Archive | October, 2003

What Microsoft really needs to secure the perimeter

Oct 31, 2003
in Security

We all know that there have been a number of issues with Microsoft’s security. We have all been bothered by the daily ‘Windows Update Available’ alert. Steve Ballmer has stated that making their products more secure is their highest priority. In fact, MSFT’s CFO mentioned that security-related issues had a negative impact on its most [...]

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China’s real effect on our economy

Oct 27, 2003
in Economy

It is easy to blame China for our domestic problems. The argument from Bush and the US Goverment is that because China is keeping the Yuan artificially low against the dollar, the US is losing jobs and running a huge trade deficit. The US Government is asking the Chinese to float its currency against the [...]

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Google weighs IPO next year

Oct 25, 2003
in Investing/Markets, Venture Capital

Yes, this is old news and much anticipated. Just one word of caution for us venture capitalists and entrepreneurs-let’s not equate this to a return to the mid-to-late 90s IPO boom. According to many investment bankers I have met with, today’s companies, unlike yesterday’s, need to have $10-20mm of revenue a quarter, be profitable now [...]

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Linux on the Desktop (continued)

Oct 23, 2003
in Open Source

In an earlier post, I talk about 2004 as a year where Linux begins to make inroads on the desktop. Here is a recent article from Infoworld suggesting the same. In the article Nat Friedman, cofounder of Ximian which was recently sold to Novell, makes some interesting points. 1. It is not a David vs. [...]

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The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good

Oct 22, 2003
in Entrepreneurship

Yesterday, I was in a meeting with an early stage company reviewing the product development plan with the management team. While the plan was well thought out and defined by process, there was one major problem-it would take too damn long to get a product in GA (generally available to sell!). There were 2 problems-an [...]

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NYC Entrepreneurs and Offshore Resources

Oct 21, 2003
in Entrepreneurship, Globalization

Having met with a number of NYC entrepreneurs recently, I am refreshed to see that many of them are utilizing offshore resources to develop their products. Yes, this is not a new phenomenon, but in a city that lacks hard core developers willing to work for options instead of cash like the Wall Streeters, it [...]

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Time for Linux on the Desktop?

Oct 17, 2003
in Open Source

As everyone knows, Linux has grown dramatically in the server market capturing 20+% market share in a few years. Many of you also know that there have been a number of attempts to bring Linux to the desktop. Eazel founded in 2000 wanted to make a Linux GUI as easy to use as a Mac. [...]

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ASP Part II-Siebel buys Upshot, Motiva

Oct 15, 2003
in On Demand

Siebel Buys UpShot, Motiva If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. On an earlier post, I commented on the return of the ASP model. It looks like Siebel is jumpstarting its efforts on the ASP side with its purchase of Upshot for $50mm + $20mm of earnout for 2003 and 2004. For an industry-changing hosted [...]

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NYC 2.0

Oct 14, 2003
in Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital

I recently spoke with Richard Adams, founder of Referral Networks, which was later sold to Peopleclick. He has started a new venture, RipDigital, which does the dirty work of converting CD collections into MP3 libraries. Basically all you have to do is place an order on the website and the company ships a box to [...]

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A big week for VOIP

Oct 12, 2003
in On Demand

I have been helping a friend of mine who is moving into town get access to local resources such as carpenters, painters, and restaurants. An email I received from him today had the standard list of questions on utilities but the one that surprised me most was, “Who is your cable provider and do they [...]

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