

Terminology, start-up vs project - jacquesm

Does anybody else have this feeling:<p>I see the words 'start-up' and 'project' as being used interchangeably on HN, and it doesn't ring true to me.<p>If you're going to put together some website in a couple of days with a couple of guys then it's not a start-up, it's a project.<p>If you all cancel your jobs, pool your resources and set up an office in your garage, then it's a start-up.<p>To use the word start-up for every tiny little project that gets started devaluates the amount of risk taken and dedication given to 'real' start-ups.
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CalmQuiet
To me "Start-up" always indicated a business (which not all projects are; some
are (or remain) hobbies).

My Oxford dictionary show start-up as referring to the process of setting
(anything) in motion. It goes on to list "a newly established business" as a
separate, specific meaning.

I think YCombinator is interested in _business_ start-ups. But among hackers
like those you'll find in HN... you never know when hobby start-up projects
are going to burst out with commercial potential. I suspect that pg et al.
appreciate that cross-pollination of "hobby" ideas here has real value for
seeding business start-ups.

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swombat
I realise we're all pedantic hackers here (hell, I consider a good dose of
pedantry to be a quality - language should be exact where possible) - but this
is hardly worthy of special discussion. Yes, of course people have this
feeling, but there's nothing to talk about.

People will continue to misuse the English language whether or not you use up
one of the 25 front page slots with this moan. Get used to it, that's the way
the world goes.

Move along. Nothing to see here.

~~~
jacquesm
so, "language should be exact where possible" and "People will continue to
misuse the English language whether or not you use up one of the 25 front page
slots with this moan."

That's a pretty strong contradiction.

then "Move along. Nothing to see here."

What's wrong with discussion, I did not place this 'in the 25 front page
slots', the accumulated votes + the front page algorithm did that, no need to
attack me personally for that.

"move along, nothing to see here." to me smacks of trying to stifle
discussion, if you did not want to discuss it then why bother writing what you
did ? Or is that your way of saying you should have the last word on this ?

For me the difference between a startup and some trial project is a major
decider in whether or not I'm going to spend time on reviewing something. The
items that have been labelled 'start-up' on HN sometimes are worthy of the
term, but quite frequently - and not to get anybody's goat here - the term
trial balloon or some other term would be more applicable.

It would be nice if the distinction was a bit more clear, if not before long
'start-up' will be just another buzz-word on the ignore list and that would be
a waste. I think real start-ups deserve all the attention and help they can
get.

~~~
swombat
_so, "language should be exact where possible" and "People will continue to
misuse the English language whether or not you use up one of the 25 front page
slots with this moan."_

/me remembers to emphasize " __ __ __WHERE POSSIBLE __ __ __" "The web" is not
a place where it is possible to enforce exact language. Hopefully that's not
news to you, otherwise you're in for some rude shocks.

 _What's wrong with discussion_

What discussion? I see no discussion here, just a moan and a couple of replies
moaning along. What discussion could there _possibly_ be on this topic? It's a
non-topic. It's not a discussion, it's a moan. Like "Death sucks" or "I hate
going to school", this ("People mix up start-ups and projects") is just a
useless rant.

 _For me the difference between a startup and some trial project is a major
decider in whether or not I'm going to spend time on reviewing something. The
items that have been labelled 'start-up' on HN sometimes are worthy of the
term, but quite frequently - and not to get anybody's goat here - the term
trial balloon or some other term would be more applicable._

Do you think people will change their posting behaviours because of this rant?
Of course they won't.

 _if not before long 'start-up' will be just another buzz-word on the ignore
list and that would be a waste_

"Start-up" _IS_ a buzz-word. Have been for about 10 years now.

 _I think real start-ups deserve all the attention and help they can get._

Exactly, so stop wasting this space debating terminology and leave that front
page spot open to actual start-up news.

------
endlessvoid94
> To use the word start-up for every tiny little project that gets started
> devaluates the amount of risk taken and dedication given to 'real' start-
> ups.

I'm not sure this matters much. What matters the most to a startup is the
product and the product's users. I don't think users care much about the
actual company, but rather the company's product (unless the company is some
sort of outlier, one that invests publicly in bad things, or something).

Who cares if you call your project a startup? If it gains users and makes
money, who cares what you call it?

