I started this thread off, by expressing doubts about Macromedia Australia's genuine commitment to the ColdFusion server. My doubts were based on a number of things, some things are historical, dating back to the treatment I received from Allaire and Firmware when I was trying to get my new business started, and some to the impressions I've gained looking on through this list and other places.
I wasn't surprised to learn that my original post caused some heartburn in Macromedia, a flurry of emails and phone calls no doubt, and at 10am today I had a call from Mark Blair of Macromedia, who has posted about this topic here already. He was rightly anxious to make sure I had the right impression about Macromedia and its intentions towards ColdFusion. Lets take one thing at a time: [A] I said there was only one person working on growing the server market in Australia. This is the most important part of the market for those of us who earn our livings building ColdFusion web sites. Good growth of servers means we can earn a good living building web sites. Poor growth or no growth and we're going to have to change to working on something else. So it's pretty important. Well it is to me. And I couldnt see what Macromedia were doing to grow it. When I asked this specific question at the CFUG last night, no one seemed to know what Macromedia were doing in this area, or were willing to say, except that Mark Blair was 'the guy'. Just Mark. Or else perhaps no one took my question seriously. Now you all know it was a serious question, based on genuine concern about my own future.. Well Mark went to great pains to tell me all the stuff they're doing to grow the server market, and how he's tramping from one end of Asia/Pacific zone to another. He's outlined all that here too so I wont repeat it all. I think what he's doing is terrific. I wonder if one person, plus several others part time is enough though. [B] I expressed concern that Macromedia ought to be encouraging resellers. Not just a few selected 'favourites' but lots of people, all selling servers. Historically, I have had very poor support in this regard from Macromedia. When i first got started, and was just tring to get my business going, Firmware wouldnt let me sell a subscription renewal and told me it was Allaire's policy. I went all the way to the top at Firmware with it, before giving up. Then I had a spectra deal for about $250.000 lined up, getting close to the proposal stage, and I made 4 attempts to meet with Allaire (or was it Macromedia by then) who stood me up once. I went to their office in Parramatta for a pre-arranged appointment to find no one there. When I arranged an appointment for a presentation at my client's, who were positive and ready to hear teh Spetra story, the sales guy from Macromedia (whose name escapes me) told me he wouldnt be letting me in on the deal, but it would be going to one of the 'favoured' partners. Needless to say I wasnt happy seeing a $250,000 deal go to someone else,specially when I had set it up. So I let it drop. I never tried to do business directly with Macromedia again. They cut me out of that deal? I cut them out of every other deal I've done. I'm a reseller with two of the Macromedia distributors. In 4 years, not once NOT ONCE have I seen anything from them about ColdFusion, except when I specifically asked for prices. No brochures, no emails from the, no promotions, no reminders like I get weekly from them about almost anything else under the sun. But never anything to do with ColdFusion. Now this led me to conclude that Macromedia either didnt want all manner of resellers and were concentrating on the 'favourites' or else they were going to let the whole on-selling thing drop and sell servers through their web site instead. Mark assures me this isnt the case, and that they do want to have lots of us all talking servers to people, and selling server software when and where we can. it's not the private domain of a few 'favourites' after all. So it appears that, at least as far as I'm concerned, the reason I havent seen any activity from Macromedia isnt because they arent doing any, its because [A] I havent read the newspaper they had the story in, and havent been at the major bank (when will we actually SEE an Australian bank using coldfusion so they can stop telling tall tales about it) and [B] the distributors for whatever reason are doing precious little to tell us about how we can sell the product, the way they do on every other product they have. If Macromedia are guilty of anything it's not telling us enough of what they're doing. I said this morning I hoped I was wrong, and I'm reassured to say I think I am, even if there are a few people in the channel who need a bit of a prod along. Cheers Mike Kear Windsor, NSW, Australia AFP Webworks http://afpwebworks.com .com,.net,.org domains from AUD$20/Year ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Special thanks to the CF Community Suite Gold Sponsor - CFHosting.net http://www.cfhosting.net Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:4:184557 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:4 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.4 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
