Irfan’s Corner on the Web On Mac, Linux, Grid, Virtualization and Software Technology

Eric Sink vs Joel Spolsky vs Paul Graham

I've just finished Eric Sinks' book "Business of Software", and I have to say that he is a great writer, and I would recommend the book to anyone, even if they are not planning to start a startup, because it contains a lot of information which can be beneficial to any geek (to whome the book is addressed to).

Eric Sink besides Joel Spolsky is one of my favorite bloggers, and both are entrepreneurs, despite the similarities they both have different views on how a startup should work. Paul Graham, the famous essayist who co-founded Viaweb, is another of my favorite writers, his view of what a startup is supposed to be is far removed from both Joel Spolsky's and Eric Sink.

Their respective models, in the colloquial slashdot format:

Eric Sink believes:

1. Found a company with a product in mind, focus on a niche that is too small for large competitors
2. execute in that niche and listen to your customers
3. ???
4. Profit!!


Joel Spolsky Model

1. Found a company, make the best working environment for programmers
2. Hire the best programmers
3. ???
4. Profit!!!


Paul Graham Model

1. Start a company with an idea
2. Execute the idea and have an exit strategy, either be sold to a larger company or IPO
3. ???
4. Profit!!!


With [put name here] model I dont mean that the person invented it, rather they are the most popular and eloquent guys who follow the model and pitch it to others.

Eric Sinks and Joel Spolsky Models are what I call "long-haul" models, where a company is established with the aim of filling a niche, a unique need of customers, and they want to serve the customers as long as the need is there. Paul Graham's model is for the short haul, you develop a product pitch it to investor or acquirers, and if someone is interested sell-off , or go IPO and give the company to investors.
Someone who wants to be a "serial" entrepreneur, who has lots of ideas for different markets, should follow the Paul Graham model. It could make one amazingly rich. Whereas the other two models, will not make you amazingly rich in the short term, rather after an extended period of time.

Because Paul Graham's model is for the short haul, you won't find a lot of startup wisdom on Paul Graham's site. There is a bunch of it in Eric Sinks and Joel blogs. This is primarily because the long haul model allows you to be in control of everything you do with your organization, and you probably learn a lot more than by just executing an idea and than selling out. Both of their blogs contain advise on managing software development to dealing with your customers, or even finding your first customer. Recently Paul Graham mostly talks about finding investors, angel capital, exit strategies etc.

Another Study and no link b/w UHF Radio and Cancer

Some time back I wrote WiFi hazardous to health?? Give me a break!, where I argued about the folly of the move by some english schools to disband their Wifi networks due to some "health risks".

In yet another study, possibly the larget ever conducted, has found no correlation between occurance of cancer in people exposed to UHF Radio waves and those who werent exposed. Thus Cell phones, WiFi and TV transmission are safe!

From the article:

"A huge study from Denmark offers the latest reassurance that cell phones don't trigger cancer. Scientists tracked 420,000 Danish cell phone users, including 52,000 who had gabbed on the gadgets for 10 years or more, and some who started using them 21 years ago.

They matched phone records to the famed Danish Cancer Registry that records every citizen who gets the disease and reported Tuesday that cell-phone callers are no more likely than anyone else to suffer a range of cancer types. "