the Edsel ?
I'm not trying to bait you, but there needs to be a recognition that even though the Millennium conversion project was on a HP3000, it is still something that has not, to my knowledge, been done before.
Your example of the Edsel is a humorous one, but the other side of that coin is "what did people do before the automobile ?"
If we consider the act of walking as a "manual" activity, then we can say that those who walked were much like the body shops today, who use manual labor and "bodies" to convert code.
Next, we had the people who road in carriages or bicycles. Although this group had "semi-automated" the walking process, there still remained much manual work to take place, especially true in the case of riding a bike. I compare this group to the tool vendors and other conversion houses who have developed tools that help the process of finding and converting code, but much of the work still requires some manual work.
Finally, we have the automobile. Compared to walking or riding a bike, the process requires very little human intervention and is much more efficient. I compare this to the ConSyGen toolset.
The question is "has something been invented here ?" Yes, we all know that the more important question is can it be successfully marketed, however, we still have to look to see if there is something here that holds any value ?
I believe that there has been. If nothing else, CSGI has developed a way that several million lines of code can automatically be converted in a fast, accurate, and efficient manner. If their toolset can be successfully marketed remains to be seen, but some recognition should still be given to the fact that they have done something that hasn't been done before.
a little history.......
Many people still think of Henry Ford as the inventor of the automobile, but Henry should be recognized more for his contributions to creating the assembly line. In his development of the Model T, he created something that went beyond the end product. He developed a new method of doing something that took 12 and 1/2 hours, to only 1 and 1/2 hours. His streamlining of the production process helped Ford Motor Co. produced 300,000 cars in 1914, which was more than all other automakers combined. This mass production also allowed for flexibility in the price tag. Ford was able to sell a superior product for less than the competition. So was it the model T that made Ford such a success, or was it the assembly line ? Maybe it was both, but one thing is for sure, if Ford was making cars like everyone else in 1914, they would of not been able price them so cheap, and in turn, to dominate the market like they did.
We have seen, at least in the Millenium project, that CSGI has "automated" the method of converting code. This method they has enabled them to cut prices and go for the volume. Will this strategy allow CSGI to market their toolset as successfully as our friend Henry Ford was able to market the first Model Ts' ? Will ConSyGen, capture market share and the attention of companies looking for a superior conversion at a cheaper price ?
Well, I guess that remains to be seen, but let me tell you what, I would of loved to have some shares in old Henry's company.
BTW- for you history buffs out there, the first patent of a automobile was made in 1886 by a some guy in Germany called Karl Benz.... sound familiar ? |
