Re: Elocution

Here's the thing: I agree 100% with everything you say, all of it. And
yet, right now in the area of operating systems, corporations are
retiring their tanks (proprietary UNIX) in favour of Hyundi (Linux).
What gives? Something has changed, and it is something we should look
very closely at.

My guess as to what as changed is that some of the tank-makers have
abandoned the field and are now marketing the Hyundi as a Humvee (to
further complicate the analogy). IBM primarily, but also Dell, Compaq
and even Sun (!!?!?! Better Red than Dead, perhaps?) have given Linux
the stamp of corporate "acceptability" and that has been what put it
over the top.

So, who is going to be our IBM? I thought Red Hat might be it, but they
are too dependant on Oracle right now to risk offending them. IBM itself
already has two databases, it is hard to imagine them taking on another
one (of course, they already had a couple operating systems before
taking on Linux). HP/Compaq is a possibility. But really, it will take a
company with existing credibility and accounts to really push things
over the top.

Here's the bad news again though: In the Linux/Apache case, IBM took the
OSS product with the most groundswell momentum and surfed the wave. They
did not make the wave themselves, they just amplified it. In the db
sphere, the groundswell product is not pgsql unfortunately.

That's my thesis anyways. Thoughts?

Jason Hihn wrote:
> The answer is simple really. Fingers. When something goes wrong fingers turn
> into blame compasses. At my two previous jobs and my current one, immunity
> of finger pointing was the #1 reason for sticking with something expensive.
> This pointing applies in two directions: to managers and to vendors.
>
> If a manager keeps the tanks, and the M1A2 dies in the middle of a
> battlefield, they can say, "well we had an acceptable track record with the
> M1A1, so it wasn't a crazy idea." Others will follow the reasoning (assuming
> the M1A2 has similar design criteria and didn't end up a being a VW beetle)
> Reason will prevail, and he will keep his job.

--
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| Paul Ramsey
| Refractions Research
| Email: pramsey(at)refractions(dot)net
| Phone: (250) 885-0632
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