Journal SlashChick's Journal: New Journal! :) 7
Hmm. I just noticed I haven't written in my Slashdot journal since March. Yet, every week or so, I get email from people mentioning that they read my journal. I thought now might be a good time to finally update it.
Well, let's see. I finally left my job at the evil empire (no, not THAT evil empire, but this one.) I'm still not sure what to think about Sun. I certainly didn't like working there, but other people seem to. I do think Sun is having severe problems, but Sun has enough cash in the bank to survive for several years even if they continually bleed money like they are now. I still remember standing up in front of 400 people in early 2001 and asking Scott McNealy "What about Linux?" He replied that Linux was a "toy" and -- I remember these exact words -- that Linux users are "a bunch of kids who still have to ask Mom for the car keys." How insulting, considering that Sun had just bought Cobalt. (Of course, he's changed his tune at this point...)
As far as why Sun bought Cobalt is concerned... I get asked this question a lot, since I worked at Cobalt and moved to Sun with the acqusition. The honest answer as to why Sun bought Cobalt? I'm still not sure. On some level, I think Sun's executive team wanted a "Linux strategy in a box" that they could point to without fully committing to Linux itself. Sun's executive team needed to quiet investors who were clamoring for a response to IBM's and HP's Linux strategies, yet the executive team had little faith that Linux would work on anything but the "edge" of the server market -- the front end, where web servers reside. So they bought Cobalt, whose server appliances would make a good "edge" strategy without having to invest Sun resources in building a Linux strategy. Of course, we all know how well that worked. Eventually, Sun was cornered and forced into building a pure Linux box. Based on conversations with others who are not as involved as I was, I think Sun's doubt about Linux (and firm belief in the superiority of Solaris) shows. And I think Sun will eventually lose the server market because of it.
But don't count Sun out yet -- remember the aforementioned piles of cash in the bank, as well as two factors that some techies seem to forget:
1. Sun has been investing piles and piles of money into its R&D department, hoping that a new innovation will save the company from the flailing server market. This is not minor. Sun is hoping that an innovation will help them to beat Microsoft once and for all. I have my doubts, but I also know that if Sun is pouring that much money into something... well, I don't doubt that they have some tricks up their sleeves. (I don't know of any specifics, so don't read too much into this comment.)
2. Sun has McNealy. Don't underestimate this guy. He's made Sun famous as the Microsoft alternative, and he's the one who coined everything from "LookOut" (Microsoft Outlook) to "Itanic" (Intel's Itanium). I think he's alienating himself, but at the same time, that guy can draw press like flies to honey. Sun may not have anything in its bag except for anti-Microsoft rhetoric (and don't forget the "Hoover" anti-IBM Global Services campaign, inspired by a McNealy speech), but McNealy comes out swinging at every single event, and the press just eats it up. That alone will cause any "innovation" by Sun to be covered more than an equivalent innovation anywhere else. This guy is a hype machine on wheels, and Sun wouldn't have survived without him. Is he digging a hole with his insults? Yes... I think he is. But, as the saying goes, "Any coverage is good coverage." As long as McNealy stays with Sun, Sun will continue to get the benefit of the McNealy Hype Machine... and it will be a good thing for Sun. Having met McNealy, I have to say that I have tremendous respect for him. Wacko? Yes. Out in left field? Yes. An amazing speaker who can motivate a crowd like no other? Abso-freakin'-lutely. (By the way, if you ever go to any of his demonstrations, ask him what his personal PowerPoint presentation equivalent is. Also, ask him about email attachments. He does love a good rant.
(Please note that my observations are just that -- observations. Don't take them as financial advice, official Sun discourse, etc. TIA.)
As far as my personal life goes, I decided to form my own business. I wrote a business plan, got some investors, and poured some of my own money into it as well. The result is Simpli, Inc. -- my first incorporated company. I plan to integrate small business web hosting with small business websites that business owners (read: non-technical people) can update by pointing and clicking. I've deployed several of them already, and they're selling really well. I have at least a few high-profile clients.
The part of the company I'm working on right now is the hosting end. I got together $17,000 and invested it in server infrastructure. I want to create a dedicated hosting company that serves people who want to make their company's hosting easy. (Hence our motto: We Make It Easy.) I invested in 13 web servers, 12 of which are Cobalt servers. I bought 8 of the new RaQ550s and so far I am pretty happy with how they've turned out. I plan to sell them as part of a premium dedicated hosting offering that will encompass total support and scalability. I set up a 24x7 toll-free support hotline and paired with VeriSign, Register.com, and Thawte for best-of-breed web stores, domain name registration, and SSL certificates.
Simpli now has two employees: myself, and Valorie. (Yeah, I made her get a
Meanwhile, I'm doing contract PHP coding as well, which mostly involves setting up the aforementioned easy site maintenance. I wrote all of the code for that myself, and I'm planning to release a free version of the code to gain more publicity for the company and our projects. It's still a work in progress. You can see an early version demo here. I'm working on version 2.0 right now.
I'm also a member of the PHP development team now, which has me pretty excited. I'm working on the documentation for php.net, and I've rewritten a lot of manual pages so that they are more concise and helpful. I'm very gratified to be recognized as one of the few PHP developers in the world to be accepted onto this team. I'm getting slammed with PHP projects now as well, since it seems truly talented PHP developers are hard to find. That's unfortunate... but it does keep me busy!
My arm is starting to get sore, and I have some scripts due on Monday, so I'd better get back to work. Email me or post a comment below if you wish -- I'll be keeping an eye on the comments section!
Sun (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Sun (Score:2)
Explanation [slashdot.org]
Further Explanation [slashdot.org]
Suffice it to say that it was extremely frustrating to work there... and all in the name of increasing the ratio of people to desks (Sun was aiming for 2-3 people per desk.) I could go on and on about this, but I won't. The comments explain it pretty well.
By the way, what's up with people moderating comments in my journal? I've never had moderation access (unless you count the 30 points I got on brak.) I metamod every day. Argh... frustrating.
Re:Sun (Score:2)
Re:Sun (Score:1)
I got moderation a week or so ago (Taco has described moderation extensively all the rest is in the code). I didn't blow it on journals, not that journals aren't important but moderation has no real effect because journals don't attract so many comments).
I used to check fairly regularly for metamod but I never seemed to be eligible. My account is probably not old enough.
Best of Luck (Score:2)
How do you compare to Pair's QuickServe [pair.com] servers? Currently, my company's website is hosted off of a pair quickserver, and they've been excellent. My problem is simply with the price. I would love to offer my boss a cheaper alternative, and he'd love to accept it.
So my questions go on. What additional services do you provide (you mention web design, but to what extent, and at what prices?) and what hours do you keep if someone needs to get in touch with you? We're physically located on the East Coast, does that cause any problems (I don't see how it would, but I've learned to ask such questions)?
What sort of load can your servers take (a slashdotting, for example)? Do you have means of advertising your hosted web sites? What sort of physical security is provided for the servers? What other security is provided (firewalls, up-to-date security patches, etc.)?
And the last thing I want to ask feels a little silly, but I assure you it's important: list some pros and cons about hosting a site on one of your servers.
Making it easy (Score:1)
If you can make VeriSign domain name registration easy and painless for non-technical folks, you DO have "something Big"! I have moved 5 times since I registered my domain name with them, and have only managed to change my address in their records once because the procedure is so difficult (I'm switching registrants as soon as I get my info current with them). I get the feeling they're really set up to handle accounts for large businesses, not individuals, so if you can ease the process for small- or home-business owners, I'm sure you'll reap the rewards.
Best of luck with the new biz!