What Can Corel Do
Get a new leader and a new technology officer
After they have jettisoned Cowpland, OLAP, the NC and the various historical anachronism, they should focus on getting a technologically competent CTO and CEO. The CFO's technological bent appears to be enough for that Job. They have to stay far away from warmed-over DOS hackers or Novell types. That's the league they are already in and they need to bring it up a notch. Try getting as many UNIX Java development managers or even X Window folks. That is, more modern humans and fewer technological Neaderthals. Please be advised: Corel is technically incompetent! This is not just a marketing thing!
Transition Corel graphics users to Java
Develop a set of cooperating Java Beans for graphics professionals and develop a plan to migrate, incrementally and optionally, current users to that environment. IBM is introducing a $49 Java office-pack, see what you can do as far as add-on Java Beans to support that product. Focus, focus, focus on providing graphics professionals with the tools they need for collaborative products based on Java.
Develop the first and best Java-based diagramming tool
Stop arm-waving and look at what Micrographx and Visio are doing with their diagramming tool. This is a huge market and IBM is not supplying that with the eSuite. If Corel develops a modular, state-of-the-art diagramming tool for Java they can sell add-ons until the cowplands come home. This should be one of their primary foci because it's the one thing that people want that IBM isn't just going to whip up overnight for the eSuite. This is your wake up call. If you miss this you deserve to go down in an orange ball of flames.
Did I mention getting a new leader?
The lamest of the lame, Micrographx, now yields those honors to Corel and it looks like Visio is laughing at both of them. They are unfocused, incompetent, and they need to wake up before it's too late. Corel is living proof that software companies can indeed suck enough. |
