Right from my Yahoo account, with the header edited to get past the/. "junk characters" filter. (I'll send the full header if anywone is interested)
----- To: myaddr@yahoo.com From: FredY9686@earthlink.com Subject: SpamCop 11078 Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 Errors-To: Dave34_29@ecite.com
Hello Internetizen,
We are SpamCop -- dedicated to the elimination of unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE or "SPAM" as it is known.)
Our state-of-the art "Filtration and Heuristic Technology" is so advanced, even the best Hackers and Crackers in the industry have not yet been able to stop it. We guarantee that ALL of your e-mail accounts will be free of SPAM. If you receive even ONE SPAM message, that whole month will be free.
Set-up is US$229 and the monthly subscription is US$79. Please contact deputies@admin.spamcop.net to learn more.
We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, (sorry, no American Express please,) PayPal and Check-By-Phone.
... especially at the kinds of speeds they cite. Why don't you see any racing competition classes for 3-wheeled vehicles, whereas there are flocks of classes for 2 and for 4 wheeled vehicles?
I also noticed no specs on horsepower, torque, engine type, wheelbase, track, body structure, materials, weight, etc. Did I miss a page?
There are soem good responses above about the HP and Turbine issues.
What's the deal here -- we instantly recognize vaproware in the computing arena, but here...?
One of the most dangerous things in the world...
on
Ebay vs. Musician
·
· Score: 1
...and many here do, is that this is ENGINEERING A PRODUCT, and that this is NOT ART!
Developers need to get their ego OUT of the development process and decisions. We are building a product that is useful to others, and it is the OTHERS who decide whether it is useful.
Know your audience, listen to them closely, and build what THEY WANT.
Our job is to make the most reliable, efficient and robust implementation of what they want, not to tell them what they want.
In fact, there are very few situations in which developers have a real chance of actually knowing what the users want, generally limited to building developer tools, and situations where the developer is also a domain expert in the project area.
This kind of "I'm writing it and I know best about everything" nonsense is the main thing holding back Linux and the open source movement.
In contrast, the main thing moving Linux forward is serious projects focused building to customer-centric (vs egocentric) specs.
The general comments about being in the expected budget range are right on the money. As one who spent over a decade in software and network consulting, we worked hard to be sure that we were priced a high as we could be and still stay under the decision-maker's signing authority.
There is also a definite effect related to the famous Giffen Good, defined as "a special type of inferior good that's quantity demanded rises when price rises". http://www.cr1.dircon.co.uk/TB/1/giffen.htm
Although this was first proposed in the 19th century related to economics of poverty, it has a very real effect in other contexts. The most obvious is in goods sold to the rich, where they want to have spent more for X (so as to be perceived as being rich enough to afford it). This effect is also clearly present in the business environment, but more related to the perceived secuiryt and accountability related to higher prices.
The account was short, but you probably need to talk more closely to your customer. If your price is low (or high), they need to be sold on WHY it is low or high. If you have a cost advantage that can be passed on to them (pre-developed libraries, low overhead, etc.), let them know, otherwise, they may assume that you are just cutting corners. If your price is high, but you are taking extra care in certain areas that will benefit them, again let them know or they will make other assumptions.
Mostly, don't just throw a big cold wet fish on their desk. Explain to them how great it will taste with your expert preparation and why the price is right.
Slashdot Mirror
Right from my Yahoo account, with the header edited to get past the /. "junk characters" filter. (I'll send the full header if anywone is interested)
-----
To: myaddr@yahoo.com
From: FredY9686@earthlink.com
Subject: SpamCop 11078
Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002
Errors-To: Dave34_29@ecite.com
Hello Internetizen,
We are SpamCop -- dedicated to the elimination of unsolicited commercial e-mail
(UCE or "SPAM" as it is known.)
Our state-of-the art "Filtration and Heuristic Technology" is so advanced, even
the best Hackers and Crackers in the industry have not yet been able to stop
it. We guarantee that ALL of your e-mail accounts will be free of SPAM. If you
receive even ONE SPAM message, that whole month will be free.
Set-up is US$229 and the monthly subscription is US$79. Please contact
deputies@admin.spamcop.net to learn more.
We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, (sorry, no American Express please,)
PayPal and Check-By-Phone.
We very much look forward to serving you.
SpamCop
-----
... especially at the kinds of speeds they cite. Why don't you see any racing competition classes for 3-wheeled vehicles, whereas there are flocks of classes for 2 and for 4 wheeled vehicles?
I also noticed no specs on horsepower, torque, engine type, wheelbase, track, body structure, materials, weight, etc. Did I miss a page?
There are soem good responses above about the HP and Turbine issues.
What's the deal here -- we instantly recognize vaproware in the computing arena, but here...?
... is when power is given to idiots. QED
... idiots with power.
We have a site in the Billerica MA facility, and it was intermittently unavailable for most of the morning. Seems to be better now.
...and many here do, is that this is ENGINEERING A PRODUCT, and that this is NOT ART!
Developers need to get their ego OUT of the development process and decisions. We are building a product that is useful to others, and it is the OTHERS who decide whether it is useful.
Know your audience, listen to them closely, and build what THEY WANT.
Our job is to make the most reliable, efficient and robust implementation of what they want, not to tell them what they want.
In fact, there are very few situations in which developers have a real chance of actually knowing what the users want, generally limited to building developer tools, and situations where the developer is also a domain expert in the project area.
This kind of "I'm writing it and I know best about everything" nonsense is the main thing holding back Linux and the open source movement.
In contrast, the main thing moving Linux forward is serious projects focused building to customer-centric (vs egocentric) specs.
[flame off]
The general comments about being in the expected budget range are right on the money. As one who spent over a decade in software and network consulting, we worked hard to be sure that we were priced a high as we could be and still stay under the decision-maker's signing authority.
There is also a definite effect related to the famous Giffen Good, defined as "a special type of inferior good that's quantity demanded rises when price rises". http://www.cr1.dircon.co.uk/TB/1/giffen.htm
Although this was first proposed in the 19th century related to economics of poverty, it has a very real effect in other contexts. The most obvious is in goods sold to the rich, where they want to have spent more for X (so as to be perceived as being rich enough to afford it). This effect is also clearly present in the business environment, but more related to the perceived secuiryt and accountability related to higher prices.
The account was short, but you probably need to talk more closely to your customer. If your price is low (or high), they need to be sold on WHY it is low or high. If you have a cost advantage that can be passed on to them (pre-developed libraries, low overhead, etc.), let them know, otherwise, they may assume that you are just cutting corners. If your price is high, but you are taking extra care in certain areas that will benefit them, again let them know or they will make other assumptions.
Mostly, don't just throw a big cold wet fish on their desk. Explain to them how great it will taste with your expert preparation and why the price is right.
Cheers,
J!