Comments on: Network Offering: If You Build It, I Will Buy It (And Some Other Folks Might, Too) http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/09/20/network-offering-if-you-build-it-i-will-buy-it-and-some-other-folks-might-too/ because technology is just another ecosystem Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:58:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: rektide http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/09/20/network-offering-if-you-build-it-i-will-buy-it-and-some-other-folks-might-too/comment-page-1/#comment-2376 rektide Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:40:37 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/wp/?p=1067#comment-2376 <i>From a customer perspective, what problem does this solve?</i> Its not a customer problem. Its a community problem. Customers just get to suffer for worshipping their false idols^H^H^H^Hsilos of convenience until someone builds a real software platform, a, as we both are fond of saying, ecosystem. In spite of XML, in spite of REST, in spite of WS-*, in spite of a dozen sweet arse languages & platforms, software has remained totally insular to itself with perhaps the exception of whatever holes the framework it was built around exposes. We need better paradigms, ones that have the potential to rule them all and capture real network externalities and interactivities. It probably seems like I'm talking about something else entirely. I just think the system of code development we have now is not condusive to the sort of endeavour you are describing, that there's a strong re-paradigming required before such social software dynamics can emerge. The ecosystem needs to start at the lowest level, the code, not the social constructs we build around the code. And code itself? Its barely changed in the past 18 years. I think Spring is the WRONG direction. We need to bind configuration much closer to hte program. We just need our programs to be much more configurable, much more scriptable( and much more interscripting). Thus instead of learning yet another .conf, you can throw some bits on a live sandbox and watch what happens. See: Smalltalk. Execute on your sea of ideas, imminently. /rant From a customer perspective, what problem does this solve?

Its not a customer problem. Its a community problem. Customers just get to suffer for worshipping their false idols^H^H^H^Hsilos of convenience until someone builds a real software platform, a, as we both are fond of saying, ecosystem. In spite of XML, in spite of REST, in spite of WS-*, in spite of a dozen sweet arse languages & platforms, software has remained totally insular to itself with perhaps the exception of whatever holes the framework it was built around exposes. We need better paradigms, ones that have the potential to rule them all and capture real network externalities and interactivities.

It probably seems like I’m talking about something else entirely. I just think the system of code development we have now is not condusive to the sort of endeavour you are describing, that there’s a strong re-paradigming required before such social software dynamics can emerge. The ecosystem needs to start at the lowest level, the code, not the social constructs we build around the code. And code itself? Its barely changed in the past 18 years.

I think Spring is the WRONG direction. We need to bind configuration much closer to hte program. We just need our programs to be much more configurable, much more scriptable( and much more interscripting). Thus instead of learning yet another .conf, you can throw some bits on a live sandbox and watch what happens. See: Smalltalk. Execute on your sea of ideas, imminently.

/rant

]]> By: Jon Collins http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/09/20/network-offering-if-you-build-it-i-will-buy-it-and-some-other-folks-might-too/comment-page-1/#comment-2375 Jon Collins Thu, 21 Sep 2006 22:46:06 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/wp/?p=1067#comment-2375 OK makes sense ta! OK makes sense ta!

]]> By: stephen o'grady http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/09/20/network-offering-if-you-build-it-i-will-buy-it-and-some-other-folks-might-too/comment-page-1/#comment-2374 stephen o'grady Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:57:54 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/wp/?p=1067#comment-2374 Jon: close. most package management systems will take care of at least basic configuration tasks. the problem is rather in extending it. so, for example, installing Apache might be straightforward, but how do you set up other domains? subdomains? and so on. it's basically taking the existing applications and customizing them so as to make them useful to less skilled technical end users. and as for the free, that's not strictly necessary. i do expect - like many of the infrastructures i see these days - much of the infrastructure to be free & open source. but i also have no problem with plugging in commercial components at any point, if that's what customers want. Jon: close. most package management systems will take care of at least basic configuration tasks. the problem is rather in extending it. so, for example, installing Apache might be straightforward, but how do you set up other domains? subdomains? and so on.

it’s basically taking the existing applications and customizing them so as to make them useful to less skilled technical end users.

and as for the free, that’s not strictly necessary. i do expect – like many of the infrastructures i see these days – much of the infrastructure to be free & open source. but i also have no problem with plugging in commercial components at any point, if that’s what customers want.

]]> By: Jon Collins http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/09/20/network-offering-if-you-build-it-i-will-buy-it-and-some-other-folks-might-too/comment-page-1/#comment-2373 Jon Collins Thu, 21 Sep 2006 13:26:29 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/wp/?p=1067#comment-2373 Hi Steve, I *think* I understand what you're wanting, but I'm not absolutely sure - essentially you'd like a pre-configured online environment based on freely available components, that woudl enable you to set up a business? Am I right or have I missed the mark? Not that I'm offering, it sure does sound interesting though :) Cheers, Jon Hi Steve,

I *think* I understand what you’re wanting, but I’m not absolutely sure – essentially you’d like a pre-configured online environment based on freely available components, that woudl enable you to set up a business? Am I right or have I missed the mark?

Not that I’m offering, it sure does sound interesting though :)

Cheers, Jon

]]>