Notes on Chapter 25

In Chapter 25 we saw, first, the state of computers in 1994, and probably still today, although I’m not in it anymore. This paragraph tells you how to fail:

Product meetings at 3Com had usually been numbingly boring endurance fests where the product manager came in with a list of features that he’d copied out of the technical press, and they were ranked from 1 to 4, where 1 was “gotta have”, 2 was “should have”, 3 was “could do without” and 4 was “don’t need.” People would argue interminably about the ratings, always trying to raise the priority of their favorite feature. Then the Engineering group would try to design the product, they’d leave out some features as not feasible, and everyone would argue about that. “Release 2.0” would be the usual resolution, meaning, “maybe we’ll do that someday.” Just saying “No” was generally seen as hurting people’s feelings and not being a team player. If a manager said No to your feature, you’d appeal to higher authority and try to gather allies. It was depressing.

Cassie is thinking that, but of course it’s really me writing it. When you design by committee, this is what you get: me too mediocrity. Palm didn’t do that for the Pilot. They had someone who could say No and make it stick, and a CEO who’d back him up.

Len and Dan do the taping for Computers This Wee

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I haven’t actually done a show like that, but I know how it works. They had something they wanted to talk about (Len’s investing activity in the Internet) and they used the questions as a way to get to that. It was brilliant media strategy (if I do say so myself).

At the end, Len quotes the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect to Janet:

Let that be a lesson to you next time you see something on TV that you don’t have personal knowledge of.

In Chapter 26, we get to see the show when it’s finally aired on TV. Also, if you read Inventing the Future, you remember Grant Avery, who at the end takes a liaison job with Fuji Xerox in Tokyo. Now he’s back for a brief cameo!