
Ask HN: If there was no internet, what business would you have started? - stefanobernardi
Apart from companies to try and create the internet, what offline businesses would you have started and why?
======
wheaties
I'd figure out how to put laser beams on shark's heads and hold the world
hostage for 1 million dollars!

No, really. I think I wouldn't start anything because without the internet and
places like HN I'd never have found the courage to seek out new business
ideas. I'd view failure as too high an obstacle and be content with climbing
the corporate ladder through an established company.

------
cynusx
I was toying with ideas for home automation systems before I discovered that
the risk/reward curve for internet based businesses is pretty neat.

I do remember that home automation systems usually are the lowest priority
while building a new house, so a good entry in the market would be to make it
dead-easy to fit into an existing house. One solution I thought was viable
were small bluetooth enabled switches any DIY guy can install either as a
socket adaptor or to be installed in an existing light switch wiring. This
could then be hooked up by bluetooth or zigbee to check which devices are on
and in the case of lights, turn them off remotely.

Advanced uses can be measuring and controlling power or simulating daytime
routines when you are away on vacation as an anti-burglary measure.

Obviously I never built this, nor did I invest in acquiring the skillset to
build this. However, I would have made the effort to get the skillset by now
if the internet wouldn't have existed.

~~~
ramanujan
It's probably already on your radar, but Nest is a company that could
mainstream home automation, if you are still interested in the area.

------
kephra
There wont be much change, besides chatting in #ai, #machinelearning and #lug-
bremen, browsing the web for lol cats, and the like.

My startup is applying machine learning to industrial processes - and guess
what - most factories, power plants, chemical plants or oil fields don't have
internet.

~~~
cperciva
_most factories, power plants, chemical plants or oil fields don't have
internet._

Some don't have internet. Most _shouldn't_ have internet.

But given the number of SCADA exploits I've heard about recently... there's an
awful lot of places which _shouldn't_ have internet but _do_.

~~~
secoif
Link for such SCADA exploits?

~~~
tptacek
You can search the news for them, but if you're looking to verify the
anecdote: I don't have time to do anything more than pile them on, but you
should know that SCADA evaluations of factories and utilities have been a
mainstay of IT security for the past 6-8 years; there are hundreds of
consultants who have found ridiculous exposures to insanely sensitive sites.

~~~
patio11
Anecdote: "You can do _what_ with an email to factory-
control+wethinkthispasswordissecure@example.com? What possessed you to
implement that? You didn't make e.g. a web service because the corporate
policy kept restricting you from operating potentially lethal machinery from
outside the firewall? _That wasn't a strong enough hint?_ "

------
TillE
Still computer games. The industry was small but wonderful in the pre-internet
days.

Alternatively, I've always wanted to set up a fast food restaurant. Lot of
work, but I think it'd be fun.

~~~
tagabek
What kind of games are you working on now? Android, iOS, indie?

------
tptacek
I would go door-to-door soliciting contributions to a new encyclopedia,
mailing the improvements out as a "National Geographic"-style
magazine/journal.

~~~
mcrider
I think this could still succeed, and I would almost certainly subscribe if
the magazine was well-designed and had interesting topics.

I was just looking at my parent's collection of National Geographics and the
shelf of yellow spines looks beautiful as a thing in itself, not to mention
that they are filled with amazing articles and photography.

Edit: This would be a good Kickstarter candidate IMO!

------
stretchwithme
I'd set up the world's largest local area network.

~~~
mmphosis
Even if there is an internet, this is a good idea.

------
michaelpinto
Is this an alternate universe where it's 2012 but we have a different set of
technologies or is this in a previous period on this timeline? I tend to think
that geeks go where the action is: For example if this was the 70s most of the
folks here would be working the PC. I started my first company in 1989 and
while the internet was around there was no easy way to use it, so we launched
a dial-up BBS. We weren't able to monazite that so we focused on technologies
like HyperCard and CD-ROMs.

------
guard-of-terra
If there was no internet, it's obvious we'd have space exploration instead and
so I'll probably either design spaceships or fly on them.

------
areavic
I'd start a business that would have offices in the top 20 major commercial
cities in the world and would trade physical commodities taking advantages of
the price differences between these locations. My business would use telephone
or telegraph.

The presence of the internet and ensuing information exchange reduces these
price differences to make such a business nonviable.

------
brk
I would buy a van and drive around offering virus removal services. I think
that could really be successful in the right market.

~~~
duck
A market without the Internet would probably not be the right one. :-)

~~~
ig1
Viruses were widespread on platforms like the Commodore Amiga well before the
wide-spread adoption of the internet.

~~~
matznerd
How did they spread?

~~~
enqk
exchanging floppy disks via mail

------
JamesLeonis
I actually did a computer repair service for a bit in high school. I started
with my parents recommending me for my service and word spread around quite a
bit. I made a pretty nice amount fixing/replacing/upgrading hardware, backups,
and recovery. Even if there was no internet, PCs still broke.

------
tjlytle
Right now I'm a contract developer (building web applications for clients) -
if that wasn't possible (and, since it seems like a cop out, I'll ignore non-
internet related programming) I'd likely be a carpenter/tinkerer (building
physical things for clients).

------
mindslight
Lacking the Internet, I'd probably follow the herd and play the Web-startup
lottery.

------
bobdvb
By trade I am a broadcast engineer, but I like the simple things in life, in
my past I always said I wanted a small rural restaurant/pub/hotel.

More recently my fiancée and I have discussed a small holding farming and
opening a local produce deli. But this will probably be for early retirement,
once I've made my millions...

------
jazzychad
A t-shirt printing company. I had one for a while in my basement before I
moved to CA. Hand screen-printed thousands of shirts before it was over. I did
take payment and orders over the internet, so I guess I would have to change
that aspect.

~~~
tagabek
I'm curious; how much did that earn you all in all in the end?

------
gadders
I always wonder what I would have done for a career in a would without
computers (broader than the original question, admittedly).

What I would like to have done: successful chain of kindergartens/soft play
areas for kids

What I would probably have done: accountant :-(

------
cdvonstinkpot
No change. My startup's not primarily an internet-based venture. Its the
marketing plan that requires a custom server app. Operations would be much
different without the cloud.

------
tuananh
From my own experience, without Internet, I will probably end up playing
offline game and watching movies. So game dev and cd/dvd rental services are
way to go.

------
rdl
Cheap space launch, using a cannon (Gerald Bull style). Basically being able
to put a 100kg payload into LEO every hour for $50mm capex and $10-20k per
launch.

------
Toph
No internet doesn't prevent software to be written or hardware to be made.
That's where I'd be and where I'm going.

------
thehodge
I started a sweet shop (online and offline) in September... I'd have probably
done that a lot earlier in life..

------
TMK
I probably would do local woodworking and build furniture all by myself with
my own hands, no robotics.

------
callmeed
Encyclopedia sales or a travel agency

------
stevenj
I would have started Chipotle.

------
zerostar07
I 'd work in academia, I would be useless for anything else

------
imd23
Concert entreraiment company (a la sensation/tomorrowland)

------
hajrice
Would have started a nightclub or something like that

------
chaseideas
A better mousetrap.

------
jameswyse
I'd start an ISP. Internet is important!

------
tgrass
I would have written my second novel.

------
RealGeek
I would be a DJ.

------
sixQuarks
Lemonade stand

------
alpine
Assuming we had all taken a wrong turn technologically ie the Internet concept
had not occurred to someone, then Rocket Mail would be fun:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_mail>

