[Linux] do members of flux ever get together and form spin-offs?
nv
linux@flux.org
Sun, 25 Mar 2007 14:27:30 -0700
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#333399">
<br>
You have some very good points although I wouldn't give CS grads as
much credit..<br>
<br>
As a CS grad, it took me a while to realize that my first response to a
fellow geek's idea would often be to analyze it and find flaws. That is
what my engineering/cs education trained me to do and that is often
what my peers did too. Making a business requires you to explore the
potential beyond the stated idea and sometimes just jump in and do the
grease work.. <br>
<br>
We all know of friends and family who have reasonably successful
businesses. They are normal folks (sometimes not) and more often than
not they are not the smartest people in the room nor the most educated.
They know their limitations and sometimes just jumping in, taking the
effort and sticking it out is all it takes. <br>
<br>
I once had the CEO of my company berate me for discussing too many
engineering details (and some limitations) with one of our sales guys.
Sales guys, he felt, needed to think beyond the problems. Sadly, its
true and as an engineer, its quite clear that sometimes I don't.<br>
<br>
The other problem is that geeks often look at the bits and bolts of a
problem and not its utility or value add. (You call it "tunnel vision",
I call it "geek vision") "Do it in Perl dude!", or "Perl sucks, how can
you not use Python?". You do need the appropriate tool for the job, but
its so meaningless if the product has no value. (Err, what use is auto
insurance to a caveman?) But sadly, most geeks do not see the bigger
picture.<br>
<br>
And finally, if you see a problem that needs a solution, its hard for
us geeky religious zealots to accept the possibility that the correct
solution need not be open source nor linux based. (Sacrilege! How dare
you, this is flux@ Off with his head :) <br>
<br>
So about that streaming bittorrent idea? Is this really a solved
problem? I wouldn't mind exploring it more. Got any pointers?<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
nv<br>
<br>
<br>
Steven Benmosh wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid7c6d3f640703250703x6bac126bg8267a1722df14822@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">I have suggested a number of projects to a number of
groups. The responses I got ranged from 'why would you want to do
that', to 'the right way is to start a project, code a prototype and
have people join the team' to 'why not do it in perl?' ...
<br>
<br>
An example: I thought that distributed peer to peer video/audio
streaming (as opposed to d/l) is a worthwhile project (I still do). I
thought it can easily be accomplished by slight modifications of the
bit-torrent scheme, specifically by changing the file slicing and the
priorities algorithm so that the pieces are d/l in a semi-chronological
order instead of least common piece first.
<br>
<br>
I proposed and got the following: why do that? bit-torrent is not
efficient for streaming (well, Duh!?), why don't you write a prototype?
You can get inexpensive coders to work for you in Estonia (true, that
one is not from a Linux guy), etc.
<br>
<br>
Needless to say, there are a handful of companies now doing something
similar for a living. The Eurovision was broadcast in one such
application. Companies are getting millions in VC money (neokast
anyone?) for developing such products and services. But these are not
open source projects. And as a non-programmer, I am blocked from
writing my own code.
<br>
<br>
The point is, Linux/OSS people have a tendency to march to their own
drummer, and with tunnel vision, are hampering the possibility of
creating software that is outside their own personal interest ("I am a
perl monger, and I want to take all the bugs from this web page auto
update script!"). At least this is my opinion/experience. And in the
meantime, the proprietary model people are getting the money and the
goods.
<br>
<br>
Z.<br>
<br>
<br>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 3/25/07, <b
class="gmail_sendername">Terry Richards</b> <<a
href="mailto:sn00per1@bellsouth.net">sn00per1@bellsouth.net</a>>
wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote"
style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Steven
Benmosh wrote:<br>
<br>
> 1. On the camera, I did not bother. I upload to the mac and ftp to
the<br>
> ubuntu box.<br>
<br>
<br>
well thnx anyway, i was motivated to re-double my efforts getting my<br>
argus 1512 hooked up but there are only drivers for the 1500, 1510 qmd
<br>
1600. i think i read somewhere that it is not so simple to get this<br>
particular on to interact without the store bought drivers which are for<br>
M$ and Mac and i am not gonna pay $35 for the software to run a $20<br>
camera...no dice. but hey! i did get digikam up and running :-) i'm<br>
always up for something new.<br>
<br>
><br>
> 2. On Linux, the key is that to succeed in business you need some<br>
> skills outside the technical realm, and it is easier to find those
<br>
> outside the geekworld.<br>
<br>
<br>
a little background: i under no way consider myself to be a<br>
goldfish-eating college dropout<a geek>. yes industrial
phychology and<br>
finance but as someone recently pointed out it is easier to teach a CS
<br>
person business than it is to teach a business person tech stuff<br>
<br>
><br>
> 3. Kwan, I get the feeling that you work alone. From what I have
seen,<br>
> you are a first rate technical guy, so I am not surprised you are
not
<br>
> starving. But to make a team work, you need team members to agree
on<br>
> things, otherwise the whole is less than the sum of its
parts. Most<br>
> people are not as technically savvy as you are and need to decide
on
<br>
> markets to explore and ways to attract customers to products and<br>
> services that can be gotten from others just as well. For those,
you<br>
> need skills like marketing, being nice, dressing nice, talking
nice, etc.
<br>
><br>
> I have tried to get people to work on projects that I think could
sell<br>
> and/or benefit the world. I could never find anyone to agree to a
set<br>
> of goals and execute on a plan.<br>
><br>
did you try to accept what your peers suggested or did they just not
<br>
want to do what you wanted to do? one of the things i like about open<br>
source is that what drives it is what works best. i realize i have not<br>
given it much time but i am disappointed that the first few responces<br>
were strawmen arguments or non-sequlars or what ever you call them. if<br>
the stated goal is to "do something" with "linux" and make it "open"<br>
then something should happen, shouldn't it? if you have an idea then
out
<br>
with it but all the negative vibes is not good for anyone. everyone<br>
knows of some "market" that they can exploit. customers come out of the<br>
woodworks at times and services can always be gotten for less, look at
<br>
MCI. there isn't any business that can't be "taken" by lower<br>
costs/prioces and well....you can't beat free; except by "value added"<br>
<br>
my $2.00<adjusted for inflation><br>
<br>
/|\<br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
Linux mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Linux@flux.org">Linux@flux.org</a><br>
<a href="http://www.flux.org/mailman/listinfo/linux">http://www.flux.org/mailman/listinfo/linux
</a><br>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
</body>
</html>