

Being able to build something cool is not good enough. Neither is fast performance. - zachbeane
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.lisp/msg/751421f6fdcfd71e

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rjurney
I think a better summary of the article would be, "Cool technology can give
you an edge, but doesn't mean anything if you aren't providing profound value
to a paying customer."

So often as geeks we look for a problem to solve with the latest
technology/language we're fascinated with, rather than looking at our own
lives and professional experience and at problems we need solved that might
have broad applicability to identifiable, verifiable others regardless of how
sexy the guts of that solution are.

Its the classic trap to fall into, and despite all the resources out there
telling you not to, more technology startups make this mistake than don't. As
geeks, we are drawn to technology, not attuned to market needs. Must learn
difference.

Thats how it is for me, anyway, and I think its what the author meant :)

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access_denied
Let me add to your post. The edge cool technology can give you only counts if
the markets perceive it.

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mojuba
This kind of generalizations aren't entirely correct, because they don't take
into account levels of abstractions that exist in our industry.

If you are into OS kernels or compilers, for example, you are at one of the
highest levels of abstraction, and you are least dependent of what customers
think they might need or are willing to pay. At this level you decide what
customers need more often than the other way around.

As opposed to writing a document management system where you are simply
enslaved by your customers' immediate needs and of course things like
performance or elegance don't matter any more.

(Been in both worlds already. Should I say how much I miss the more abstract
world? Sigh.)

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dasil003
I really don't follow this line of thinking. Unless you are independently
wealthy you always need someone to pay. If you are working on more abstract
levels like kernels or libraries then you just have more technical customers
is all. It doesn't matter how many downstream entities could potentially use
your abstract product if you don't have someone to pay for it up front. Of
course you could just do the open source thing and eventually hope to get
sponsorship (eg. Linus), but really that's just another type of sale that is
contingent on value you are providing.

~~~
mojuba
I tried to point out areas where performance and elegance still matter and
where customers more often don't know what they need, that is, areas where
developers are kind of ahead of customers' immediate needs, contrary to the
point of the original post. So my comment wasn't really about the business
side of things, i.e. who pays, when and how.

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pxlpshr
_Being able to build something cool is not good enough. Neither is fast
performance. Both are important, but the human commitment and real ability to
make actual individuals happy at firms that are potential customers is more
important than either. Doing what you say you will do--promising delivery
dates and consistently meeting or beating them, for example--wins big.
Convincing potential customers that you will work ten times as hard as the
nearest competitor to please the customers wins sales. Version management,
customer support, and documentation quickly become vitally important._

to summarize this article, delivering and committing to your customer/client.
common sense business etiquette IMO, but strangely enough — an easy and strong
differentiator, so many people fail at this concept.

on the flip side, I'm also known to support the notion of rejecting your
customer. there is a good read about it in the book, Mavericks at Work.

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ii
To paraphrase Sun Tsu, therefore one hundred successes in one hundred complex
projects are not the most skillful, creating lasting and profitable business
with little or no effort is the most skillful.

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c00p3r
What is the difference between a programmer and coder? (or manager and worker)
Programmers talks about ideas while coders talks about tools. =)

