Jed Wrote: <snip> > Researchers can never come close to imagining the optimum configuration for > the real world. What is worse for the "first movers" who introduce a > product, as soon as they begin selling, competitors race to develop better > versions, and their job is made much easier because they can look closely > at the first-generation product and its performance to see what kind of > problems it has, and where the customers does not like it. In other words, > they take advantage of the first mover's inevitable mistakes. At best, > Mills and his collaborators can only get a running start on the technology > -- a temporary advantage.
I think Mills fully realizes this. He is no fool. He has pubished enough to entrench himself for a patent fight to gather royatlies for his partners and original investors. I have tried to indicate the nature of the applications problem in response to Jed's perception of Mills' "secrets". There will be a rush of people building reactors and trying to duplicate the effects in various application niches, and they should. They, and their first customers, may well find that their devices are not as good as those produced by Mills' licensees and partners. As the many get better, they will find that Mills & Co. remains ahead, for they had a head start, have better funding, and have been working their tails off. This is much too big for any one company. TV was too big for RCA, so they licensed everyone, built early sets in RCA factories under different brand names until others could get up to speed. Even after most of the patents had expired, RCA still made pricey license arrangements with Japanese companies for access to the Labs for consultaiton and knowledge of advanced developments. BLP may well follow that path. Mike Carrell
