[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message]

RE: Painful USA Today article (was RE: ANN: R ESTTut

• To: "'Bullard, Claude L (Len)'" <clbullar@i...>, 'Dan Mabbutt' <Seigfried@m...>, xml-dev@l...
• Subject: RE: Painful USA Today article (was RE: ANN: R ESTTutorial)
• From: "Anderson, John" <John@B...>
• Date: Thu, 23 May 2002 13:47:00 +0200

Unfortunately, XML isn't quite so black and white.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bullard, Claude L (Len) [mailto:clbullar@i...]
Sent: 22 May 2002 19:59
To: 'Dan Mabbutt'; xml-dev@l...
Subject: RE: Painful USA Today article (was RE: ANN:
R ESTTutorial)

There is such a thing as getting to the battle too early
while all the resources and the combatants are still getting
positioned.  See the history of Nimitz and Halsey in the
South Pacific, WWII.

It is often bad to be the first penguin.  It assumes all
the risks for the same number of fish.  It is safer
to be the last penguin, but the risk is that all of the fish
will be eaten.  Better to be the third penguin.  Little
risk and no guilt for pushing the first penguin in.  The
second penguin can't eat all the fish that fast.

Timing and position are market and business
judgement decisions.  Vision and technology are trade.

len

From: Dan Mabbutt [mailto:Seigfried@m...]

> "What is to be done" is that we have to "sell" (literally or
> figuratively) the tools by pointing to the successful
> applications that they built, not by appealing to the fear
> of not being on the Next Big Thing bandwagon.

Yeah ... very true ... but there is something to be said for the value of
actual vision in management too.

I had the dubious priviledge of doing the very first demo of the web that
the President of a mid-sized company I worked for had ever seen. I was using
a 300 Baud dialup connection through a local university, and there wasn't a
great deal to be seen. (Our state government had a very nice site and I
found a few companies in our business with informational sites.) But, of
course, pages took a long time to load and I had to reconnect a few times
during the demo.

I can still remember the guy basically saying, "This will never catch on.
The whole thing is a waste of money." Later, the company had to purchase
their URL because somebody else registered it first.

We can blame ourselves for not selling the idea well enough. (Which is
certainly true much of the time ... I still wonder if I could have done a
better job in the demo.) Or we can choose to work with people who DO have
vision.

"You pays you money and you takes you chances!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The xml-dev list is sponsored by XML.org <http://www.xml.org>, an
initiative of OASIS <http://www.oasis-open.org>

The list archives are at http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/

To subscribe or unsubscribe from this list use the subscription
manager: <http://lists.xml.org/ob/adm.pl>

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The xml-dev list is sponsored by XML.org <http://www.xml.org>, an
initiative of OASIS <http://www.oasis-open.org>

The list archives are at http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/

To subscribe or unsubscribe from this list use the subscription
manager: <http://lists.xml.org/ob/adm.pl>

The information transmitted by this e-mail message is intended solely for the use of the person to whom or entity to which it is addressed. The message may contain information that is privileged and confidential.  Disclosure, dissemination, distribution, review, retransmission to, other use of or taking any action in reliance upon this information by anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please do not disseminate, distribute or copy this communication, by e-mail or otherwise. Instead, please notify us immediately by return e-mail (including the original message with your reply) and then delete and discard all copies of the message.

Although we have taken precautions to minimize the risk of transmitting viruses we nevertheless advise you to carry out your own virus checks on any attachment to this message. We accept no liability for any loss or damage caused by viruses.

• Prev by Date: Re: Painful USA Today article (was RE: ANN: RESTTutorial)
• Next by Date: RELAX NG is now a draft international standard
• Previous by thread: Re: Painful USA Today article (was RE: ANN: R
• Next by thread: RE: Painful USA Today article (was RE: ANN: R ESTTutorial)
• Index(es):
  • Date
  • Thread