IP: Two on : State of health of the Farber computers

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: Robert Daffin <RSD3393 () ACR2000 COM>
> To: "'farber () cis upenn edu'" <farber () cis upenn edu>
> Subject: RE: State of health of the Farber computers
> Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2001 10:13:15 -0500
>
> Professor Farber,
>
> When I read about your recent trials and tribulations, it momentarily
> tweaked my flight instinct that drives me to relocate to a log cabin
> somewhere in Montana and "live off the land."  Once I (thankfully)
> recovered, I realized that the biggest challenge facing the software
> industry today is how to develop more reliable "off-the-shelf" software
> without effectively pricing your product out of the market.
>
> Prior to the ascendance of the PC (up to 1983), companies that chose to use
> computers had no choice but to pay for custom software development, usually
> performed by an in-house team of programmers.  These applications would be
> developed to run on one very specific platform (usually a "big iron"
> mainframe), and would address a very specific need.  These design goals,
> along with the culpability factor of working directly for the customer,
> helped deliver nearly bulletproof (albeit relatively expensive) software.
>
> The advent of the personal computer introduced a new type of software
> product, one that customers could purchase in a shrink-wrapped box and
> install themselves.  These "off-the-shelf" software products are designed to
> run on multiple platforms, adapt to varying business needs, and are
> developed by specialized companies (i.e., not by an in-house team).  Back
> when PC's were primarily in the hands of innovators* and early-adopters*
> (mostly through the 80's), software developed for the PC didn't have to be
> even close to perfect, as the average user was savvy enough to hack on it
> until it worked.
>
> Now that PC's have achieved market saturation, the majority of users are now
> more conservative and significantly less savvy than their predecessors (the
> continuing propagation of user-invoked email viruses and the popularity of
> AOL are proof).  These newer users demand software that is usable, safe, and
> stable, and that doesn't require a CS degree to successfully maintain.
> Unfortunately, software products have become more sophisticated (i.e.,
> complex), and are expected to run on a much larger (and varied) installed
> base of hardware, further complicating the development and QA processes.
>
> The software product that succeeds in a free market finds the "sweet spot"
> between functionality, reliability, and price--i.e., deliver enough new
> features in a product that is stable enough not to annoy most users, at a
> price that makes a profit without alienating the market.  This delicate
> balancing act is difficult to achieve because 1) the sweet spot is dynamic
> and 2) the development process has not adapted to meet the needs of the new
> market.
>
> Unfortunately (for me), I don't know how to fix the current situation--if I
> did, chances are I'd be making a fair amount more than I am currently.  The
> problem *is* solvable, though, and the company that manages to do so will be
> the *next* Microsoft.
>
> *I owe much of my understanding of the market to Geoffrey Moore's fine book,
> "Crossing the Chasm."
>
> -R (Feel free to distribute as you see fit.)

and

To: farber () cis upenn edu
Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2001 09:33:13 -0800
Subject: Re: IP: State of health of the Farber computers
X-Mailer: Juno 4.0.5
From: Howard D Singer <hsinger74 () juno com>

Dear Dave,

Your last few messages about your troubles with laptops and software have
made me, and probably many others, extremely happy. This is not
schadenfreud; I take no joy in your misery. But it is a great consolation
to me, a non expert type, that even the great computer scientist
occasionally rages at the gadgets and their peculiarities. It happens to
you rarely because technology is afraid of you. But what it has recently
done to you, it does to me all the time. Practically every day. The
difference that you know enough to blame the machine or the software. I
don't, so I tend to blame myself. I say to myself, ah, if only I were as
smart as Dave Farber, my machine would never lock up and my blood
pressure would be much lower. I would know just how to fix it. Now, in
that light, can you imagine how happy I have been these past few days?
You can't possibly. I don't know what your record may be in donating to
recognized charities, but these last few messages have turned you, in my
eyes at least, into a humanitarian. Compared to you, Bill Gates and his
billion dollar gifts to charities is scrooge himself. You have made many
people happy.

All best, and best of luck,

Howard Singer

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