I don't have a specific startup idea I'm working on right now, but I do have an idea for DEV.to. I recently shared a concept for a dedicated launch section where developers, indie hackers, and founders could launch their projects, get feedback, discuss products, and discover what others are building, something similar to Product Hunt but within the DEV community.
This is actually a great idea, Hanzla! DEV already has a strong community of developers and indie builders, so a dedicated launch space could make project discovery and feedback much easier. Unlike traditional launch platforms, it could bring meaningful developer-to-developer discussions and collaborations. I'd love to see DEV bring this concept to life!
Thanks! Really glad you like the idea. I think it could add something genuinely valuable to the DEV community. Hopefully, we get to see something like this happen someday! 😊
Absolutely! I hope we get to see it happen too. DEV has always been a place where developers share, learn, and build together, and an initiative like this could make that community even stronger. Looking forward to seeing where this idea goes! 😊
Hey! I'm doing well, hope you are too! I can totally relate. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. You don't need to make a huge contribution right away; even fixing a small issue, improving documentation, or sharing an idea counts. Maybe we can explore some open-source opportunities and contribute together!
This thread is a good place for the flip I made this year: instead of building things and hoping someone wants them, I read what buyers actually ask for first and let that shape what gets built. Half my old backlog died in that reading, and the half that survived is the half that earns.
That's a valuable shift in perspective. I think one of the biggest mistakes early-stage developers make is falling in love with what they want to build rather than understanding what people are actually willing to use and pay for. Sometimes killing an idea is just as important as building one. The real skill is knowing the difference.
Knowing the difference is the skill, and I'd add: the difference is usually visible in the asking, not in the idea. When I started testing what people were already requesting — phrased in their words, with their urgency — the kill/keep decision mostly made itself. Ideas I fell in love with all shared a trait: I had to explain why someone would want them. Ideas that survived needed no advocacy; the demand was already standing there, slightly impatient. Killing early feels like loss. Killing after building is the same loss plus the build.
That's an interesting way to validate ideas. I especially like your point about demand being visible in the way people ask for something. It reminds me that building a product isn't just about solving a problem we identify; it's about recognizing a problem people are already trying to solve. I've learned that sometimes through my own startup journey too. The market doesn't always need another clever idea; sometimes it just needs someone to listen carefully enough.
'Recognizing a problem people are already trying to solve' — yes, and the trying is the evidence I trust most. People reveal real demand in their workarounds: the spreadsheet held together with hope, the manual copy-paste ritual, the group chat that functions as a support desk. A workaround is a product spec written by behavior instead of words, and it never exaggerates. Whenever I'm unsure whether a problem is real now, I stop reading pitches and start inventorying workarounds.
This is a wonderful perspective on workarounds. Workarounds tend to bring issues into light that people are not even able to explain. I feel that it is this very reason that observation is more important than brainstorming. Instead of asking people for their needs, at times we have to observe what people do to fulfill their needs.
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
I don't have a specific startup idea I'm working on right now, but I do have an idea for DEV.to. I recently shared a concept for a dedicated launch section where developers, indie hackers, and founders could launch their projects, get feedback, discuss products, and discover what others are building, something similar to Product Hunt but within the DEV community.
I'd love to see something like this become a reality on DEV. Here's the post if anyone is interested: dev.to/necoz/what-if-dev-had-a-lau...
This is actually a great idea, Hanzla! DEV already has a strong community of developers and indie builders, so a dedicated launch space could make project discovery and feedback much easier. Unlike traditional launch platforms, it could bring meaningful developer-to-developer discussions and collaborations. I'd love to see DEV bring this concept to life!
Thanks! Really glad you like the idea. I think it could add something genuinely valuable to the DEV community. Hopefully, we get to see something like this happen someday! 😊
Absolutely! I hope we get to see it happen too. DEV has always been a place where developers share, learn, and build together, and an initiative like this could make that community even stronger. Looking forward to seeing where this idea goes! 😊
Hey Prasoon hope you are well!
The idea of contributing to open source is always on my mind, but I am never able to actually do it.
Hey! I'm doing well, hope you are too! I can totally relate. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. You don't need to make a huge contribution right away; even fixing a small issue, improving documentation, or sharing an idea counts. Maybe we can explore some open-source opportunities and contribute together!
This thread is a good place for the flip I made this year: instead of building things and hoping someone wants them, I read what buyers actually ask for first and let that shape what gets built. Half my old backlog died in that reading, and the half that survived is the half that earns.
That's a valuable shift in perspective. I think one of the biggest mistakes early-stage developers make is falling in love with what they want to build rather than understanding what people are actually willing to use and pay for. Sometimes killing an idea is just as important as building one. The real skill is knowing the difference.
Knowing the difference is the skill, and I'd add: the difference is usually visible in the asking, not in the idea. When I started testing what people were already requesting — phrased in their words, with their urgency — the kill/keep decision mostly made itself. Ideas I fell in love with all shared a trait: I had to explain why someone would want them. Ideas that survived needed no advocacy; the demand was already standing there, slightly impatient. Killing early feels like loss. Killing after building is the same loss plus the build.
That's an interesting way to validate ideas. I especially like your point about demand being visible in the way people ask for something. It reminds me that building a product isn't just about solving a problem we identify; it's about recognizing a problem people are already trying to solve. I've learned that sometimes through my own startup journey too. The market doesn't always need another clever idea; sometimes it just needs someone to listen carefully enough.
'Recognizing a problem people are already trying to solve' — yes, and the trying is the evidence I trust most. People reveal real demand in their workarounds: the spreadsheet held together with hope, the manual copy-paste ritual, the group chat that functions as a support desk. A workaround is a product spec written by behavior instead of words, and it never exaggerates. Whenever I'm unsure whether a problem is real now, I stop reading pitches and start inventorying workarounds.
This is a wonderful perspective on workarounds. Workarounds tend to bring issues into light that people are not even able to explain. I feel that it is this very reason that observation is more important than brainstorming. Instead of asking people for their needs, at times we have to observe what people do to fulfill their needs.