model

Why enterprise software costs so much

If you read the headline and thought, "Well, it must be because enterprise software companies spend so much on R&D, and so charge a lot of money to recoup their heavy investments!" you would be wrong. Very wrong. If you thought, "It must be because they have consigned themselves to an inane sales model that requires high-priced sales and marketing to fool customers into buying their software," you'd be closer to the truth.

These were my thoughts as I read Jason Maynard's analysis of why Tibco's growth has stalled:

We are maintaining our Neutral rating on shares of Tibco given the sluggish revenue growth and the need to add extra sales capacity in order to grow the business. With the stock trading at 12x EV/CFO it isn't expensive but it is hard to make a case for multiple expansion when it will take at least 2-3 quarters to see any signs of contribution from the sales expansion....… Read more

Huffington Post doesn't plan to pay its bloggers

In most industries refusing to pay your labor force is not only unethical, it would likely border on slavery and be illegal as well. Apparently in the world of blogging it's considered good business practice.

As reported today in TechCrunch, the Huffington Post has just secured an additional $5 million in funding, for a total of $10 million, to continue developing one of the top blog destinations on the Internet. While it's unknown how the Post plans to invest the money, the co-founder of the company has made it clear that the writers at the site won't be seeing a dime.

… Read more

Steinway to debut its $150,000 stereo

We got word of a somewhat mysterious stereo by piano legend Steinway a few months ago, but little was known about it at the time. Now we hear that the system, made in partnership with Denmark-based Lyngdorf Audio, is about to debut in Singapore.

The so-called Model D is a half-ton behemoth that supposedly has the ability to "replicate the exact tone of one of Steinway's beloved Model D grand pianos," BornRich says. True to its roots, the receiver and speakers are finished in piano-black lacquer.

As mentioned earlier, only 100 of the systems will be manufactured … Read more

Lowering the bar to open-source sales

Over the weekend I was surprised to see my interview with Don Marti (now transcribed) hit Slashdot. I posted a link to the podcast a few weeks ago, but I guess more people are interested in reading what Don and I discussed than hearing us discuss it. (Not that I blame them - I'd do the same.)

As mentioned before, we talked about a range of things, but I most enjoyed talking about how open source changes the sales cycle. Until you've lived it, it's hard to comprehend just how powerful - and different - open source is in the software sales process.

In Alfresco's case, making our code available under the GPL has dramatically changed (for the better) the way we interact with our prospects and customers, as I note in the interview:… Read more

Open-source business as pie

I made a raspberry rhubarb pie last night. I will be bearing the weight of that fatty bit of heaven for months to come in the form of belly fat. But it was worth it.

To celebrate pie, I figured I'd mash it up with open source. I'm a big fan of both, and figured that most open-source business models can be expressed through pie. Here's my humble effort:… Read more

3D model to test force of shark's bite

If the number of shark documentaries on cable is any indication, people love to obsess about man-eating fish. Now, Australian scientists are taking the obsession one step further.

Scientists in the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries are developing a 3D computer model to test the "bite force" of the Great White, the world's largest predatory fish. Taking data from sharks caught off the Australian coast, the researchers are attempting to illustrate the cranial mechanics, bite force and feeding behavior of the sharks through the use of computer simulations, according to a news release from Science … Read more

The Gizmo History Report: The TRS-80 Model 100

I was in the Air Force in 1983, serving at Hahn AB in Germany (now a civilian facility somewhat misleadingly renamed Frankfurt Hahn Airport, although it's 110 km-- 68 miles-- away from Frankfurt).

In March, I was given a temporary duty assignment back to the US, and I was able to take some leave to go back home to Miami.

I dropped in at the old Radio Shack Computer Center, where I used to hang around-- yeah, I was the kind of kid who would hang around at a Radio Shack Computer Center-- and they had this new gizmo for sale.… Read more

'Star Wars' PocketModels offer nerdy tabletop fun you can try out for free

It's a slow summer for Star Wars game fans. Star Wars: Force Unleashed is a very long way off, LucasArts hasn't even officially announced its inevitable lightsaber-oriented Wii game, and let's face it, there hasn't been a good X-Wing/TIE Fighter title since the late 90's (hint, hint, LucasArts). Not all is lost, though: a new Star Wars game just came out that lets you play with all the Star Destroyers, Nebulon B Frigates, and even the copious, not-nearly-as-memorable prequel ships as you want. Best of all, you don't need a game console or … Read more

Gizmoz launches personalized avatar service

Tonight Gizmoz is launching an upgrade to its service that brings photo face-mapping technology to user avatars. Originally the service allowed users to add voice clips to various pre-existing characters, including celebrities, inanimate objects, and house pets. With this new technology, users can upload a photo of themselves and the service will automatically map their face to a moving, talking character.

Once user faces have been mapped, the service takes on a look and feel a little similar to that of Meez [review] with a build-it-yourself creation tool. Users can adorn their avatar in all sorts of clothing and hairstyle … Read more