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It's OK to abandon your side-project (2024)

robbowen.digital

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Re: It's OK to abandon your side-project (2024)

#91

Post by gottorf »

NuclearPM wrote: post #66
wrongcards wrote: post #29

I've been running my side project - free ecards that are wrong for every occasion - ( https://wrongcards.com ) for eighteen years. I felt like the internet needed something like that, back in 2008. Back then, it was a tribute to the 90s era of terrible, awful ecards websites, about which I had become oddly nostalgic. It was also semi-intentionally a terrible idea from a SEO perspective (ecause, like, search engines a…

I’ve had an idea for the last 15 years. ~10 bucks and a card is printed and mailed to address for you. Add a few bucks for a handwritten note. I still think this is a good idea. I just had too many other failed ideas to put the time into it.

I'm aware of at least one business that does this already.

Re: It's OK to abandon your side-project (2024)

#93

Post by karerckor »

Same pattern here. I'll get excited about an idea, dig deep into one specific feature, look at how existing OSS solves it, build a working prototype — and then hit a wall the moment it's time to add auth, roles, billing, all the "SaaS wrapper" work. Project gets abandoned.

But like the author, I've come around to seeing this as feature, not bug. My day job rarely includes the technologies or domains I want to explore, so side projects became my way of learning new stacks deeply. The funny thing is — abandoned or not, that exploration showed up on my CV. I've landed harder, more interesting roles specifically because I'd "played with" the stack on a never-shipped project.

The shipping isn't the point. The depth of the dive is.

Re: It's OK to abandon your side-project (2024)

#95

Post by perilunar »

ahaferburg wrote: post #58
wrongcards wrote: post #29

I've been running my side project - free ecards that are wrong for every occasion - ( https://wrongcards.com ) for eighteen years. I felt like the internet needed something like that, back in 2008. Back then, it was a tribute to the 90s era of terrible, awful ecards websites, about which I had become oddly nostalgic. It was also semi-intentionally a terrible idea from a SEO perspective (ecause, like, search engines a…

Maybe you could try to find somebody to take over or help you maintain it?

Maybe ask Hacker News if anyone wants to take over running it? — i.e. post the question on Ask HN.

Re: It's OK to abandon your side-project (2024)

#96

Post by miladyincontrol »

keiferski wrote: post #9

I like the idea of having an “end of life wrap-up" for half-finished side projects. Rather than just stopping and leaving them abandoned, you make something like a report on what you learned, what you built, and why you're stopping. Then it feels less like you've abandoned something outright.

I do appreciate an addendum no matter how short and brief, even just a message saying "thats probably all folks".

Re: It's OK to abandon your side-project (2024)

#98

Post by NuclearPM »

gottorf wrote: post #91
NuclearPM wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve had an idea for the last 15 years. ~10 bucks and a card is printed and mailed to address for you. Add a few bucks for a handwritten note. I still think this is a good idea. I just had too many other failed ideas to put the time into it.

I'm aware of at least one business that does this already.

Which one?

Re: It's OK to abandon your side-project (2024)

#99

Post by gottorf »

NuclearPM wrote: post #98
gottorf wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm aware of at least one business that does this already.

Which one?

https://www.handwrytten.com/

I guess it depends on your definition of "handwritten"; they're actually robotically written, so no actual human hands are involved.

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