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To: Don Mosher who wrote (32206)	9/24/2000 8:51:08 AM
From: Snowshoe	Respond to of 54805

Fiddler's Biography cs.uiuc.edu An excerpt: The first document ever created at Wind River Systems, named after the Wyoming mountain range that Fiddler had spent time in, was a coding conventions document. "Even though I was the only person there, I wanted it written down. I wanted to build systems, figure out how to reuse them, and build a tool kit. So we would think of abstract pieces that could be reusable and built up a bunch of pieces into a product. And it turned out to be a pretty good product." Soon, they were producing real-time and video-related projects for the NFL and people like Francis Ford Coppola. Soon, Fiddler abandoned his consulting work and devoted himself to real-time systems, and things rocketed skyward from there. Sales increased exponentially from $300K in 1981 to $44 M this year--quite a feat for a private company with no venture capital. In April 1993, Wind River went public, and growth shows no signs of slowing down.

To: Don Mosher who wrote (32206)	9/24/2000 8:59:11 AM
From: Apollo	Respond to of 54805

Don, thank you for your reply to my questions on WRS. As we know, calling the timing of tornados is difficult to do. So, I certainly do not know when WRS might breakout by generating sudden increases in its stream of royalties. Given that you don't know when WRS will break out, could it be, similar to Gemstar on this thread for the past year, that the break out could be further in to the future than people expect? IOWs, WRS might be a slow grower for awhile, especially if analysts are struggling to understand their revenue stream. Isn't that why we are here on the G&K thread? We have the shared belief that, together, we can figure out a few things about growth before they become priced into the stock. Absolutely. Henceforth, you now have to keep us advised on Quarterly reports, and when you think recognition of the tornado is soon to happen...and why. Don, that was a terrific contribution. Thank you again, Apollo

To: Don Mosher who wrote (32206)	9/24/2000 11:52:23 AM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 54805

First I want to thank you for another great post. Given your persuasive argument, a WIND purchase becomes a matter of when not if. I fret more about timing of purchases than many on this board. A couple of thoughts. a music-mathematics combination characterizes some young geniuses Is there any hope for ole duffers that are more than a little fond of both? <gg> the ability to abstract higher-level principles in software design. (Of course, Tom M-H or sditto could better address what sets programmers apart.) For me it has always contained a component of abstract pattern recognition. To so meld the capabilities of the machine with the intrinsic pattern of the problem, that the software solution seems "natural" by hindsight. On a somewhat different note, I've long maintained that someone skilled in psychology and programming could gain significant insight into a programmer's personality by reading their code. the solution to dealing with such complexity required close collaboration between hardware-software companies It's frequently at the interface where both the complexity exists and the clever solution can have a significant impact. This is true of hardware/software and man/machine interfaces (or better both simultaneously). Thanks again for both your analysis and eloquent exposition. lurqer

To: Don Mosher who wrote (32206)	9/24/2000 12:27:13 PM
From: sditto	Respond to of 54805

<<Of course, Tom M-H or sditto could better address what sets programmers apart.>> On of the best descriptions of what separates good programmers from great programmers can be found in Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date. It was written by Robert X. Cringely and is one of the more entertaining tech related books you can find and a must read for Gorilla Gamers who want to learn what really goes on behind the scenes in Silicon Valley.