I recently received a complementary copy of the book, “Software is Free, Service is Not: The Dawn of Service Networks” written by ex-Oracle executives and co-founders of OpenWater – Mike Rocha and Tim Chou. The authors make the argument that most proprietary software used by businesses today is already paid for, and that the open […]
Archives for May 2007
News:Tivo, Apple TV, SlingBox, Scientific Atlanta to live near a water heater
Yes, the time has come for all these devices that I have put up with in my living room – the cable box, the DVR/Tivo, Apple TV, SlingBox, storage backup, cable router, and even the gaming server (PS2/XBox) – to move out. They have made themselves a bit too comfortable over the years pretending to […]
Dyson and SaaS: That kind of a person!
One of my favorite bloggers is Seth Godin and he recently told this story of why a consumer refused to buy a Dyson vacuum cleaner because she probably doesn’t think of herself as that kind of a person – the kind that buys expensive vacuum cleaners. His key point was that consumers don’t just buy […]
Predicting the end of Salesforce?
Fellow Irregular, Joshua Greenbaum has posted this excellent note entitled Siebel 2.0: The end of Salesforce, and it follows up on an earlier post by Phil Wainewright How is AppExchange really doing? I recommend you to check both of these out. Here is a quote from Josh: The parallels (with Siebel), unfortunately, regarding Marc’s claims […]
Prosper is growing exponentially
I have been following Prosper for quite some time now. In my earlier posts, I have said that the size of the market could be 10s of billions, if not higher. The miracle of exponential growth associated with network effects seems to be kicking for Prosper finally. It recently crossed $60 million mark i.e., the […]
How about Citizenship for legal Visa holders?
I have mixed feelings on the new law. Although we need a pragmatic solution the illegal immigration issue, it does seem to reward those that did not follow the rules. What makes it worse is that the new law does not give any significant relief to those in the queue. How about allowing anyone on […]
AppExchange vs Windows Marketplace
I discovered Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace by serendipity. And was surprised to see the breadth of the solutions being sold, ready for download. Yes, we all know that SaaS is the way of the future but the fact remains that over 90% of computers sold in the world come with a Microsoft OS and this site […]
Notes on Software 2007
Okay, so I agree that this post is stale news by blogging standards. And yes, there are no revelations in this piece- just a few notes on the Software 2007 conference this past week. The Software 2007 conference this week was a great experience. M R put up a great show with some marquee names […]
First software, now journalism -is bartending next?
All I can say is that Lou Dobbs now has some more material to scare everyone with. This widely reported story (California Web Site Outsources Reporting) just goes to illustrate that all jobs are increasingly global. What’s next? Housekeeping? Coffee Barista? Barkeep? Well, if telemedicine can let you do surgery from a distance, perhaps we […]
Warren Buffett buys into Web2.0 conept with $60 Billion
Warren Buffett may not realize it or even know of web2.0 but he is tapping a core concept of Web2.0 i.e., user-generated content, to figure out how to invest hordes of cash that his company generates every year. Currently, his firm Berkshire Hathaway is sitting on $40 billion and he needs to find places to […]
Eating Crow: Microsoft pursuing Yahoo! again
Will I have to eat crow on this one? This has been long awaited by many industry watchers. Here is my Dec 2006 post where I ask the question and argue that its highly unlikely that Microsoft will acquire Yahoo!. Now, it appears that this deal may actually be taking place. Or is it? The […]
SaaS: The Multiplier Effect
There are many well-known benefits of SaaS solutions such as subcription pricing, faster implementations and greater user adoption. One that is rarely mentioned is the multiplier effect for niche partner solutions. As an example, take an HR application. If a niche vendor comes in to introduce a complementary application to say automate performance review approvals. […]