"Alan Altmark" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sorry if I misinterpreted the thread. IBM has never (IMO) been particularly > interested in courting hobbyists. I know this is disappointing, but there is a > certain amount of risk and a certain amount of benefit. TPTB have > determined that there is insufficient benefit, so no go.
It sounds to me like the wording that is causing a barrier to communication. My definition of 'hobbyist' seems a bit looser than yours (or IBMs). What do you call people who are interested in learning (more) about technology with an eye towards making money at it, but have no immediate means to gain access to it? What do you call someone who has a certain expertise, but can't use company knowledge/resources if he/she wants to *attempt* to start up a business? Traditionally, this would be schools. When I went to school, the local community college had a mainframe so for a relatively minor cost I could get access. My perception is that today, one must have the ability to spend tens of thousands per year at a University, from a private training company or to lease time. This is to enter a job market that is perceived to be shrinking and in danger of dying out completely, so the incentive/ability to spend a lot of money is not there fore *new* entrants (I don't believe VCs are hot on the mainframe business, are they?). Is this an incorrect perception? I also recall a time when an independent developer would exchange a promise of future access to a product for time on the mainframe. Does that happen anymore? Perhaps the entire mainframe mentality has changed over the past 40 years? Maybe IBM is not the only entity that has limited the access to the resources, and it has happened so gradually that we haven't noticed how tight and 'businesslike' the mainframe mentality has become? > > No avenue in what way? PWD allows for "Developing Products" in addition > to "Current Products". As long as you're actually in *business* to make and > sell a product (even if your seller is a business partner), PWD is the right > choice. IIRC, to be eligible for the FLEX-ES system (or whatever may replace it) one has to have a business plan and a product to be delivered in 12 months. This means that one already has to have: 1) A design 2) Technical expertise to implement the design 3) A marketing study 4) Several tens of thousands of dollars that can be invested While this is not unreasonable for an existing business, it makes things difficult for an individual either just entering the workforce (read: young entrepreneurs), just leaving the traditional workforce (read: retiring professionals), or working on the side in the garage (read: startup ventures in not-so-hot areas of technology). If PWD is the proper channel for these people, then I stand corrected. I am thinking that easy access to the technology is the key to technology booms, such as the microcomputer and Linux (amongst others). I'm curious - are there any readers of this list who are members of PWD, but not associated with the company they work for (or are part of)? IOW, are there any 'independent' developers in PWD that don't already have a product on the market? Are there any people here who joined PWD with only a business plan, and no existing product, and used that as the avenue to develop a product? Regards, Dean ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
