XPost: comp.sys.cbm, rec.games.video.classic
From: wildstar128@hotmail.com
Sure they do start off as projects but the businessman will make come in and
put a control factor.
Commodore never was about "trying to make the best computer of the world".
Engineers always try to make something better than what exists. The
businessman or "Jack Tramiel" of a business would step into the lab and say,
"I want this on the market for $300". Long before the project or set of
projects are complete. Sometime a set of projects originally intended to be
a set of multiple products are then combined into one greater product. In
Commodore's case, "The c64 and vic-20.'
The purpose of a businessman leading and keeping a leash on the R&D is to
make sure the engineers isn't wasting time and company money on ideas and
new fangle gadgets that aren't going to be sellable. Jack's concern is the
money revenues as with any decent CEO/President is to be concern with.
Otherwise, the engineers may just be dabbling with ideas and then the
project ends up being infected by "featuritis". All engineers do when they
have free reign with money and time.
Sure, projects were cut and some interesting ideas may have been dropped.
Commodore couldn't dedicate money to sell all these "ideas". This isn't an
MIT lab. You are doing this work to product products not just a bunch of
projects/ideas. You have to sell your idea in order to get started. You have
to continue to sell your idea to Jack to continue. Normal. Jack is concern
like any other businessman in charge of company money and resources, about
your use of time and company money for things that won't bring in revenue.
Jack being a hard-nose on the matters was just a method that works. It works
and works in the highly competitive environment of the computer industry.
Especially, in the low cost market where you have many contenders.
Jack did what he had to do in leading a company. It worked and was the right
kind of management to drive Commodore. Today, it doesn't matter about how
Jack's management style. Really, we don't care. Even the people who WORKED
for Atari don't care anymore. Jack Tramiel was a tough, hard-nose business
leader. He was a competitive business leader. The right kind of leader in a
competitive market.
In case of Atari, Atari was in no place to compete with Nintendo at the time
he started. By the time Atari get back into the fray of the console market,
Jack handed over Atari to his sons. Atari's other leaders didn't listen to
Jack all too well. Sam didn't have the same aggressive control over Atari's
other leaders and employees like Jack did. They didn't get consensus in
decisions. Sam didn't "dictate" where needed to. Jack kind of stayed out of
things in those early 90s years unless things needed to be turned around.
Bail Atari out.
Could that be a mistake? Perhaps. Then again, Jack been wanting to retire
for sometime already.
If Jack kept a stronger control over things and did more "Jack attacks"
where needed, maybe Atari would have still be a strong contender in the
console market. We would never know.
"jt august" wrote in message
news:starsabre-B6E7DF.14481411112007@inetnews.worldnet.att.net...
> In article ,
> "Wildstar" wrote:
>
>> The fancy projects get cost reduced and is less than what the project may
>> have been.
>>
>> Projects don't become product unless A) cost is reduced and B) Features
>> are
>> reduced or re-engineered in such a way that it reduced cost and thusly
>> reduced cost. C) All the above until the price is affordable to average
>> people.
>
> Well, of course. But most products start off as projects, and those
> with market potential get final development. Look at concept cars. None
> ever make it to market as displayed, but some get refined (such as the
> Dodge Daytona, the Dodge Viper and the Plymoth Prowler), but more often,
> it is features of concept cars that get refined into production models.
>
> jt
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
|
