zach417

How would you categorize the MITS Altair 8800 (and other very early microcomputer kits): education, entertainment, utility, or something else?

Put another way, if someone bought one, did they mainly do so because the prospect of putting it together and programming it seemed like fun, they were hoping to learn a lot about computers, they wanted to program it to do something so useful that it made up for the price, or something else?

They were obviously the cheapest computer you could buy at the time, but still, at around $2,500 (CPI inflation-adjusted), most people would have had to have a pretty good reason to buy it.

I'm manufacturing robot development kits out of my garage, and I'll be all set to start taking orders in just a few weeks after the design is completed and functional.

Is beta testing worth my time? I suppose it lowers the risk of finding out bugs/defects in the robot after it's shipped, but if people are willing to pay for the product, wouldn't you just want to go ahead and take the cash?

My concerns are: (1) getting stuck in dev/alpha/beta testing purgatory (i.e. I want to move quickly) and (2) there could be great variance in product feedback from paying customers vs. beta testers borrowing a robot.

Is there a good way to cheaply deploy a CNN on a embedded device, such as a robot? Perhaps, are there cheap, arduino-like micro controllers with GPUs that are powerful enough to work for sophisticated models?

I guess the standard way is to make calls to some server that forward propagates the models, but that has its obvious pros and cons. I would like to have the benefits of on-device in real time.

i.e. which batch were they in?

I've started a company to build a mobile, consumer robot to do your laundry. The vision is that you'll be able to put your dirty clothes in a hamper, and when you get back from work, the robot will have washed, folded, and put your clothes away.

My parents have provided seed funding. At my current burn rate, I should have an additional 12 months to build out the prototype. I'll obviously need more cash at that point to either (1) continue prototype development or (2) start manufacturing.

Is there an ideal time for crowdfunding a product like this? I'd hate to waste time on a crowdfunding campaign if my chances of funding an unfinished prototype are slim, but even just a handful of preorders would add months of runway. Or should I wait until the prototype is complete?

I'm starting a robotics company and currently raising seed funds (also applied to YC S2017). I'm building a robot that can do the entire laundry process autonomously.

A close relative had agreed to give me seed funding to start the company. However, when talking about the development of the product, they insisted that I write down every task that needs to get done so they know exactly where I am in the development process. In fact, they suggested that I only get 50% of the funding up front and will receive the rest of the funds pro rata as tasks are completed from this list.

We fruitlessly disagreed on this for the better part of an hour. I think planning is great, but betting the future of the company on the accuracy of the initial plan goes against most everything I know about startups.

I'm a noob, so I have no prior experience to help me here. Am I being unreasonable for not following through with the investment on these terms? How much project management materials do most angel investors require?

I'm probably overthinking this, but how best do you pay your personal bills (i.e. rent, utilities, food, etc.) while starting a company?

In my mind, there are only a few options: (1) work part-time at another company, (2) work full-time at another company, (3) raise capital from investors and pay yourself, (4) mooch off family and friends.