I've been using Tracker since they released a private beta right after Railsconf last June ... it is a truly excellent tool. Tracker codifies the Agile process (more or less following XP principles) way better than any other PM tool I've ever seen.
The tool itself won't make your team more or less productive, though. You really have to understand and be committed to Agile/XP theories, processes and practices for it to work. Tracker can help guide you in that direction ... but like almost any tool, there is a "best" way to use it to get the full benefit.
As a native of the southeast U.S. getting ready to move to San Francisco, earthquakes terrify me -- I've never felt one before. Hearing about last night's 5.6 quake doesn't make me feel any better. I just discovered this emergency alert service that will at least help to keep us informed.
I'm in Atlanta and I'm pretty smart ;)
The problem is, that anybody bright and motivated enough to do a startup is already doing their own thing, and doesn't want to work for somebody else.
This is really interesting and refreshing to see a change in the way that healthcare operates ...
BUT, it seems like this guy is trying to bypass insurance companies completely. From the FAQ:
... I accept absolutely no health insurance at all and my fees may not be reimbursed by your insurance company.
We all know that health insurance is a huge confusing nightmare in the U.S., but I don't think its advisable get rid of it completely. I suppose if you don't have insurance, then this doc would be a really good alternative.
I've used both Dreamhost and MediaTemple for hosting rails apps. I would recommend neither for anything serious.
I still use Dreamhost to host some non-critical stuff and very low traffic site (like my blog that nobody reads), store backups, and host my SVN repository, because it is so cheap and they give you an enormous amount of space and bandwidth. If you want a very cheap Dreamhost account, sign up with promo code SIDVISCOSITY and choose the L1 plan and 1-year prepay. This code gives you $97 off, which comes out to about $25 for the whole year (I profit nothing from this).
MediaTemple's grid server sounded great, but we had a similar 24-hour+ crisis once that made me look elsewhere. Also, they lock down their servers so much, you can't really run anything other than the standard RoR stack without jumping through hoops and pulling teeth. See previous blog posts with MediaTemple gripes: http://blog.wamily.com/articles/tag/mediatemple
The ultimate solution for hosting (a Rails app) is just get your own VPS from a reliable provider. I recommend RimuHosting (http://rimuhosting.com), and I am running two Ubuntu VPS's there. When we switched from MediaTemple to Rimu, I measured a 50x increase in speed in multiple areas of my app. For those who don't know, a VPS your own virtual server. You truly get your own OS, your own database server, with root access and everything, but it's on shared hardware so its far cheaper than a dedicated box. The MicroVPS2 plan at Rimu is $30/mth ... thats what I recommend for a starter Rails hosting setup. Rimu does a very good job helping you get set up initially, but you will need some Linux admin skills to really roll with it. This is good stuff to know though, so now is a good time to learn. I'm happy to answer YC'ers questions if you email me.
If you sign up for Rimu, please tell them that wamily.com sent you.
I was one of the lucky NetBank customers that suddenly found himself without a bank account this weekend. Thankfully, I'm not rich (yet) so the FDIC will ensure that I don't lose any money.
Potentially very painful lesson learned: Yes, banks can go out of business. FDIC only covers you up to $100,000 if this happens. When you get rich with your startup, keep your money stuffed in your mattress.
I've been running a production app on Edge Rails (straight from SVN trunk) for about a month now and it's been all good. The new-ish REST routing enhancements are great once you get your head around it. I also like the ideas behind the performance enhancements, though I haven't had a chance to really flex them yet.
Beware though, they "yanked" out a lot of common things from rails core, so if you are upgrading an existing app you may spend quite a bit of time getting things working again.
I give it a 6/10 I guess. While I like the simple approach ... I am also missing a few basic bells and whistles. I'd love to see a search feature and/or a way to tag or categorize posts for later reference. Sometimes I think "oh, I remember reading about that on YC" but its nearly impossible to find again.
Also the text (as I'm typing this) in the form field is too lightly colored and the text area is too small for me.
Like anything, we have to be responsible about manufacturing processes and renewable raw materials. Biodiesel does not have to come from rainforest plants. Its unfortunate that some people decided to tarnish the reputation of an excellent alternative fuel by going the cheap and irresponsible route to raw materials.
Just like you wouldn't buy paper or wood products that came from rainforests, don't buy biodiesel that comes from rainforests. Much of the biodiesel that's available in the U.S. is made from domestically grown soybeans, or even better, used restaurant oil from deep-fryers.
I agree that hybrids are a sorry excuse for a "green" alternative. Aside from the fact that they currently cost more as Khosla points out -- just because a car or SUV is a hybrid, doesn't make it truly energy efficient. Auto makers are slapping hybrid engines in cars to appeal to the growing buzz about going green, when in fact, many of the hybrids out there are only a very dull shade of green.
Take the Ford Escape hybrid, for example. It's currently considered the most efficient SUV on the market ... getting a whopping 30mpg. 30mpg! Big friggin deal! You can get better mileage in a regular gasoline Civic.
The worst part about hybrids is that THEY STILL USE GASOLINE! Sure, maybe a little bit less, but as long as we are driving hybrids, we're still dependent on burning fossil fuels, contributing to CO2 in the atmosphere, and making the oil companies richer.
Hybrids are a marginal improvement in fuel efficiency. Marginal is not good enough to make any difference worldwide. We need to focus on orders of magnitude of increased efficiency. I believe that one day, hydrogen will be our answer. Solar electric is on a good path, too ... but still far from being feasible.
What can you do right now? Save your money on the fancy-shmancy hybrid, and buy a diesel car, and fill 'er up with biodiesel. It's carbon neutral, totally renewable, and requires no special modification to your car.
> 10 months is way too long to still be developing the initial version
dude, I know. Actually, we have had a private alpha up for 6 months. Changed lots of things, added lots of things, and getting ready for our public launch. Actually, we're calling it "beta" but I'm probably not going to use the "beta" label publicly.