I know someone who I believe is destined to write a coffee table book on Big Software. He idolizes big, game changing software over the decades like DB2, NT, SAP R/3 as others do with artistic masterpieces. Like a proud brew master he talks of software as "craft". When we talk, we usually argue. He thinks I am too hard of the "craft" of making software. Nothing good comes quick, cheap. My software quality points are trivial etc etc.
It’s time for me to call him for our periodic argument. Dennis Howlett outlines the meandering ways of BusinessByDesign at SAP. I am sure there are other catalogs about what went wrong with MS Vista and is going wrong with Oracle Fusion. In each case 5+ years or so of effort and billions in R&D.
Contrast this to the Apple App Store – 50,000 applications in just over a year. Which in turn is putting pressure on Nokia, RIM and others to develop similar apps ecosystems.
Is the difference enterprise complexity? Is it the fact that Apple has mostly done it with an ecosystem of young, hungry entrepreneurs? That most of these entrepreneurs get micro-financing - most in the low 5 digit number funding? Or that in contrast most enterprise software companies hang around other laggard software companies and outsourcers and hosting companies?
Whatever it is, there is definitely some game-changing stuff going on in the industry .
I cannot wait to call Mr. Big Software for our periodic argument :)
