Launches and RTM
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So I'm over in the UK last week, which means I'm 7 hours ahead of my normal schedule. Which for me means that I'm slightly out of sorts and it's hard for me to keep track of what's happening in the world. At least my world. I get back to my desk one afternoon and there's an "announcement" that Windows 2008, Visual Studio 2008, and the important one, SQL Server 2008 will be "launched" in LA on February 27th, 2008.
That's far in advance of what I was expecting, but it was kind of cool. And it's important, so I set up a press release, having already written a recommendation a few weeks ago that people wait for it if they have not already upgraded. So when I saw a couple blogs (Euan Garden and Dan Jones) that talked about the release date not being the launch date, I was a little concerned.
I could understand Euan's explanation of SQL Server 2005 being available before the launch date. After all, you can't really schedule the pressing and shipping of DVDs that far in advance. However if they products aren't going to be ready, you shouldn't announce the end date. In fact, you should give yourself time and not set any dates until you're sure that you're in the final beta cycle. SS2K8 has had one CTP and that was out of date when it was released at TechEd. The demos from developers talked about changes that were scheduled for the next CTP (I'm guessing August).
If the bits won't be ready until Q2, then having a launch event is silly. It's a case of the marketing people just getting out of hand. Why not just have a launch event every March and kick off all the products they expect to release that year. We could go ahead and book a Windows/Visual Studio/SQL Server event every 3 years, Exchange and Operations Manager on the in between years and an XBOX/Home Server/Microsoft Mouse event for the third years. Then every product could be launched in February and released whenever they're ready that year.
This is a bad, bad marketing move and everyone can see it's a cheap marketing move.
It's always interesting to see lists come out, at least for me. I guess it's growing up watching the David Letterman's Top Ten many nights that's influenced me. I'm not sure sometimes how much research really goes into the lists, but there's a 12 IT skills that employers can't say no to list at ComputerWorld.
Surprisingly there aren't really database skills on there. However Business Intelligence is listed. I guess they're not reading my editorials over there.
Steve's Pick of the Week : Privacy and the "Nothing to Hide" Argument - I'm sure most of you know I strongly believe in an individual's rights and freedoms. This links to a PDF that presents a nice discussion of your right to privacy and why it is important. -
Here is what "12 IT skills that employers can't say no to" said about Business Intelligence.
Business intelligence systems
Momentum is also building around business intelligence, Ebner says, creating demand for people who are skilled in BI technologies such as Cognos, Business Objects and Hyperion, and who can apply those to the business.
"Clients are making significant investments in business intelligence," Ebner says. "But they don't need pure technicians creating scripts and queries. To be a skilled data miner, you need hard-core functional knowledge of the business you're trying to dissect." People who can do both "are some of the hottest talent in the country right now," he says.
Did the author mean using these tools did not require developers writing scripts and queries? We are implementing Hyperion right now, what a nightmare! We had at least 20 skilled contractor working to implement this white elephant. If you don't have skilled developers, who is going to write the scripts to extract, transform and cleanse the data ? THE USERS themselves?
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Unfortunately, I see events like this all the time. They're called Vendor Shows. It doesn't matter what industry you're in (software, hardware, rental, industrial, etc.), everyone holds a yearly event to tout the latest and greatest that isn't quite out but soon will be. Look at Boeing's Dreamliner unveiling. They haven't even finished their test flights yet and they're not only taking orders for the thing, but saying it's the next best thing to sliced bread.
When I worked in the rental industry (short term equipment rental, not the household furniture/appliances stuff), there were yearly shows held by the equipment manufactors. They'd have a prototype on hand to show you all the neat new features, but of course nothing was gassed up so you could actually test it. You had to watch the videos and trust that the mini backhoe on the floor was actually worth your time. Granted, at least you could examine the engine and the parts. Which you definitely can't do with software.
Still, how do you expect the software people not to do their launch events before the release when this behavior happens across all sectors of business? It's called marketing for a reason. Microsoft needs the business desperately, so, like the current presidential campaigns, they're making their bid early and often. They figure if they get our minds so wrapped up in anticipation of Katmai, we won't be looking at Oracle, MySQL or DB2. And they might be right. After all, marketing like this has worked before. What do they have to lose in trying?
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I think everyone who follows the Microsoft product cycles knows how useless Microsoft's own dates are. The fact that the Marketing Dept is not aware of what the Developers are doing is also no surprise. Not many comments, Steve, because we're all resigned to the inevitable already.
Andy
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I think it actually hurts them a little, as it spread out the attention paid to individual products. Be good for the SQL guys to have their day in the sun. It's not like they can't afford to have three launches instead of one!
Most people go to the launch events to get a day out of the office and get some free lunch - serious professionals just get tired of the marketing fluff and stick to venues where they can get hard info.
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I definitely have to agree with your second comment there, but you forgot to mention the free swag. @=)
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I usualy went to the launches (and other MS/vendor sponsored events) to catch up with fellow DBA's and developers from past companies
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