

Firetruck Maker Blames Bankruptcy on Failed ERP Implementation - edw519
http://blogs.zdnet.com/projectfailures/?p=583

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jraines
I think I'd rather be put in charge of pacifying Gaul than implementing an ERP
for a public company.

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mkrigsman
It's not just ERP. Enterprise software in general is considered "not sexy".
However, when you consider the percentage of the world's economy that flows
through these systems, they are massively important.

Michael Krigsman <http://blogs.zdnet.com/projectfailures>

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pchristensen
I think the reason enterprise isn't "sexy" is that it doesn't get chosen based
on quality. It isn't bought by the people that use it, it isn't chosen by
technical people that can appreciate differences, heck, it isn't chosen based
on likelihood of success, etc, etc, etc. Because of this, software excellence
isn't rewarded and so those that can produce excellent software go elsewhere.
The market for it is broken and enterprise software won't get better until
it's fixed.

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edw519
True at the Fortune 1000 level. Not so true at many midsize and small
businesses. These guys HATE buying enterprise software, but in many cases feel
they have no choice. That's changing. Just like microcomputers ate at the
underbelly of IBM's mainframe lock 25 years ago, web apps are poised to do the
same thing to enterprise software now. And in both cases, the change happens
at smaller companies, where I intend to be. The giant dinosaurs are the last
to adopt.

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edw519
I know it's not glamorous, but this area is a phenomenal opportunity for
today's generation of hackers and painters. ERP is representative of all that
is bad (and good!) where business meets IT.

Most people tell me I'm nuts to focus on this. I can't wait to prove them
wrong.

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projectileboy
The opportunity would be golden if you were competing against other hackers.
But you're not. You're competing against other companies' sales forces. And if
you think you're ready to go head-to-head against the sales forces of IBM,
Oracle, SAP, etc. etc., then you may be in for a very bad-tasting dish of
reality.

Having said that, if you can succeed, then there are millions of people using
unbelievably crappy software in offices around the world that would thank you
for your efforts.

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edw519
"think you're ready to go head-to-head against the sales forces of IBM,
Oracle, SAP"

Been there. Done that. For certain customers (mostly midmarket), it's like
shooting fish in a barrel. Accountable people in small to medium size
businesses see right through the B.S. and are desperate for alternatives. I
wouldn't even attempt to sell to a Fortune 1000 bureaucracy.

"millions of people using unbelievably crappy software in offices around the
world that would thank you for your efforts"

Hundreds already have. I'm planning on using more modern technologies to reach
the millions.

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pchristensen
I'd like to hear more about what you're doing. I shot you an email.

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edw519
Got your email. Thank you. A couple things you said really got me to thinking.
So I'm putting a little extra thought into my response, which I'll have
sometime later today.

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ced
I'd be happy to read what you have to say, here or by email.

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edw519
Here goes:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=114568>

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cstejerean
did aomeone finally get fired for choosing IBM?

