Re: Patents, Copyrights, Profits, Flex and Hercules

"Alan Altmark" <alan_altmark@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:LISTSERV%200706130106407933.014F@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sorry if I misinterpreted the thread. IBM has never (IMO) been
particularly
interested in courting hobbyists. I know this is disappointing, but there
is a
certain amount of risk and a certain amount of benefit. TPTB have
determined that there is insufficient benefit, so no go.

It sounds to me like the wording that is causing a barrier to communication.
My definition of 'hobbyist' seems a bit looser than yours (or IBMs).

What do you call people who are interested in learning (more) about
technology with an eye towards making money at it, but have no immediate
means to gain access to it? What do you call someone who has a certain
expertise, but can't use company knowledge/resources if he/she wants to
*attempt* to start up a business? Traditionally, this would be schools.
When I went to school, the local community college had a mainframe so for a
relatively minor cost I could get access. My perception is that today, one
must have the ability to spend tens of thousands per year at a University,
from a private training company or to lease time. This is to enter a job
market that is perceived to be shrinking and in danger of dying out
completely, so the incentive/ability to spend a lot of money is not there
fore *new* entrants (I don't believe VCs are hot on the mainframe business,
are they?). Is this an incorrect perception?

I also recall a time when an independent developer would exchange a promise
of future access to a product for time on the mainframe. Does that happen
anymore? Perhaps the entire mainframe mentality has changed over the past
40 years? Maybe IBM is not the only entity that has limited the access to
the resources, and it has happened so gradually that we haven't noticed how
tight and 'businesslike' the mainframe mentality has become?


No avenue in what way? PWD allows for "Developing Products" in addition
to "Current Products". As long as you're actually in *business* to make
and
sell a product (even if your seller is a business partner), PWD is the
right
choice.

IIRC, to be eligible for the FLEX-ES system (or whatever may replace it) one
has to have a business plan and a product to be delivered in 12 months.
This means that one already has to have:

1) A design
2) Technical expertise to implement the design
3) A marketing study
4) Several tens of thousands of dollars that can be invested

While this is not unreasonable for an existing business, it makes things
difficult for an individual either just entering the workforce (read: young
entrepreneurs), just leaving the traditional workforce (read: retiring
professionals), or working on the side in the garage (read: startup ventures
in not-so-hot areas of technology). If PWD is the proper channel for these
people, then I stand corrected.

I am thinking that easy access to the technology is the key to technology
booms, such as the microcomputer and Linux (amongst others). I'm curious -
are there any readers of this list who are members of PWD, but not
associated with the company they work for (or are part of)? IOW, are
there any 'independent' developers in PWD that don't already have a product
on the market? Are there any people here who joined PWD with only a
business plan, and no existing product, and used that as the avenue to
develop a product?

Regards,
Dean

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