A personal insight for impatient Longs:
Many years ago, pre-AT&T breakup, I worked for the Western Electric division of AT&T. Like IBM's "THINK!", we had a corporate credo. It was "Do it right the first time.", or words to that effect. This credo has survived Lucent's spin-off from AT&T. They may not be first to market, but you can bet that the EPAC technology will be the best ever seen, in a fully-integrated suite of products and vendors dedicated to providing the most efficient and highest quality digital music distribution anywhere. Bet on it, because Lucent won't have it any other way. True quality requires time, and LU/EDIG are putting in the time.
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Re the future of MicroOS:
Someone asked what MicroOS's competitive edge really is, and if it might not be superseded by a better operating system for flash memory. I believe the answer lies in its elegant simplicity. Consider an example: Why haven't pneumatic tires been superseded in their century-old market domination? The answer is elegant simplicity. The patent has long since expired, but they still get the job done more efficiently and cheaply than anything else. Sure, there have been enhancements like better compounds of rubber, tubeless tires, etc. But the fundamental design remains the same.
In the case of MicroOS, its simplicity lies in its technique for storing large files in smaller segments wherever they may fit within a flash memory array, using highly compact code. This takes full advantage of flash memory's advantages, while minimizing its limitations. The elegant part is the header information attached to each of these smaller segments, allowing rapid retrieval of the original file, indexing of the file content, and labeling of the flash memory segment as free or in use. The patents protect this technology, as well as numerous applications of it. Elegant simplicity, which no one else can duplicate for the life of the patent. This will be the key element assuring MicroOS success. JMHO, of course. |
