I disagree. I think the overall quality of software built by software professionals has increased over time. It's the natural maturation of an industry (although I believe we are far from mature).
I don't think I'm quite there yet. Are you saying having to type return vs. it being implicit encourages side-effects in programming? How does this relate to the begin block?
I think I'm currently in the "I just don't get it camp" when a significant deficit of a language is the lack of implicit returns. Is typing return that bad? I quite like the readability. Is it that you can only return once per function? I already do that, but recognize that some developers don't. If that's part of it then a lot about these languages is to keep the riff-raff out? If that's true then I think we can probably all agree they will never be mainstream since in most cases mainstream == rif-raff.
sorry - I knew I'd read an article about enticing people to leave school and associated it to YC. It was actually Peter Thiel: http://www.dawnmontgomerypresents.com/?p=2104
Now, having said that, there does seem to be a lot of pressure to go be an entrepreneur when the chances for success are still extremely small (depending on how you define success of course). success != happiness however and I agree that there are a lot of people out there that will grow immensely if they go take these chances.
I would much rather people go take a chance starting a company than go into finance - that's my personal bias.
Thank you for responding to my post and clarifying.
Thanks for the comments - this was my first HN post. I hope you didn't see it as being pessimistic - As someone who has started companies in the past and wants to do it again, I am trying to understand this new movement.
I love the thought of building a self-running business. Is that realistic? Is that realistic statistically? $12,000 profit per month after taxes is not livable in the US, and probably not Canada. Continuing to grow past $1000/month doesn't mean you are going to win; it could mean you win for a little bit and then lose all at once when something goes wrong, or someone else decides your idea is good and scoops it up. Maybe, maybe not. Again, I don't know. I do know that you can live frugally and without a cushion for only so long if your dream involves a family.
Pulling out of a phd program may be the right choice, but you are giving up on a tangible asset before you cross the finish line. Education isn't the be-all end all, but it still means something to a lot of people and that's a nice back up if your company doesn't work out.
I noticed you live in Thailand now which was apparently your dream. That lowers your costs significantly. Congratulations on that and the success you've had!
For me, living in a first world country changes the calculus. I'm not promoting the "big vc" route and I don't think YC invests in companies so the founders can make $20k/month and take vacations when they want. Your final point I'll assume wasn't trying to rub my face into the fact that you have this freedom that perhaps I don't have.
Again, congratulations on your success, and I think I'm going to try out your web meeting product.
seriously not trying to be a downer, but doesn't this smack of starting a company just to start a company? they all took $0 in salary in 2008, I wonder if they are making live-able wages now in 2011. They took on their first employee and maybe had to again cut their salaries to afford it?
YC worries me that it convinces everyone to start a company rather than go to school, work for another company as an employee or follow a different dream. We're being sold someone else's dream of "starting a company is the best thing in the world to do".
The talent pool is being severely diluted just like too many expansion teams in a sports league. The end result? Less success for everyone.
I admire their persistence, but I wonder if Octopart is in a market where they can build a company that can hire and pay the employees or maybe even generate a larger lump of cash. I may not get the new model yet, but I still think that revenue generation is the goal of a company.
However, it's just roughly 3 years into their lifespan, so maybe they will eventually build a nice business. I definitely wish them luck if this is truly their dream.
Or maybe it's just the experience of building a company that is the reward. I don't know.