

Ask HN: How to startup doing desktop apps - steilpass

So I have an excellent startup idea and a co-founder and the skills. The only "problem" is that it's not a web startup. Most of the discussions around HN are about web startups. And I have the feeling that questions like: "What are typical business models?" and "How do I approach (seed) funding?" are somewhat different between a web/social startup and a desktop/offline app.<p>So where could I find resources about starting up with desktop apps? What do you guys think?
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patio11
The Business of Software boards over here has a community which is largely
focused on that. <http://discuss.joelonsoftware.com/?biz>

Potential self-interest note: I am a moderator.

You'll occasionally see interesting stuff around here, too. More than a few of
us sell things you can download. We have one chap named Peldi who does pretty
freaking well with it. His username is balsamiq -- check his
articles/comments, you'll find they are frequently of interest. (His blog,
which you can Google, is also good.)

If you had asked something like "Ask HN: Is Java a good choice for a desktop
application?" you'd have gotten a good discussion. (Answer: Yes. It is more
widely deployed than you think and the very vocal minority who hates it don't
pay money for software anyhow.)

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ScottWhigham
I don't really see why there would be, in your mind, any difference? If you
sell desktop apps and will sell them on the web, then you too are a "web
startup" in many minds. Even if you put that aside, I don't get how it matters
that you aren't a web startup. I think of HN as more of a tech startup
resource rather than a web startup only resource. I posted a question about
merchant accounts the other day and got some great answers. There's nothing
"web startup" about that - if you want to accept CCs, you need a merchant
account. I asked also about virtual PBX accounts, project mgmt site
recommendations and more. It's a great community to tap into for any tech
startup IMO.

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cperciva
Most of the discussion here is about web startups, but not all -- tarsnap
couldn't happen without the internet, but is distinctly not a web startup.

