I suppose Google was just another me-too search engine and MS-DOS was just another copy of CP/M -- one that they didn't even write themselves.
We are at a time where the Internet is changing the world in significant ways, and the biggest changes I expect haven't fully come to fruition yet. They are forged in the minds and the blood sweat and tears of lots of startups, including the ones that you just dismissed carte blanche.
YC has created tremendous value, as have many other startups that you personally probably would never use or care about. So rather than sound the misguided cry of "where's the innovation?", perhaps it would be better to look within oneself and find the fire to create it yourself.
I know those two assumptions are wrong. Because those assumptions were made by most everyone when they first heard about either company.
The point is, as others have pointed out more concisely, it's unclear what startups will be big and what will be niche, and part of the process is just damn hard work and sweat over the course of years. You're not going to be able to predict where these 3 month projects turn out. Especially from 2 line blurbs in techcrunch.com.
In short, I am urging people: Lets not armchair startup it.
We are at a time where the Internet is changing the world in significant ways, and the biggest changes I expect haven't fully come to fruition yet. They are forged in the minds and the blood sweat and tears of lots of startups, including the ones that you just dismissed carte blanche.
YC has created tremendous value, as have many other startups that you personally probably would never use or care about. So rather than sound the misguided cry of "where's the innovation?", perhaps it would be better to look within oneself and find the fire to create it yourself.