Re: Its the applications dummy !!!!

From: JF Mezei (jfmezei.spamnot_at_teksavvy.com)
Date: 01/30/05 

Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 15:50:23 -0500

David J Dachtera wrote:
> The trick is to sell applications, even mundane ones, on "killer"
> platforms (secure, reliable, etc.) and make *THAT* stick in the
> prospect's mind.

Nop. That apple presentation convinced me that you need to sell Killer
Apps on a good platform.

Consider how APPLE II got started: Visicalc. It made inroads into
businesses because that was a revolutionary way to process data/count
numbers. Then came IBM with its own spreadsheets and its strong brand
name in corporate environments and Apple II faded.

Then came the MAC. How did the MAC get its fame ? By introducing desktop
publishing. Page Maker was the killer app that made the MAC. Why ?
because the platform provided unique services that enabled this totally
new concept of desktop publishing. (GUI, fonts, support for postscript
printing etc).

Right now, Apple is remaking itself with similar killer apps, although
they are less revolutionary than before. (the revolution is the feature
set at a very very low price).

Digital could have leveraged the SWIFT installed base and rewrite ST400
from being a DOG that didn't support clustering into a kiler app that
nobody could touch. They told SWIFT to forget about VMS because Digital
was moving to Windows.

Because the installed base is now very small with not much of prospects
for sales, independant ISVs aren't going to sink the millions needed to
develop a new SWIFT software, pay to have it certified etc etc unless
they get real commitment ($$$$$) from VMS' owner and that owner must
have a big stake to ensure that the product sells.

Right now, HP doesn't care if I start a new company, develop some
software, find no customer and go belly up. They lose nothing. They have
no motivation at the high level to make VMS succeed.

But if HP were to sink $20 million into redevelopping a SWIFT software,
then you bet your ass that HP would sell this as hard as it could.

Product placement ? You bet. Buy product placement in the next Mission
Impossible (or Jame Bond or Bourne or whatever) where the bad guys try
to transfer money from a bank and realise that that bank uses VMS and
that thwarts their whole plan because they can't hack into it. Now THAT
would be advertising.

Everyone has a TCPIP stack. Giving VMS a better TCPIP stack may please
exsiting customers, but it won't bring in new ones. But developping a
totally new application that doesn't exist eslewhere, and structure it
so that it really does require VMS means that customers can only get
that killer app on VMS and will buy into VMS for that Killer app, just
like IBM-only shops had to get special exceptiosn so their marketing
dept could buy Macs to do artwork and desktop publishing.

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