Talk is cheap and SUNW was not able to make their demo work in this very important press announcement for Ultra III. The discussion by Ed Zander and by the technology director was very good BUT the simple demo showing how distributed processing over the Net DID NOT WORK! The concept is fine but if SUNW can not demonstrate this simple example, why will our customers buy into it?
Hi Eric,
While I'm sure there was a lot of recriminations and finger pointing going on after the presentation, SUNW was not demonstrating something that didn't work, what didn't work was the demonstration. I doubt they decided to show their latest accomplishment -- live -- over the internet -- with analysts and press reporters invited knowing it didn't work so they could be ridiculed.
That's not just a fine point. A demonstration that doesn't work is always a severe blunder that gives ammunition to anyone who wants to discredit you, but it was the demonstration that was the blunder, not SUNW's Grid technology which is an extremely significant development in the world of computing. Those who only saw the demonstration failure lack the insight into the significance of the accomplishment.
I spent many years working in technology transfer and have been enraged and devastated by such mishaps, but you know -- it happens. The janitor turns off a switch, someone trips on a plug and thinks they reconnected it correctly, Verizon's trunk went down, etc, etc, etc.
I would have been concerned if the demonstration failed at a functioning site, not at a one day set up at Lincoln center where there are too many extraneous variables running loose. They did show later on that they could pull the rabbit from the hat but it was hard to forget the time when all you had was the hat and 6 sigma egg on you face.
All the best,
Michael |
