't.
"If the idea is "lets make a better search engine that uses a unique ranking system based on links to estimate the popularity of any given page" then I'd say the idea is worth something."
Not without a working implementation, no.
"The probable difference between ConnectU and Facebook? Facebook spammed all of Harvard to get its initial traction, ConnectU didn't."
Right. Execution.
Re: I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?
#85Re: I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
Have you ever seem most programmers give a presentation? Enough said I think. :-)
that's a stereotype that not all programmers fall into... especially the ones that do it out of the necessity of seeing their idea come to life as opposed to love of puzzles alone not all business people are too proud to step outside of their comfort zone and learn something new...
I didn't say all, I said most.
From my own observation, programmers can and do have a very difficult time both understanding what people are willing to pay for, and getting them to pay for it.
Some hackers are great salesmen, and a few business folk are decent programmers, but if you're going to use the painting analogy the way the GP did, you can't discount the act of selling as something that'll just happen.
Re: I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
that's a stereotype that not all programmers fall into... especially the ones that do it out of the necessity of seeing their idea come to life as opposed to love of puzzles alone not all business people are too proud to step outside of their comfort zone and learn something new...
I didn't say all, I said most. From my own observation, programmers can and do have a very difficult time both understanding what people are willing to pay for, and getting them to pay for it. Some hackers are great salesmen, and a few business folk are decent programmers, but if you're going to use the painting analogy the way the GP did, you can't discount the act of selling as something that'll just happen.
"I didn't say all, I said most."
if you don't provide a counter example - it's almost the same as saying all
if you think most programmers are pizza box hermits, i think you need to spend some time with more of them. the stereotype has some basis in some parts of the country, but i think it's largely overblown
I'm not discounting the act of selling... it's just from my personal experience most business people aren't great at presenting or selling either - it's only a few (saying something is very different from doing - this relates to my view on ideas too), hence the need for proof (or your cash)
Re: I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?
#88Get an NDA with anyone you work with. "Ideas are easy, execution is hard" is a cop-out excuse by people who don't have any patentable worthwhile ideas of their own!
Having done both, ideas are much easier. (I have 2 issued and 10 pending, 7 of which are a company's crown jewels.)
Re: I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?
#89If you're not planning on paying, and want to create a team, you'd better learn how to program. I was in your same position several months ago. I tried looking for programmers, and those that I found were turned off by the fact that I had no programming knowledge/experience. So, I got fed up and decided to learn how to program. I started with Python, dabbled in some SQL, and am currently trying to refine my Django sk…
Are there books you suggest i read, or tutorials to start with?
"... Are there books you suggest i read, or tutorials to start with? ..."
I'd suggest trying to change your "mindset" as well, building and reading supporting information at the same time. One such way is to read "SEIA" (Software Engineering for Internet Applications, Andersson, Greenspun & Grumet) which is online or in print and follow the book through ~ http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/
The book/course is easy to read and most important devoid of advocacy. The good thing is you can start now at no real cost. But it will take time and effort though.
Re: I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?
#90Solution 1: Higher cost, shorter turn around time. Spend the money to hire several programmers to implement your ideas for you. However, keep in mind that you should become technically proficient enough to communicate with and monitor the programmers. Otherwise, they're apt to take advantage of you.
Solution 2: Low cost. Long turnaround time. Start learning now how to program and build the web startup yourself. The biggest drawback with this option is that there's more to learn to correctly build a web application than to build a more traditional desktop program. It could take you six months before you've got a comfortable enough grasp of web programming to make progress on building your program. Although if it can be built as a Facebook widget or on top of existing services like those offered by Amazon, that may cut down on overall development time.
Solution 3: Higher cost than #2 but much lower than #1. Turnaround time would also be somewhere in the middle between #1 and #2. Partner with a friend of yours who also knows how to program. This way, if you decide to learn how to program you have someone right there to help you. You also have the option of dividing the work where you handle the business side and let your partner(s) handle the technical end.