I enjoy getting a Canadian perspective for IT stories but it would be nice if you could drop the bloated Heading you put on the e-letter. It just makes it slow to load, which means I may not take the 30 seconds I might allot to reading the letter to see if there is anything I want to check out. The actual content is fine, quick summaries and simple links.
Steve Cain
IRLY Distributors Ltd.
Editor’s note: I’m interested to know what the rest of you think about this. Please write me at [email protected] and if it’s a real problem, we’ll rework the design.
Re: Rebel.com was a lost cause (July 16)
Your line about SOHO users being baffled by the “Linux user interface” does a great disservice to what their product was all about. The entire administration of aNetwinder is done through a regular web browser. You never have to go to the command line to do anything with the machine. I know, I’ve had one for almost two years.
Yes, the OS is Linux, but that means nothing for the actual running of the product. As a networking appliance the sales pitch is (or was supposed to be, I think) “Can this machine handle these functions (firewall, print server, email server, etc) ?”
I can’t see what the Linux has to do with it. I mean, it’s like saying, “I’d only buy a Miata if they put in a Mustang engine.”
I don’t think you’ve hit on what the issues really were for Rebel. I think you were getting closer to the mark when you suggest that their real problem is that they don’t know how to sell to the SOHO market. It’s not what they were selling, but how.
Dee Baptiste, imagineer.
My Shop Factory Inc.
Re: Hacker rolls Snake Eyes (July 18)
I couldn’t agree with you more. The problem is that there is no professional designation for hackers. We have lawyers, doctors, accountants, engineers, etc., but not hackers. I think a good solution would be create an internationally-recognized association to accredit university graduates of “Computer Security” programs in much the same manner as doctors, lawyers, etc. Why not call it HAC, the Hackers Association of Canada?
Shannon Hrudka
Hensall District Co-operative
Re: All of the above (July 10)
A very good friend of mine in I.T. has been telling me for years that when it comes to implementing new technology, most companies operate on a flavour-of-the-month basis.
His point is that none of these solutions (CRM, ERP, etc.) can work in a vacuum. They all need to be fully integrated for any of the parts to produce the desired outcome. So in a roundabout way, the answer really is “All of the above.”
John Carr
Re/Max Commercial Focus Inc.
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