ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help  you?

COSTELLO: Thanks. I’m setting up an office  in my den and I’m thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name’s  Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don’t own a computer. I want to buy  one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name’s Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why?  Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a  computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don’t know.  What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind  the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO:  No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track  expenses and run my business.  What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my  office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I  just did.

COSTELLO: You just did  what?

ABBOTT: Recommend  something.

COSTELLO: You recommended  something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT:  Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my  office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I  recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I  already have an office with windows! OK, let’s just say I’m sitting at my  computer and I want to type a proposal.  What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in  Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is  office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for  Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for  windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click  the blue “W”.

COSTELLO: I’m going to click your  blue “w” if you don’t start with some straight answers.  What about  financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money  with?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That’s right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to  track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with  your computer.

COSTELLO: What’s bundled with my  computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I  get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn’t it  illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us  a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give  you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not?  THEY OWN IT!

(A few days  later)

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I  help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer  off?

ABBOTT: Click on  “START”………….

Usually, I wouldn’t view being in second place as something to brag about, but let me develop the thought.

The first point to this is that IBM is not a Software Company.  Although we have a good Software business, we are about solving customer problems with a myriad of solutions.  I’m not looking to debate semantics here, we are a technology company, leader in Innovation,  IT player, call it what you want here.  I will say that customers have driven our business since Watson built it.

Next point, there was a long time that IBM was the largest SW company, but that was when we had proprietary solutions such as SNA and based a lot of revenue on maintenance.  What is interesting here is that the current leader is following the same path towards license based, proprietary offering.  I’ve been on record that Microsoft is going down a similar path as IBM in earlier years and the market/customers will ultimately rule or change the rules (name your open std or platform here).  They will then have to re-invent themselves as IBM has done a number of times.  Further, Software as a Service and the related SOA capability will likely take us away from the packaged application tradition….speculation here on my part.

Nuther point, acquisitions are in vogue, and Oracle bought their way to their postion.  IBM has made numerous acquisitions also, but they were based on a different model.  I don’t want to debate this issue in this blog, but going back to a Lou Gerstner quote, “you make acquisitions to position yourself for the next wave of growth and to protect yourself from economic fluctuations”.  That is a lot of what is behind the IBM strategy (my opinion only here) vs. what seems to be happening at Oracle who are buying marketshare (again, my opinion only).  Many of their acquisitions are neither technically nor customer related to their core business.  I realize you could argue this from a grand vision, but that is for greater minds or richer lawyers to do (or analysts).

So being number 2 isn’t really that bad.  In fact, when you are dealing in the multi-billions, and when software is only a piece of your overall business (IBM has services, hardware and financing for those that didn’t notice), it’s a pretty good number.  Given my statements on Microsoft’s issues, either IBM or Oracle (or SAP or some other) may be number one in the future.  I wonder if you added up all the open everything out there if that was really #1?

IBM has entered into litigation with Amazon over violation of Patents.  Here are the facts:

1. Some legal cases are complicated — but this one is very simple.  It’s about IBM not being compensated for the use of its R&D. IBM spends about $6 billion on R&D each year, and we’ve had more U.S. patents than any other company in the world for each of the past 13 years.  Last year IBM was granted nearly 3,000 patents for its inventions and innovations.

2. IBM has tried more than a dozen times since 2002 to get Amazon.com to pay for using these patents.  Amazon.com has refused every time.

3.  IBM has been a leader in sharing intellectual property in ways that foster collaborative innovation.   But a key tenet of IBM’s IP policy is “mutual respect for intellectual property rights.”  Other companies license and use these very same patents, and IBM is entitled to protect its inventions.

4. We would have preferred to deal with this without litigation… it’s not what we do.   In fact, many companies have licensed these high-quality patents from IBM, as well as other patents, in “field of use” patent licenses.  Those companies value the quality and innovation of these inventions.   To not enforce our patent rights would be a discredit to those who  have fairly and lawfully taken these licenses.

5. We did what we had to do to protect IBM’s interests. (yes it’s rhetorical, but facts are facts)
My personal view is that in drawn out cases, the only winners are the lawyers who bill.  This will be complicated as IP law is a specialty that few are experts in.  It appears from the early facts that IBM has a good case, as it also has had with SCO.

I’ve been a part of 2 separate IP cross licensing issues that started as patent infringements, once with a software company in Redmond and once with Cisco.  What started out not on the right foot ended up as a positive for both companies so I know that IBM tries very hard to work these out if both parties will cooperate.  This leads me to think that Amazon is not trying very hard, except to not cooperate.

These usually drag out over years and are not fun nor pretty nor are they a PR dream.  I wouldn’t keep any hopes up for a fast resolution.  I do know that having worked with the IP lawyers at IBM, they are some of the most competent and well versed groups you will find, so don’t look for any unturned stones on this one.

I’m sure there will be plenty of updates to follow, but if I had to pick sides, I’d like to be on the IBM version of this one.  I’m sure that Amazon has a big team of lawyers also, but ultimately it has to be settled, in front of a judge, or by working together.  There are too many instances of IBM trying to work these out…Amazon, are you listening?

Well, I finally made it. We’re swimming in a sea of boxes of the stuff we’ve collected for decades, despite trying desperately to weed out any unnecessary items for months prior to the move.

It looks like it will take months to fully get moved in. When you’ve moved multiple times and owned multiple houses, you just seem to collect stuff.

I’ll post some before and after pictures just to get a feel for it, but due to DSL (all I can get in the country) downtime, I haven’t been online much. Stay tuned.

Lastly, for the testosterone fix, I’m getting a John Deere Tractor on Thursday, complete with front end loader, 62 inch mower and rotary cutter (bush hog)…..

Out of the old house with 200 boxes and furniture, my old house is now empty. Here’s my buddy Wes who helped schlep close to 15,000 lbs of my junk.

In with the new, although nothing arrives until tomorrow, there is a mad rush to get it ready, including contractors for kitchen, landscape, carpenters, electrical, plumbing, fence, and others.

Here they are trying to get the kitchen ready.

And best of all, here is the future office of IDR Analyst Relations, that by Monday has to be up and working. But we did narrow the list of technology for the showcase at the SWG A/R meeting. The current issue is how bleeding edge to balance out the middleware capability is at stake. Also, blogging issues and a technology jam are on the table being decided. This is good for interaction with the analyst’s with our software capability. Stay tuned, or weigh in.

But as I said yesterday, I get my dog back tomorrow.

If you’ve ever seen the commercial with the guys that admire how good the garage floor looks, it worked on me. Here’s a couple of shots of the floor. Since it’s made of epoxy, it is hard. If you see the specks in the floor, it hides dirt real well.

On the moving front, our life is in 169 boxes of any shape and size. This doesn’t count furniture. So for the next 2 days, we’ll be camping, Sleeping on the floor like during the big apex explosion day 2 weeks ago. We have what little we packed and that’s it. Like traveling, we’re eating out every meal. Total life distruption. Just to add to the fun, a tire blew out on my wife’s car causing me to have to buy 4 new tires and 2 new wheels (it was a pothole) to the tune of more money than I needed to spend. Moving allows you to run through your savings like hot water on ice counting contractors, movers, other parasites that attract themselves to this adventure.

Unbelievable as it seems, I’m able to work some as I have a broadband card that’s a gnat’s toenail faster than dialup, but it works. Steve, since you’re at ODC, maybe you can get with Sarita to discuss the tagging and farming…..your call, just let me know in comments.

On the positive side, I get my dog back in 2 days……a big on that one.

My house has become a sea of boxes. I’m still working as much as I can, especially on the SWG analyst conference (Steve O’Grady, we need to talk about the tag farming with Sarita soon or during odc), but it’s getting more and more difficult to work around the growing mountains of boxes.
It’s amazing how much you can accumulate, even when we spent months throwing as much away or donating to Goodwill as we could. But we have tons of stuff. One of the things you accumulate is dust in places that you can’t clean, like behind bookcases and places you can’t get to. I’ve cleaned enough to stuff pillows for most of my rooms, and I have allergy filters on my a/c and in rooms in my house.

So one more day of packing, then hauling it to the new house.

If your a guy and you’ve seen the commercial about the garage floor, I did it and will post photo’s…it’s as good as the commercials say.

Total disruption in my life this week is about to begin. I’ll be finding things I didn’t know I had, recovering lost items I thought were lost forever, and it looks like staying on top of contractors who are trying to finish my house on time for me to move in will be my toughest task.

I bought a new camera also (Sony W70) which I hope to document the pandalerium (a redneck term meaning total chaos for those above the Mason-Dixon line).

So blogging will be mostly personal, although I do hope to do an ABC on the longtail podcast series at some point. I’m tagging this series screw ups because I expect a lot of that to happen.

Podcast:  developerWorks interviews Irving Wladawsky-Berger, Rod Smith, Gina Poole

Three critical players in alphaWorks history reflect on IBM’s highly regarded early adopter program
Live landing page
Review URL:
Live mp3 link

Podcast: alphaWorks devotee segments with Bob Schloss, John Feller, Chieko Asakawa, Marshall Schor
Four interviews with software architects whose applications and teams have benefited through alphaWorks

Live landing page
Review URL

There are times that it is good to clear your head, just so you can focus.  I rarely get to watch TV anymore (not that it clears my head, but it does keep me from obsessing about work), but I’m a fan of 24.  So here is the link to season six of 24.

Most disapointing to me is that the whole business of the Chinese capturing and interrogating, torturing, umm politely questioning Jack will not be explored.  Way to wimp out.
I like this show because like life, there are good guys and bad guys, and we have to deal with situations that confront us.