On Oct 16, 2005, at 7:05 AM, Hawaii Linux Institute wrote:
Angela Kahealani wrote:
so, what's YOUR experience with OS?
Very "negative" (note the "minus one" ranking that I gave)--I will
try to discuss that in separate threads. That's why I am asking
whether anyone here has a different experience. I would very much
like to hear it.
I compared OpenSolaris with Linux, b/c Sun's CEO Scott McNealy
declared that we should consider Solaris as a "variant of Linux".
Of course this was six months, his position might have changed.
But it is probably not fair to compare OS with Linux, as OS was
debuted just four months ago. That said, if Sun couldn't quickly
get more developers/end-users interested in OS beyond the existing
Solaris community, I doubt anything will be different years from
now (& the migration to Linux will continue).
Please read "Worse is better" (http://dreamsongs.com/
WorseIsBetter.html) and note that Gabriel now works at Sun.
In my brief adventure with OS, I also had the pleasure to encounter
quite a few very sincere, hard-working, and earnest Sun employees.
But there is also a huge (as I have sensed) internal politics.
"Too little, too late" may not be the only problem, internal
rigidity (which has been perceived as "arrogance") may be another.
Since both you and Jim, among perhaps several others, are Sun
alumni, I apologize if I said something incorrect. Wayne
"A" people only hire other "A" people. Many startups erect "no
bozo" rules, and other shenanigans in an effort to keep the employee
base "pure".
Eventually, someone gets lazy, or sloppy, or for what may have been
entirely good reasons at the time, hires a "B" performer.
These "B" performers tend to hire (or vet) only other "B" performers
or "C"-level players. They are threatened by anyone "better".
Since the "talent pool" has exponentially more "B" players than "A"
players, and "C" players than "B" players, the cancer inside the
company grows, especially while "Human Resources" (gack, I choke on
that term every time) is attempting to keep pace with the company's
"growth plans". You don't get to survive long on Wall Street without
meeting your "growth plan", either.
Thus, Sun went from hundreds, to a few thousand, to tens of thousands
of employees, but could not retain the focus and brilliance that
marked its first 10 years.
Its a lot like cancer.
