Archive for January, 2008

When less is more

Published
by
Gianugo
on January 19, 2008
in English
. 0 Comments

Nearly a month ago, I noticed that one of our favorite comedians was in town. I rushed to buy tickets for me and my wife and found out that, indeed, I could do that online: it took me less than five minutes to have the ticketing system handing me a nice printout of what seemed to be two really nice seats – second row, seats 15 and 16. Life was beautiful.

When we entered the hall tonight, we found out that seat #16 was definitely next to seat 15#, if it wasn't for a huge aisle in between: the two chairs were on the boundaries of two separate blocks, which meant me and my wife would have had to wave to each other instead than sitting close to each other. Luckily enough, there was a no show and an empty seat, so we managed to sit together hand in hand and enjoy a good laugh.

The snafu with our seats got me thinking about software: the system has clearly been designed keeping in mind that parties should sit on adjacent seats, yet a nasty bug surfaced when a rule like "check whether two consecutive seat numbers are in the same block" was forgotten, or maybe a sloppy description of the hall was provided by the theater itself. What dawned on me was how much easier and error-proof would have been providing a seat map, and let people pick their seats on a first-come-first-served basis. No funky algorithms for best seat match, no rule systems, no reliance on accurate floor plan description: just good old human-machine interaction, better customer feedback and, ultimately, better retention (I'll obviously try to avoid those guys in the future).

Life is complicated enough: just do the simplest thing that can possibly work. 

My thoughts for the tank: Open Source in 2008

Published
by
Gianugo
on January 18, 2008
in English, Open Source and Work stuff
. 2 Comments

I'm getting ready to fly over the pond again and meet a great bunch of people at the Open Source Think Tank. As this will be a great occasion to discuss what 2008 will bring to Open Source, here is my shot at some of the most notable challenges for the year to come:

  • 2008 should be FedEx year for commercial Open Source. It's time to deliver: Open Source funding is not exactly dry as a bone, but is definitely taking the plunge (I consider this a good thing, actually). The money has been awarded, now it's time to get to real work and prove our worth. No excuses.
  • as an organic consequence, it's easy to predict that as the market separates the wheat from the chaff, a good handful of companies will disappear. Don't panic: it's just Darwinism at work. The challenge to Open Source as a viable business proposition will be more than balanced out by the opportunity, for those who manage to thrive (or just trick their investors into C-rounds), to perform M&As, and/or acquire IPR, skills and customer bases.  
  • with the frenzy almost over, we might want to take a moment on a Napa terrace to sip a glass of wine and think about the business model of commercial Open Source. Are we dead sure that development behind closed doors, releases thrown over the wall and aggressive/sneaky techniques to convert downloads into paying customers is the best we can come up with? I'm sure there is a better way to monetize software, probably with communities becoming even more relevant.
  • which brings me to the next point: my prediction for 2008 and beyond is that Open Source will thrive much more when used as a means to an end. Be it technology companies cooperating on common blocks to build new products, SaaS endeavors willing to optimize their infrastructure and build new solutions or good old services companies willing to monetize added value in knowledge rather than gated access to technology, there is a great opportunity out there. Note: Being at the helm of a Open Source services company surely means I'm biased, still you can smell some winds of change.
  • finally, I hope we can call it a day with Open Source licensing issues now that everyone and his dog, from free software diehards to attribution fans, should be happy with what the OSI has got to offer. That doesn't mean legal issues won't be biting us in 2008: there are just too many lawyers out there with Mercedes hungry for petrol and wives hungry for alimony. What I'm expecting is a surge in compliance-related matters, with companies (and individuals, and communities) actually starting to care about protecting their Open Source-licensed assets. To that extent, the Software Freedom Law Center will make all the difference.

Last but not least, let's not forget that on February 8th, 1998, Eric Raymond issued the Open Source call to the community. That alone will definitely make for a few rounds of celebration and toasts with some nice Napa bubbles. And, while we're at it, note that I'll be traveling with my clubs, and I'm ready and willing to challenge anyone in the Think Tank field for a round of golf at the Silverado PGA! 

A quick one on MySQL and BEA

Published
by
Gianugo
on January 16, 2008
in English and Open Source
. 0 Comments

Wow. Analysts and journalists must be having a very busy time today, and I'm expecting bulk loads of virtual ink to be spent in commentaries. I still have a day job, so I don't have much time to delve into one of the craziest days in IT, yet this thought just crosses my mind and I thought I'd share it. Both MySQL and BEA were founded in 1995: MySQL cashed in 1B$, setting a record point in OSS acquisition (and probably getting a notable premium), but still they are biting the dust when compared to the whopping 8.5B$ Oracle just cashed out for BEA (quite possibly getting a bargain deal).

Apples and oranges, I know, and there is no reason on earth to downplay a great and bold move by Sun and MySQL. Yet something that might be worth pondering while celebrating a great day for middleware. Needless to say, I will still be more than happy with a 1B$ trade sale.

Gianugo Rabellino to Acquire Parmalat

Published
by
Gianugo
on January 16, 2008
in English
. 11 Comments

DESIO, Italy, Jan. 16 — Gianugo Rabellino (ZIP: 20033) and Parmalat (Milan: PLT.MI) announced today they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Mr. Rabellino will acquire a stock of six cartons of whole milk for €1.45 each. The offer is valued at approximately €8.70, plus 0.30€ tip for the delivery boy, to be paid entirely in cash (no freakin' corporate luncheon vouchers). "I expect this deal to provide me with at least 8g of fat", says Gianugo Rabellino, "of which no less than 5g saturated, which makes a great béchamel for my award-winning lasagne".

"The addition of Gianugo to our growing customer base is a major accomplishment for our strategy in Lombardy", says Ms. Elvira L., Dairies Manager at Gino's grocery store. "Today's acquisition will be the foundation for a long lasting relationship which will provide both Gino's and Mr. Rabellino with mutual benefits."

"We expect Mr. Rabellino to exercise soon his options on Gorgonzola cheese", says Luigi M., son of late founder Gino and CEO of the award-winning grocery store. "Our free cheese coupons have been a great way to extend our customer base outside Cesano Maderno".

"I'm looking forward to amazing days to come", says S. Rabellino, close member of the family. "This acquisition will guarantee a great benefit for the whole Rabellino community, not to mention a notable calcium surplus, especially for the lucky ones who get invited to the Big Lasagna Party."   

"Will you fix the damn elevator already?", said Peppo, Head of Home Deliveries at Gino's, proudly attending his sophomore year in Marketing, Communication and Various Useless Stuff. "Eight flights of stairs with six cartons of milk on my back, for a measly 30 cents? Rumor has it, other acquisitions were tipped over 1B$, and no stairs were involved."

Mrs. Rabellino has approved the transaction, and the bank has authorized payment for the full sum. Delivery is expected to happen any minute, and supplies are believed to last for at least the next week.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain forward-looking statements about Mr. Rabellino and Gino's grocery, including statements that involve risks and uncertainties concerning Mr. Rabellino's proposed acquisition of Parmalat. Actual events or results, may differ materially from those described, expressed or implied in this press release, including burning the béchamel or canceling the Big Lasagna Party due to a shortage in egg supplies.

And the big wheel keeps on turning…

Published
by
Gianugo
on January 16, 2008
in English, Open Source and Work stuff
. 0 Comments

Jan 16th is going to be a day to remember. Oracle acquires BEA.

Holy cow…

Published
by
Gianugo
on January 16, 2008
in English, Open Source and Work stuff
. 1 Comment

This is huge: Sun acquires MySQL. More when I wake up from stunning. 

Ite, missa est

Published
by
Gianugo
on January 16, 2008
in English
. 0 Comments

So, the annual rite is over now and I have to say His Steveness left me with a mixed bag:

  • Time Capsule, aka Airport NAS. Nice, but nothing really worth a keynote spot in my opinion. Stefano just pointed me out this baby which seems to kick Apple's backside (modulo wireless) any minute.
  • iTunes movie rentals. 'Mkey, possibly disruptive down the road (just look at what happened to Blockbuster and Netflix stock quotes to see what I mean). Still, 1.000 titles, what gives? The beauty of iTunes, much like Amazon, is in the omni comprehensive catalog: without the long tail, there is little business out there for online shops, and with just a mere thousand titles, I trust Caddyshack won't be there (which will make my wife happy, by the way).
  • Apple TV, take 2. Ohwell, people kept saying that the first version failed because of lack of movie rentals, maybe this time it will fly. You won't find me lined up at an Apple store for this, though.
  • Last but not least, the MacBook Air. Lovely design indeed: that thing doesn't just fit in an envelope, it can be used to actually cut the sleeve open. I'm not a fan of curved bottoms, though (at least in computers), and  I'm far from impressed by the sizeable price tag and the non-replaceable battery. Finally, it doesn't look like something I could use everyday, yet it's pricey enough to make another primary machine difficult to justify to my budget conscious CFO. I will probably fall in love with it the minute I stumble in an Apple store, but until then I'm seriously considering the Asus eee PC (my wife just loves hers) as an alternative. Still, I guess I'll warm my credit card up, just in case…

Oh, and One More Thing (someone's got to say that today): the SSD HD price for the MBA is a joke. At 999$ a pop it's basically a loud "go away, nothing to see here". Great technology showcase indeed, but still well out of reach. Too bad.

Dude, where is my stash?

Published
by
Gianugo
on January 15, 2008
in English and Open Source
. 0 Comments

Long story short, as you might have read this already: in 2006 the Italian government decided to set some funds aside for “Information society projects”, with an added proviso to prioritize Open Source ventures to be hosted on a Government-selected public website. We are not exactly talking peanuts, as the Open Source piggybank was to be filled with 10M€. I know that sounds like pocket money if you consider the 75M€ that went down the drain for italia.it, or even the 10M€ of taxpayer money funding project Qualipso. Still, I’m pretty sure we could have used them somewhat.

Anyway, fast forward one year, and the money has just disappeared. Not only that: the Ministry of Technology Innovation for the Public Sector (or whatchamacallit) just forgot to select the web infrastructure to host the projects to be funded (whoops… execution, anyone?), and as a consequence nobody knows what happened to those funds. While I’m not going to lose any sleep over it (I’m not a fan of subsidized projects), as a tax payer I would love to hear what our beloved politicians have to say about it. If anything at all, as my take is that the money was either cashed in by someone doing preparatory studies and symposia, or just used to change the Ministry’s light bulbs.

Things like this luckily don’t go unnoticed: now that the badge below matches the colour scheme of my new blog, I don’t have any more lame excuses not to join the campaign launched by my fellow Italian buddies (Roberto, Flavia, Stefano and others), by posting the appropriate badge below (the target link will be in Italian, but I guess you’ve got the picture anyway). Feel free to disseminate!


Dove sono finiti i fondi per il Software Libero?

Must be something in the water…

Published
by
Gianugo
on January 15, 2008
in English, Open Source and Work stuff
. 0 Comments

… or food, or maybe I’m just getting old: I found this blog from Marc Fleury both enlightening and spot on. I don’t completely agree with every point in the story (which proves I’m still alive and kicking somewhat), but I’m definitely jealous of how Marc is able, from his position, to just shout out loud about the Emperor’s new clothes.

I will shortly contribute with something more insightful than a link to the whole debate of business viability of software services. As you might all know, I do have a vested interest in that. I’ll leave that for later, and just join the group of Mac-addicts to see what’s going on at “the” Keynote.

Graphic facilitation rocks!

Published
by
Gianugo
on January 15, 2008
in English and Work stuff
. 0 Comments

As if being in the same room with a lot of great people wasn't enough, last week I had the chance to enjoy one of the best strategic/brainstorming sessions in my career. Besides some great content (and lots of fun at shaping it up), I was completely blown away at seeing how an apparently small change can immensely help going the extra mile.

The usual scenario for brainstorming sessions is all about having people sitting in a circle, with someone stepping up to the whiteboard and jot notes. The "on steroids" version of it is having a professional note taker, with great visual skills, managing the whiteboard for your group: I'm afraid you have to see it to believe, and I was skeptical myself when Tricia of Collective Next started filling a wall-sized whiteboard with funky colorful diagrams, pictorials and drawings. It took me less than a few minutes to be completely sold on the idea: everyone was focused on letting ideas out, and Tricia was amazing in capturing the audience input, translating it into great looking notes that soon looked just like a mind map on acid. The moderator didn't have to summarize what people were saying, and participants didn't have to wait for him to jot stuff on the whiteboard: the pace was just incredible, and the resulting notes were catchy, self-explanatory and complete. Just awesome.

There is an entire web site devoted to graphic facilitation, but it's really hard to understand what this is all about until you happen to be in the same room with one of those guys. Maybe this video would provide a better idea of what I’m talking about:

Think about it for your next meetings: I'm sure you'll be happy to buy me a drink in exchange for the hint.