Ask HN: Pitch Here Your Most Recent Ideas

[daralthus]

The title speaks for itself, but here are some guidelines:

-Don't worry! HN is here to help. Even if we point out some questionable parts, there is a good chance for an enjoyable brainstorming or conversation.

-If you already have those questions? Ask them! We like questions!

-This is not just for startup ideas, but still most of the time you can define the audience, the problem/need and the product/service.

-Keep it short.

And here's a community guideline on commenting on the ideas: Ask first, assume later.

[michael_fine]

A better version control system. I really like git a lot of the time, but a good deal of the time I get really frustrated with the complexity, and it was even more frustrating when I was learning it.

I want a version control system that I can pick up and use, one that is intuitive to use and doesn't get in the way of writing. It would be similar to word's track changes, but with branches.

I've been giving this some thought, but I don't even know if it is technically possible, let alone feasible.

[debacle]

Have you tried or thought about subversion? It's great for personal projects, simple to set up, and if you ever decide you need to you can turn it into a git repo pretty easily.

I realize it's not new hotness, but it works for all of my personal projects until they get to github.

[temuze]

I thought about this, too. Git would be useful for a lot of different industries - not just programming.

Instead of rewriting git, why not give it a user friendly wrapper? Its performance is already incredible and you should be able to use that.

[pestaa]

Lots of developers, myself included, prefer Mercurial over Git for this exact reason.

[codegeek]

" get really frustrated with the complexity"

I am a relatively new git user as well and think along the same lines at times. Do you mind sharing what specifically frustrates you about it ?

[Corvus]

A site to propose informal gatherings. The problem with MeetUp and EventBrite is that it requires someone to do the research on what everyone likes and send out proposals. If a proposal fails they're back to step one.

I'd like a site where a circle of friends can add events, meetings and such they are planning to attend. The site shows everyone in the circle when everyone's available and what they're doing.

[debacle]

Web 2.0:

HTML, as we know it, was mostly developed as a display specification. Google and the powers that be came in with HTML5 and tried to searchify HTML, but the reality is that the bread and butter of the web is going to be the HTML/CSS + JavaScript sandwich for at least the next few years.

RSS has fallen by the wayside, however XML is still a great format for displaying structured data. What we need is a social markup language, which goal is not presentation but data transmission. This will solve the following problems inherently:

- The social boom/bust treadmill that has been going on since 2000. Adopt the Automattic business model and watch the Internet thrive.

- The 'social search' problem.

- The conflict of interest caused by trying to monetize the network effect.

In addition, it will allow people to digest social content in the way they want to, using nearly any format, and decoupling the social experience of the web from HTML. It will create clear channels for data interchange, allowing for actual privacy but also the controlled, transparent, and empowered sharing that users deserve.

[mgallivan]

Why can't you store the social content as JSON?

[krsgoss]

Hubot for Business. Aimed at users who rely on a variety of services such as analytics, business intelligence, CRM, e-commerce, and more. It's a virtual assistant/gopher that stands ready to do your bidding.