| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 3707.1 | Oops, they called our bluff | KOALA::HAMNQVIST | Reorg city | Fri Feb 17 1995 15:18 | 10 |
| Adding this to our fantastic rating in that Fortune survey mentioned
elsewhere and the rumor that network operations have started planning
for an employee population of about 45,000 makes me what to shout
YABA-DABA-DOOO!!
Ahhh .. I feel better already.
>Per
|
| 3707.2 | My concerns just doubled... | POBOX::CORSON | Higher, and a bit more to the right | Fri Feb 17 1995 15:26 | 11 |
|
I am now really being to wonder if our senior leaders actually
*believe* we can downsize our way to revenue growth. The oxymorons
in all this are to numerous to elaborate.
If we are to excute a strategy that focuses on value-added
resellers as our primary growth (read: new accounts) vehicle, then
a cohesive software (middleware) strategy with executable timeframes
for delivery becomes the single most important facet for success.
Can you spell "deep sneakers"?
the Greyhawk
|
| 3707.3 | | PERFOM::WIBECAN | Acquire a choir | Fri Feb 17 1995 15:35 | 1 |
| Just send them a coffee mug...
|
| 3707.4 | Old haunts | ALFA1::WS19::HARRIS | | Fri Feb 17 1995 16:22 | 1 |
| Note author Lynn Berg is a former DEC marketer, too...
|
| 3707.5 | | MSDOA::ROSS | Reboot | Fri Feb 17 1995 16:27 | 26 |
| Not to make the Gartner report any less appealing, but does everybody
realize how much terrible software is out there in the marketplace and
(even worse) in use by our customers? I spend all of my time doing
database and application consulting, and some of the stuff I see
running out there is simply appalling. In the past month, I've dealt
with a leading financial system (My name might give a clue) that was so
poorly designed and had such a brain-dead interface, I couldn't believe
it. Another company has a LIMS system that takes 60 hours to copy
3500 records from one table to another due to poor design. A
government agency is "upgrading" RDB from V4.1 to V4.2 (which is so
old, it's no longer supported!) and relies on hundreds of DATATRIEVE
procedures developed by someone not even in the I.S> department. A
hospital recently purchased another financial system that defaults all
amounts to Pounds with no way to make dollars the default. A
manufacturer has developed in-house a dozen applications that simply
take hand-written test results and record them in a database, while
the endusers still do the calcultions with a calculator and type them
in.
I've heard anecdotal comments about SAP (the current rage) being
far less than ideal. Powerbuilder is also hot, but has anyone ever
really tried using it?
Marketing is winning out over innovation.
|
| 3707.6 | Unfortunately, I'm only half-joking | KLAP::porter | the mantra of the walls and wiring | Fri Feb 17 1995 16:56 | 4 |
| Personally, I prefer freeware. You know
it was written by someone who cares. You
usually get better support, too.
|
| 3707.7 | Clueless in Seatle... | GLDOA::WERNER | | Fri Feb 17 1995 17:12 | 29 |
| RE .03 - Did you mean to say morons instead of oxymorons. If not, why
not?
The Gartner article, like the proverbial iceberg just exposes the tip of
the greater problem of the folks in charge not having a clue where they
want to end up, what they want to be when they get "there" or how to go
about getting "there". I have listened intently to most of the recent
DVN's featuring the new SLC team. It's like eating cotton candy. There
are slogans and platitudes but little or no substance. After a bit one
can easily conclude that we are on a ship adrift in a very stormy sea.
We appear to have folks in charge who probably are reasonably good at
executing a plan but we have no visionaries, nobody defining the plan
that these folks would and could go off and execute. Cut heads until we
get profitable is hardly a vision for the future; it may make sense to
ensure that there is a future, but more definition is needed both
internally and for customers about what that future holds. The Gartner
report basically says "We can't tell nor trust what Digital is likely
to do in the future, given how unpredicatble they've become lately in
the present". At the least, that is a telling inditement of the lack of
communications skills at the senior level. It is probably only residual
respect for Digital (and the underlying self-interest not to offend a
potential customer) that prevents Gartner from just coming out and
saying - WE HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE!
-OFWAMI-
|
| 3707.8 | Wisdom ? | RDGENG::WILLIAMS_A | | Fri Feb 17 1995 17:49 | 8 |
| Why do customers buy Hardware ?
To run Software.
Honest, it is true. Phew.
|
| 3707.9 | | ANGST::EGOLF | John C. Egolf ZKO1-3/J33 DTN 381-0257 | Fri Feb 17 1995 18:19 | 131 |
| For those interested in the truth...
The comments in the Gartner report about BASEstar are
completely false. I feel it is important to let those Digital
people in the field know that rather than just being quite
about it. Gartner did not contact anybody in the BASEstar
group. They are losing creditability with our customers that
have more factual data than they do.
/JCE
BASEstar Program and Engineering Manager
[Of course, not to be believed, according to Gartner]
ps: For those not familiar with BASEstar....
<SET ADVERTISEMENT ON>
BASEstar Update
BASEstar Family Includes the Flexibility of Client/Server
Packaging
HIGHLIGHTS
. BASEstar, delivering an open manufacturing integration
solution based on industry standards
. BASEstar family of products available for shipment
today. BASEstar is installed in a large, broad customer
base world-wide in both Discrete and Process manufacturing.
CUSTOMER PROBLEM
High-efficiency manufacturing operations call for a high
degree of integration for manufacturing equipment,
applications, and the data they produce.
DIGITAL SOLUTION
Digital's BASEstar family of products provides core
integration platforms, device interconnect, and application
development enablers to support the collecting, managing,
and realtime distribution of plant floor data and events.
The flexible and easy-to-use BASEstar information technology
will be included in the February Corporate announcement. It
includes:
Integration Platforms:
. BASEstar Open V2.0
Server Client
====== ========
OSF/1 Shipping Shipping
OpenVMS Alpha Shipping Shipping
OpenVMS VAX Shipping Shipping
MS Windows Shipping
W/NT Field Test Shipping
HP UX Under Dev Field Test
IBM AIX No Plan Being Planned
SUN No Plan Field Test
. BASEstar Classic V3.3
OpenVMS Alpha Shipping
OpenVMS VAX Shipping
BASEstar Classic V3.4 in development.
Device Interconnect:
. DEComni -- for OSF/1 and VMS systems, a network
communication product that provides an Application
Programming Interface (API) for connection and management
of plant equipment
. DECosap -- for OSF/1 and VMS systems, provides a method
to access and communicate with plant floor equipment over
Siemens' SINEC networks. DECosap supports SINEC H1 and
SINEC AP communications services and, because it is built
on DEComni, preserves customer investments in migrating
to MMS/OSI.
Many additional device connects exist. Please contact us
to see the full list.
Application Enablers:
Application Enablers are a set of tools to allow BASEstar
users a common style of user interface and a consistent
application development environment, regardless of the
underlying core.
. BASEstar Graphics Enabler -- provides the capability to
create dynamic, realtime, representational graphical
interfaces for BASEstar Open, BASEstar Classic, and user
applications. Available on all platforms supported by
BASEstar Open and BASEstar Classic.
. BASEstar CIMfast -- provides a 4GL environment that
dramatically improves the productivity and efficiency of
CIM application developers. BASEstar applications
developed using CIMfast are highly portable to all
BASEstar Open and BASEstar Classic platforms. BASEstar
CIMfast functionality is included with both BASEstar Classic
and with BASEstar Open.
CHANNELS STRATEGY
BASEstar frees our partners from the need to develop and
maintain basic data management and device integration
technologies, and allows them to focus on their knowledge
domain leadership expertise. The BASEstar family of
products is offered with significant discounts for
resellers.
PRICING/ORDERING INFORMATION
Pricing for the BASEstar products is available in the U.S.
Price List.
Check the VTX IR for additional information on BASEstar or
contact Nancy Gustavesen, Larry Tuttle, or Tony Carpenter.
OSF/1 is a registered trademark of Open Software Foundation,
Inc.
<SET ADVERTISEMENT OFF>
|
| 3707.10 | Gartner, tell it like it is PLEASE !!! | NECSC::DWORSACK | | Fri Feb 17 1995 19:17 | 4 |
| RIGHT ON JOHN !!
I wonder how many other software products gartner is trying to
blackball !!!!
|
| 3707.11 | | DECLNE::LANGSTON | sampling the spew | Fri Feb 17 1995 19:39 | 28 |
| Be sure to tune in and send off your comments right afterwards.
Worldwide News LIVE WIRE
DVN telecast on Digital's software strategy ... Date: 13-Feb-1995
DVN telecast on Digital's software strategy to air next Monday
The Digital Video Network will air "Software Business Group:
Strategy, Partners, and Products" on Monday, Feb. 20, from 1-2 p.m.
Eastern time in the U.S.
Nancy Strecker, vice president, Software Business Group. will
discuss the major elements of Digital's software strategy, and how the
company is using its proven expertise in distributed computing and
network integration to provide customers with transparent access to
information whenever and wherever it's needed.
The program, which is aimed at all Digital employees, will also
highlight significant new products being introduced in Q3 that further
support the company's continued leadership in open client/server
computing.
Employees in Europe should check with their local DVN site
coordinator for the exact broadcast times there.
For a complete listing of DVN sites, choose #8 on LIVE WIRE's
main menu page.
|
| 3707.12 | | POBOX::CORSON | Higher, and a bit more to the right | Fri Feb 17 1995 19:49 | 28 |
|
Right now I am one really HOT cowboy. Let me explain.
Last year (March 94) we began a carefully orchestrated campaign to
capture one of the largest resellers in the Legal industry market. We
used local marketing, corporate marketing, industry marketing, product
marketing, management, sales support, channels account management, and
me, the reseller recruiter. After umpteen million sales calls; a demo
that had people from New York, Montreal, Boston, and Chicago; and a
host of letters, documents, etc. we signed these guys right out from
under H-P's nose. A real coup!!!
Part of the deal was support for Linkworks on Win/NT, OSF/1,
Windoze all flavors, and NATIVE NETWARE ON ALPHA (this is caps because
marketing hyped this to the max). Now our new reseller is saying "We
have committed $50,000 to marketing our new relationship with Digital
and want to beta NETWARE ON ALPHA *NOW*."
Today I learned that this is a dead puppy. My personal credibility
is shot, Digital's credibility is going to be mud, and our competitor
in Chicago will run all over town saying wonderful things about our
software strategy, corporate comittments to resellers, etc.
I think we better get our act together real quick. Or else fold
our hand. I can barely type this for the shame I feel for the company
I love.
the Greyhawk
|
| 3707.13 | | PCBUOA::KRATZ | | Fri Feb 17 1995 20:08 | 4 |
| Novell canned PIN (Processor Independent Novell) on all non-x86
platforms a few months ago; it's not really breaking news. HP
was further along than we were, so they may have made even more
(now broken) promises to customers than we did. KB
|
| 3707.14 | i give up....... | WMOIS::HORNE_C | HORNET-THE FALL GUY | Mon Feb 20 1995 12:19 | 8 |
| ........all BIG BOB needs to do is hire another 10 or 20 V.P.s
that will make every thing much much better....one vp for every
10k real employees that get wacked...almost make sense!!!!!!
hornet
|
| 3707.15 | Time to change our name ? | STAR::PARKE | True Engineers Combat Obfuscation | Mon Feb 20 1995 14:01 | 7 |
| Re: .14
>> ........all BIG BOB needs to do is hire another 10 or 20 V.P.s
Gee then we could be "Digital VP Corporation"
|
| 3707.16 | PIN not very PI | SPECXN::WITHERS | Bob Withers | Mon Feb 20 1995 15:04 | 18 |
| According to PCWeek, Nov. 14, 1994, PIN went into alpha test for PowerPC that
month (note that that's alpha with a small "a", not Alpha with a capital "A"
8-( )
I guess its independent only if its an Intel and PowerPC, not HPPA or Alpha.
BobW
>================================================================================
>Note 3707.13 Our Middle Name is "Equipment" 13 of 15
>PCBUOA::KRATZ 4 lines 17-FEB-1995 17:08
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Novell canned PIN (Processor Independent Novell) on all non-x86
> platforms a few months ago; it's not really breaking news. HP
> was further along than we were, so they may have made even more
> (now broken) promises to customers than we did. KB
>
|
| 3707.17 | It would run on an Alpha | DPDMAI::HARDMAN | Sucker for what the cowgirls do... | Mon Feb 20 1995 21:59 | 6 |
| An alpha version of Processor Independent Netware was up and running on
a Alpha box in the Houston office. Novell has demanded that the
(serialized) media be returned to them. :-(
Harry
|
| 3707.18 | Follow the trade rags, your better off. | NEWVAX::MZARUDZKI | I AXPed it, and it is thinking... | Tue Feb 21 1995 09:39 | 16 |
|
Re -.Novell
Ask Gartner what they thing of Novells GroupWare strategy, ask Gartner
what they think of Novells NOS strategy, Ask Gartner what they think of
Novells Application strategy.
We should *NOT* feel the heat because they pulled the plug on some
software. Hey NLMs and VLMs some people can and do live without them.
Most techo weenie types are looking for more than file and print
services. Can Novell ever outgrow that label. How is 4.1 doing?
Someone needs to sit down with Gartner and educate them on the ways
of Digital.
-Mike Z.
|
| 3707.19 | Do we have Software Strategy? | CFSCTC::PATIL | Avinash Patil dtn:227-3280 | Tue Feb 21 1995 11:44 | 14 |
| re.
<<< Note 3707.11 by DECLNE::LANGSTON "sampling the spew" >>>
Be sure to tune in and send off your comments right afterwards.
Worldwide News LIVE WIRE
DVN telecast on Digital's software strategy ... Date: 13-Feb-1995
--------------
Could someone provide update on this DVN. It is not on Livewire.
thanks,
Avinash
|
| 3707.20 | re: ACMS | DECLNE::LANGSTON | sampling the spew | Thu Feb 23 1995 18:11 | 63 |
| re: .0 (by me)
>[bold] ACMS, TDMS, FMS: Some current users say these products are still
>not shipping on Alpha VMS, forcing them to upgrade using VAXs that are
>significantly less cost-effective that Alpah systems. Users have
>explored migrating to ACMS AXP (which is a different Encina-based product)
>on
>OSF/1, and retrofitting that application back to VMS when ACMS AXP is
>available on Alpha VMS. We do not believe that users should go to that
>kind of trouble and expense -- current applications can be left on VAXs.
>ACMS
>has in fact been shipping on Alpha since june 1994, but we recommend
>eliminating or at least minimizing new development. We also do not
>recommend a port or
>any new application development on ACMS AXP, no matter how good the
>product is. We se no long term business scenario or viabillity for Digital
>as a a vendor of multivendor transaction-processing software. Users
>should not assume that ACMS will be ported to VMS or any other platform
>unless it
>is spun off or bought by another software vendor (0.4 probability).
<<< ABBOTT::ABBOTT$DKA100:[NOTES$LIBRARY]IM_PARTNERS.NOTE;1 >>>
-< >-
================================================================================
Note 1560.1 * Jesse Lipcon's Response to Gartner re: ACMS Family * 1 of 4
TPSYS::FERREIRA 34 lines 17-FEB-1995 15:20
-< .txt of Jesse's memo >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+---------------------------+ TM
| | | | | | | |
| d | i | g | i | t | a | l | INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
| | | | | | | |
+---------------------------+
TO: Whom It May Concern DATE: Feb. 17, 1995
FROM: Jesse Lipcon
Vice President
DEPT: Systems Product Management
and Development
EXT: 223-5898
LOC/MAIL STOP: PKO3-1/B15
SUBJECT: ACMS
One of the key components of Digital's OpenVMS product
set is the ACMS transaction processing software family.
ACMS is used extensively by Digital's largest customers
in their mission critical applications. It is strategic
to Digital as well as our customers in this role.
ACMS has been available on OpenVMS Alpha systems since
mid 1994. There are new releases planned or in progress
with significant enhancements. We have also extended
this robust technology to UNIX with a December, 1994,
release of ACMSxp for OSF/1 V2.0, a portable version of
ACMS. We are currently working on delivery of ACMSxp
on OpenVMS and Windows NT for complete Digital platform
coverage.
|