I find funny the related post in forbes.com
Repelling Mosquitos After The Hurricane: DEET vs. Dengue Fever
Despite Y Combinator Growth, Paul Graham Still Coding
51–60 of 62 posts
Re: Despite Y Combinator Growth, Paul Graham Still Coding
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
I hack a fair amount in it, less on it. I'd hoped to release a new version of News soon, and thus also a new version of Arc. But I am pretty busy with YC.
Feature request: readable URLs. /title-of-story, /title-of-story/comment/username, etc.
Thought and still think that(the reason) HN has small fonts, unreadable URLs etc(is) to not lower the bar for not-hackers. True?
Re: Despite Y Combinator Growth, Paul Graham Still Coding
#53I really don't like the bias in the headline. It seems to imply that coding isn't something you'd do after you got growth. Why not "How Coding Helps Y Combinator Manage Growth" or "Paul Graham Keeps Coding to Help Y Combinator Keep Growing"?
Do you think Sergey and Larry do any significant, production code these these days?
It's a good question. I'd bet maybe not production code but I'm sure they write some utilities and things for themselves.
Re: Despite Y Combinator Growth, Paul Graham Still Coding
#54I really don't like the bias in the headline. It seems to imply that coding isn't something you'd do after you got growth. Why not "How Coding Helps Y Combinator Manage Growth" or "Paul Graham Keeps Coding to Help Y Combinator Keep Growing"?
There is a bias with many management and business people, they think coding is low level cruft done by expendable people and once you become a manager or start doing business you start doing the real work and don't have to deal with this lesser things. Sadly I've seen this a lot. Even more sad is that I know programmers that have become managers, no longer write code, and loathe the days they were simply coders. It p…
The other extreme is people who can never see technical entrepreneurs as anything other than coders.
A week ago I was having coffee with the new VP of Marketing for a company I consult to. Despite my background: MBA 8 years ago, founder of web startup that was acquired, several years in product management prior to that, the veep asked me why I didn't wan to be a programmer. What?
I still code, but I find it annoying when people perceive me as coder first, as though that invalidates my business credentials.
Maybe I'm putting out the wrong vibe, but I'd like to chalk this up to them being threatened by the idea that someone with a skillset they will never have can do all the same stuff they can.
Re: Despite Y Combinator Growth, Paul Graham Still Coding
#55Re: Despite Y Combinator Growth, Paul Graham Still Coding
#56This article makes me wonder: status-of-arc-p?
I hack a fair amount in it, less on it. I'd hoped to release a new version of News soon, and thus also a new version of Arc. But I am pretty busy with YC.
I would love to hear examples of its use, even if mundane. Such as "I used it to automate my daily..." or proof of concepts or prototypes - even if the details can't be shared. I spent some time with arc and looked at the alternate implementations and poked around on the forum, and so I'd really like to learn how it's being used.
Re: Despite Y Combinator Growth, Paul Graham Still Coding
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Sorry to sound blunt but why is it a given that if a person is successful, it is surprising that he/she is doing "lesser" things? If a top scientist/inventor/entrepreneur is doing routine tasks that he doesn't enjoy, he's losing time that could either be spent creating new amazing things or relaxing/recharging and enjoying his life. If you enjoy any particular activity - driving or cooking - by all means keep doing…
I'll take the bait. It seems possible to me that there could also be value in doing some routine tasks that you don't enjoy. Even for the top scientist/inventor/entrepreneur. I've tried to come up with a list of some reasons why, but I think they all eventually come down grounding. If you always have someone else performing a certain class of tasks for you, like unenjoyable routine tasks, you'll be disconnecting cert…
Good comment. I agree, especially in the case of people who have never had to do routine tasks.
Eventually though, you come face to face with the fact that you've only got 24 hours per day, every day, and it is possible to get maxed out. So for someone who has internalized the lessons of hard work, cleanliness, order, structure, whatever - then moving to more broadly expansive planes of action (or just relaxing/recharging/enjoying) seems a good tradeoff. I reckon there's other "canary" indicators - how much you've written lately if you're a writer, how much you've coded lately if you're a programmer, how the financial statements look if you're an investor, and so on.
But yeah, I agree. Good perspective, good discussing here.
Re: Despite Y Combinator Growth, Paul Graham Still Coding
#58It's true that one of the most productive things to do during a large meeting is program.
Often, the most productive thing to do is leave.
The day in my management career that I learned to walk in to a large meeting, say, " will be making this decision for my team" and then walk out was the day I reclaimed my work life. It may sound sad to IC types, but particularly in large companies managers end up invited to meetings just because some random person wants to ensure official buy-in/approval.
Re: Despite Y Combinator Growth, Paul Graham Still Coding
#59Long live hacker spirit, long live PG
Why downvoting? (Will help newbies like me)
Re: Despite Y Combinator Growth, Paul Graham Still Coding
#60I really don't like the bias in the headline. It seems to imply that coding isn't something you'd do after you got growth. Why not "How Coding Helps Y Combinator Manage Growth" or "Paul Graham Keeps Coding to Help Y Combinator Keep Growing"?
Do you think Sergey and Larry do any significant, production code these these days?
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