

We are selling the source code of our startup (time-tracking on IM) - dan_sim
http://timmyontime.posterous.com/timmy-source-code-is-on-sale

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froo
I find the premise of using IM for time tracking (and hence time management) a
flawed idea.

For me, IM is generally a distraction and a timesink, which is why I've opted
to uninstall any IM clients and instead do all my interactions through mail,
it saves time.

I just don't see how this has any value but I'm willing to be proven wrong.

You mentioned you lost your clients? How? (just curious)

~~~
fizz972
I have also disabled all my IM accounts for the same rasons but I did open one
new one where I have only non-human contacts. I use it for receiving alerts
from different bots and some tests (My work involves a lot of XMPP stuff).

My point is that IM only becomes a distraction and a timesink when you have
human contacts (especially ones with too much free time).

~~~
froo
That's the thing though, yours is an edge case. I see the value of utilising
IM as a communication method for keeping an eye on things.

However, I think that in the vast majority of cases, people will have people
on their IM clients (which is why I said generally) and that is when things go
pear shaped quickly.

It just seems like the idea was poorly conceived

Anyway, I don't mean to take too much of a jab at the OP. I have one of those
ideas turned into products under my belt that turned out to be a complete
wrong fit for what I was trying to achieve.

I think its best to just move on.

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hubb
nobody is going to buy the code from a failed business. why not open-source
it?

~~~
mikeryan
Why not? Just because the business failed doesn't mean the source is not
valuable. As they mentioned this could be a feature someone wants to implement
in an existing tool then $25K may be a steal for what they're providing.

I'd want a lot more details though before purchasing.

~~~
dan_sim
We already had some people asking for details. If you're interested, just
write us to info@azanka.ca .

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rick888
I don't think you are going to get many takers. In a business, the source code
is worth much less than say customers, brand name, etc.

A hobby/project becomes a startup when you have paying customers.

Do you have any?

~~~
dan_sim
We did have clients but, to be honest, we lost them. We're not selling their
data, it will be available for them to backup but deleted forever after that.

~~~
kolektiv
The most valuable thing available here might be the understanding of why/how
you lost your clients. Did they sign up and then decide that this methodology
just didn't work for them? Or was it something else?

As people are saying, the customers or the business knowledge are the bits
here that retain value.

~~~
dan_sim
We learned a lot through these 3 years and it has its value. I could talk
about it but it's more or less what we see each day on HN. We lost our clients
because, like we said in our post, our heart isn't in it anymore.

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barnaby
Yeah, code is a liability because it rots pretty fast and requires frequent
maintenance. True value is in understanding the customers problem. If your
unit tests accurately capture the customers needs then it has value.

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earle
The problem is, its a technological stunt, nothing more.

Apparently now, everyone considers things like this startups, in reality, they
are just simple technological features, not a business. Not a startup.

~~~
dan_sim
You're right... but still, "startup" is a recognized word. When I use the word
"our product", nobody upvoted it. When I changed it to "our startup", it was
upvoted.

Use the words that your customers understand they say...

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dan_sim
if you have questions about it, you can ask it here, I will answer

~~~
maxklein
Don't sell for less than 100k: <http://news.ycombinator.org/item?id=1014108>

~~~
duck
Am I missing something, what does that HN article have to do with $100k? EDIT
- never mind, I missed the connection! Good call.

I like the concept of this app, but it seems from their blog that they were
having a hard time charging for this service. Without that model in place,
like earle mentioned, this isn't really a startup - but for the right person
it could be I think.

